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David-Hunted by Saul
July 25, 2020

After David slew Goliath, Saul and David talked because nobody knew whose son David was. It was during this conversation that probably something David said connected with Jonathan, Saul’s son and an instant bond was formed between the two and they became closer than brothers. After this huge victory, Saul wanted David to be part of his household and would not let David return to his father’s home. Jonathan even gave David clothes of the royal family to wear and David went wherever Saul sent him.

As David was returning from the victory over the Philistines and the death of Goliath along with Saul, women came to welcome them home singing a song. In the lyrics of the music they said the words that Saul had killed thousands and David had killed ten thousands. These words were troubling to Saul and caused him to become angry because from that day forward he saw David as a threat to his kingdom.

The next day the evil spirit returned to Saul and David came to play the harp to cheer him up. This time Saul had a javelin in his hand and began thinking about taking the life of David and saw himself pinning David to the wall with the javelin. David was quick to get out of Saul’s way and seeing his failure to take the life of David, this caused Saul to become afraid of David knowing that God was now with David and no longer with Saul.

To put distance between himself and David, Saul made David a captain over one thousand men, and even with this promotion and additional responsibilities, David continued to do very well which caused Saul’s paranoia of him to only grow. Even though Saul began to despise David, the people adored David and he was often seen by the people.

Saul began thinking of other, more noble ways for David to die. He offered to make David his son-in-law by offering his older daughter Merab in exchange for David fighting battles with the hope that David would be killed in battle. When offered this opportunity David did not consider himself worthy to be the king’s son-in-law. The marriage to Merab would not happen as Saul later gave her in marriage to another person.

The younger daughter of Saul, Michal, fell in love with David and word got back to Saul who began thinking how he could use this new development to get rid of David. Immediately he thought Michal could be used to trap David between marriage and fighting the Philistines and Saul knew David would be his son-in-law. Saul secretly had his servants go to David and tell him that Saul was very happy with him and that David should become the king’s son-in-law.

Saul’s servants connected with David just as was requested by the king and David told them that since he came from a poorer family and was not well-liked by the king, he had to give the idea serious thought. The servants returned to Saul and told them David’s thoughts and immediately Saul focused on the dowry realizing that David nor his family would have the financial ability to pay the dowry. Saul told the servants to tell David that instead of a dowry of gifts, all Saul would want is one hundred foreskins from Philistines. Saul wasn’t trying to be kind to David, he was hoping the Philistines would kill David.

1 Samuel 18:1-30
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants. And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand. And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them. And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD'S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king? But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife. And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain. And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son in law. And Saul's servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law: and the days were not expired. Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him. And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually. Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.

Jonathan protected David even though he was ordered by his father to kill David. All of Saul’s servants were told to kill David. Instead of taking lethal action, Jonathan risked his own life by coming to David in peace and telling him to hide, to hide from everyone. Jonathan told David than when he was in hiding, he would try to figure out what Saul was planning to do next.

While David was hiding, Jonathan worked to soften up Saul’s desire to kill David showing that David was very loyal to Saul in everything he did. He helped Saul remember that it was David who killed Goliath when nobody else would even fight the Philistine. What Jonathan said to Saul worked and Saul relented on his plan to kills David and the relationship went back to how it was before.

1 Samuel 19:1-7
And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee. And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good: For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain. And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.

Later there came another battle against the Philistines and as in all previous encounters, David killed many fighters. Again, this made Saul angry because he saw David’s success as a challenge to his throne. When David returned to the palace, he tried to kill David right there and then throwing a javelin at David. He missed but the javelin slammed into the wall with such force that anyone there would have realized had the javelin hit David, David would have been dead. Instead, David slipped away into the night.

David had found a safe passage back to his house and later than night Saul sent messengers to the house with the intent of keeping David there under house arrest until morning. Michal, David’s wife did not want her husband to die and helped David escape by slipping out a window. She even made it look like David was asleep in the bed by using the head of a statue and using goat hair to look like David’s body. The next morning when it was discovered that David was missing, Michal told Saul that David had threatened her.

David fled to Ramah and stayed in Naioth. Word eventually got back to Saul who sent men there to arrest David and return him to the palace and these men came across Samuel and other prophets. They felt compelled to return to the palace and this pattern repeated itself multiple times. Eventually Saul went to fetch David and encountered the power of God.

1 Samuel 19:8-24
And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him. And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand. And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain. So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped. And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth. And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him. And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster. And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee? So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah. And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

Saul tried to kill David many different times, and God did not allow it. Eventually Saul was made to worship God.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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