1 Samuel 18

1 Samuel 18

Jonathan recognized David’s dedication to the Lord and the two of them became instant friends. I do not know what the age difference is between these two, but I would imagine that they were fairly close in age considering that Jonathan was Saul’s son and there is no mention of him having any children. What is special about this first encounter between these two is that Jonathan in a sense hands over his position in the kingdom to David. He gives David all his weapons and his robe. Now David had already been established as the next king of Israel by God, but this instance could possibly be another hint at David’s eventual role as king. Also, whenever David went out to battle, he was granted victory, and Saul was pleased, as was Israel.


Saul did not mind David’s success at first because it reflected well on him, but when Saul heard the women of Israel praising David more than Saul, he became jealous. He knew that David was having much more success in battle, but he was not willing to accept it. So he began his attacks on David’s life. The first of those attempts is in 1 Samuel 18. Saul threw a spear at David twice one day, and both times David was able to dodge the attack. After this failed attempt, Saul became afraid of David, knowing that his success and longevity was because of God. He knew that God had left him and chosen David, and that only made the situation worse for Saul. So Saul got rid of David and sent him out of the palace to command a group of soldiers. Even in this new position, the Lord allowed David to have success and his fame only grew in Israel.

Once Saul knew that he could not get rid of David, he decided to set David up as an enemy of the Philistines. So Saul offered David his daughter as a wife, and at the same time he continued to put David in situations where he would fight against the Philistines. This helped Saul in that he had a very successful soldier close by to fight for him, for David was stay with Saul and his daughter. Furthermore, he knew the Philistines would come after David once they discovered it was he that was constantly defeating them. But Saul’s plan backfired, for now he was once again a witness of David’s success, and his jealousy only increased. Furthermore, it did not matter how many times the Philistines came out against David, he always found a way to lead his men to victory.

Revenge is never something we should seek. We may feel that we have legit reasons to seek revenge. We may think that the person deserves to be paid back. In the case of Saul and David, David had done nothing wrong, and Saul was seeking revenge out of jealousy. But sometimes we face situations where the other person is in the wrong and it seems as if they continue to get away with their mistakes. It does not seem fair to see the unjust prospering. It is at those moments when we must learn to trust God. We may see the wicked man prosper, but we must understand that while he may gain success in this life, his eternal life could be at stake. Instead of seeking revenge on those people, we should reach out to them and love them. We should show them who God is and encourage them to accept His gift of salvation. It is not always easy to love those who have hurt us, but it is a command that we should follow.

Matt