Scripture

Saul was afraid of David, for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul.

Observation

David and Jonathan meet, and they instantly form a strong friendship .

David does everything successfully that Saul commands him. When David and Saul return from battle against the Philistines, the women sing, “Saul has killed thousands, and David tens of thousands.” This makes Saul jealous.

A tormenting spirit comes against Saul. He raves like a madman, and tries twice to kill David.

Michal falls in love with David. Saul offers Michal to David for the bride price of 100Pphilistine foreskins. Saul reasons that David will be killed by the Philistines. David and his men go and kill 200 Philistines. So David marries Michal.

Application

Fear and jealousy start to consume Saul. He can see how successful and popular David is, and he becomes afraid for his own position.

This kind of deception is a favourite tool of the devil. He stirs up negative emotions such as fear and jealousy to keep us isolated from other people. When we are isolated, he can amplify the emotions and make us quite irrational.

Saul had no cause to be afraid or jealous of David. David was loyal and had no desire to depose him. But satan is the father of lies, and Saul swallowed the deception.

Even though the Lord had rejected Saul as King over Israel, Saul could have repented of his sins and drawn close to the Lord. He could have been protected from his feelings of fear and jealousy. Instead, he chose to isolate himself and believe the lies rather than seeking the truth.

What a sad outcome this was. Many people follow a similar trajectory as they ignore the call of the Lord on their lives.

Prayer

Father, please help me stay close to you. Help me to always walk in the light of your word and the discernment that comes from your Holy Spirit. Amen.