Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The LORD won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?"  Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: "As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death.” 1 Samuel 19:4-6

Jonathan was on a mission to convince his father that the decree requesting the death of David was not good for Israel. It was a difficult task for Jonathan to accomplish, but he had to try because he had assured his friend David that he would do his best to know the truth of what his father wished to do. Jonathan decided to appeal to reason and allow his father to think through the facts as the whole of Israel saw them.

He wanted to emphasize the fact that David was still a servant of the King and not an aspiring candidate for the throne. So, he spoke well of David to the King and added: "Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly.” Jonathan pointed out that David had been innocent of any wrong. He went on to indicate that the success of David did benefit the King and the nation.

Then Jonathan moved the whole conversation away from the two personalities. It was not about the King, and it was not about the King’s servant. It was God who gave the victory. Too often we pay attention to the personalities involved in conflicts and take our eyes off what the ultimate goal is. The victory that was won by David over Goliath was not just for the King or for David. It was for the whole of Israel. In other words, God had a bigger plan for what was happening if Saul would stop and look beyond his interest.

Jonathan concluded that killing David would be for no reason because the young man was innocent. It seemed for a moment that the words of Jonathan had convinced his father. The King went a step further by making an oath: "As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death.” This must have been very encouraging for Jonathan. He believed that his father would keep the oath he had made in the name of the Lord.

It is rewarding to be a peacemaker in the name of the Lord.

Blessings,

Brother Seth

Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan was very fond of David and warned him, "My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I'll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out." 1Samuel 19:1-3

Now the strain between Saul and David had reached a new height. Saul decided that it was time to get rid of David in order to secure his throne. So we are told that: “Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David.”  The King must have been very desperate to publicly come out with such an order for several reasons. First and foremost, he was jeopardizing the cohesiveness of his family as well as his kingdom. Saul must have known how Jonathan was bonded to David, and the King should have considered the damaging effect this decree would have on his son. It was going to be difficult for Jonathan to come to terms with the fact that his own father was advocating for the death of his innocent friend.

Secondly, the King’s decree to eliminate David was also given to his court attendants. This was no longer something being kept as a secret between a few people. Most of these attendants were fond of David and they had joined in celebrating some of his victories. I am sure the decree came as a shock to most of them. They would have liked to get a lot more clarification from the King. A few good reasons why David should be eliminated would have helped. But who dares ask the King:”Why David of all people?” The word was out, and now it was up to David to avoid falling into the traps that were going to be set for him.

Jonathan did what any good friend should do. But in this case, it was not easy for him. Jonathan betrayed his family’s trust when he went and disclosed the private intentions of his father to David. In that situation, Jonathan surmised that it was better to save a friend’s life than blindly follow the family loyalty rule. What would you have done if you were in the shoes of Jonathan?

Jonathan put forward a risky plan in which he wished to know the seriousness of his father’s intention. He promised to get back to David at his hiding place and advise David on what steps would be needed. The loyalty of Jonathan is an example of what is expected of all those who belong to the family of God. Are we trustworthy?

Blessings,

Brother Seth     

 When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days. The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul's officers, and his name became well known. 1Samuel 18:28-30

There were a few things about David that scared Saul. Although David was young and did not have much experience in life, he made up for what he lacked by his faith in the Lord. David saw his whole life and vocation as living out God’s purposes no matter what the circumstance. This attitude became evident to all around young David. People could not help but notice that there was something special about him. I pray that the same could be said about all of us. The disciples of Jesus earned that distinction when everybody saw that they had walked with Jesus. There cannot be a better testimony than that.

Saw realized that the Lord was with David, and that did not make the King happy. Instead, the King became more afraid of David. Could it be because Saul realized that the Lord had left him? There was a time when Saul was among the prophets. There was also a time when Saul could count on the counsel of Samuel all the time. But now things had changed and he could see that the presence of the Lord, which he had once enjoyed, was no longer there. One would expect that that would be a reason to thirst for and desire what used to be the case. For Saul, that became a reason to be afraid and to make David his enemy.

Now Saul became suspicious of his own daughter because she loved her husband. It is sad how hatred can blind people to do things that do not make sense. In the meantime, David continued to be successful on the battlefield each time Israel was attacked by the Philistine commanders. And that success made David more popular with the people of Israel, and especially with the army officers who saw at close quarters the incredible victories that David was winning.

David had found the key to be a successful person. It was simply to fear the Lord and to live in the presence of the Lord with confidence. The God we serve understands our needs better, and the same Lord knows how to accomplish what has been purposed in our lives.

Blessings,

Brother Seth

When Saul's servants told him what David had said, Saul replied, "Say to David, 'The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.' " Saul's plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines. When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage. 1Samuel 18:24-27

David was in love with Saul’s daughter, but he knew that he could not afford the bridal price for the King’s daughter. David was aware of the humble background of his family. He also knew what his family could afford and what they could not afford. Unfortunately, many of us have not mastered that secret. People tend to live beyond their means and find themselves in serious debt. David voiced his concern about the possible bridal price for a King’s daughter. Strange as it might have seemed to David, he was told that the price the King demanded was not in cash value, but in bravery.

It was a strange bridal price indeed. The King demanded one hundred Philistine foreskins. Who would have come up with such an unusual request? But that was what the King demanded. The request should have “rang a bell” for David, but one should surmise that he was blinded by love at this time. According to Saul, he wanted to take revenge on his enemies. But Saul’s plan was obvious. He wanted to have David killed by the Philistines.

Saul had forgotten that David had a gift from God and it was that of bravery. So, what Saul intended to do to David did not materialize. David accomplished the mission before the appointed time. The question that anyone would ask is, “what did Saul do with the one hundred foreskins? There is no doubt that the King gave his daughter reluctantly to David. He had to do that because everyone would have known about his plot.

There is nothing too hard for the Lord and for those who trust the Lord. Sometime we may feel that we have been sent on an impossible mission, but we have to remember that the one who has called us will not fail us.

Blessings,

Brother Seth

Now Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased.  "I will give her to him," he thought, "so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So Saul said to David, "Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law."  Then Saul ordered his attendants: "Speak to David privately and say, 'Look, the king is pleased with you, and his attendants all like you; now become his son-in-law. "  1Samuel 18:20-22

Love is not something to take lightly. At the same time, love and marriage have been the snare for many men of God. Saul was very much aware of that, and he used it to his advantage to entice the young man who was at a marriageable age. I have always believed that the one to whom a Christian gets married can be very crucial in their Christian growth. It is for that reason that Christian marriage should be taken seriously by both parties involved.

We are told that, “Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David”. We can only assume that David was also in love with her, but we do not know much about that. When Saul heard about the romance that was budding between the two young people, all he could see was another opportunity to entice David to become his son-in-law. There would not have been anything wrong with what Saul was trying to do if his motives were pure. We know what happened to Saul’s elder daughter. When the time came for the marriage, Saul decided to give her to another man. So what would convince David that the same ploy would not be used a second time?

Saul had a lot of convincing to do in order for David to agree to this proposal. So Saul used his attendants in the King’s court to do the groundwork for him. There was no doubt that he had lost credibility when it came to offering his daughters in marriage.  Now the ball was in David’s court to discern what the King was trying to do.

The people of God are encouraged to use prayer and waiting on the Lord to make important decisions that have a lot of consequences. The temptation is always there to be emotional about decisions of the heart, but the admonishment is that we use all the wisdom that God gives when it comes to such matters. Good counsel from a trusted person of God would not hurt under these circumstances.

Blessings,

Brother Seth