Life of David Part 3: 1 Samuel 18 + 19
This Life of David series outlines my study for my current Sunday morning series for the middle school youth group I lead. This writing series will show how I broke down each chapter and what general points I used in teaching this to middle schoolers. Hopefully, it will help you in teaching something on the life of David.
One of the main themes we can find in the life of David is the faithfulness of God. As if facing Goliath wasn't enough, David encounters a long stretch of opposition from the king he served faithfully, Saul. In these two chapters, tension between David and Saul begins to ramp up, but David shows us a wonderful example of staying faithful to God and letting Him sort it out.
1. Saul's Jealousy Over David's Success (18 v. 1-16)
The passage begins on the positive note of the friendship of Jonathan and David. While most of these chapters show tension between Saul and David, the opening four verses show that David's faithfulness would not be entirely without benefits. Jonathan and David developed an incredibly meaningful friendship that sprang out of good character and a desire to do right by each other.
This stands in stark contrast Saul's jealousy over David's victories in battle. One of the key moments of these chapters (as well as the book as a whole) is Saul's frustration that David was given greater praise coming back from battle. Rather than view David's success as a reflection of his own success, he chooses to see David as his competition. This is one of Saul's many bad examples. It can be easy to think competitively within the church, but that is never the way God's people are called to think. We are one body that should celebrate each other's victories, not view another person's victory as our defeat.
The main issue with a competitive outlook is that it leads a person to actively fight against another person's success. This is where Saul goes in these chapters. The next day, we see Saul throwing a spear at David not once, but twice. It is truly remarkable how casually Saul's spear throwing gets mentioned throughout the book, but it goes to show how routinely Saul was fighting against David. Despite all this, David continues to serve faithfully, not fighting for his own rights but trusting God to sort out the situation. The answer to a competitive person is not to try to win the competition but to make room for another's fault and continue on the path God has placed before you.
2. Saul's Plots Involving His Daughters (18 v. 17-30)
With Saul's direct attempt to kill David failing, he decides to be a bit more crafty. Rather than directly opposing David, he begins to look for ways to have him fight the Philistines in the hopes that the heat of war will claim David's life. This comes through the proposition of offering one of his daughters to David in marriage. The logic is odd to us today, but back then, it was common to ask for some kind of fee or gift in exchange for a daughter. In this case, Saul asks for proof of 100 dead Philistines.
We see two responses from David in the passage. First, David is so humble about his own family background that he turns down Saul's first daughter, Merab. Saul then gives her to another man, presumably trying to anger David into sin. Instead, Saul's younger daughter, Michal, begins to fall in love with David, David goes out and proves he's killed 200 Philistines, and Saul had no choice but to give his daughter to his enemy.
One important note is that the chapter shows how Saul became fearful of David. Throughout the rest of Saul's life, he will do some truly evil things towards David. Fear is an extremely powerful motivator and it can blind a person to what's really going on. If Saul were level-headed, he would have seen the faithfulness of David and the ability he had to set up Israel for success for years to come. Saul instead saw David as a threat, and his fear led him down a terrible path.
3. Saul's Direct Plots To Kill David (19 v. 1-24)
That path begins to play out in chapter 19. Saul tries to turn killing David into a family affair, but both Jonathan and Michal want none of it. Jonathan learns about the plan to kill David and immediately warns him. Beyond that, he goes back to his father and tries to talk him out of the heinous plot. This works temporarily, but after David returns from another military victory, Saul's jealousy takes over and he tries again to throw a spear at David.
Next, it's Michal's turn to save David. Saul brings troops to their house, but Michal pleads with David to leave and even helps him escape. It seems fear runs in her family given that she lies about David's departure and claims she was threatened. Regardless, David is able to escape another threatening moment. He goes and finds Samuel and they head away from the dangers of Saul.
Finally, it's God's turn to save David. Saul began to send troops in David's direction, but each time they got close to him, the Spirit of God would rush upon them and make them prophesy. This happened with three rounds of troops until Saul decides to go himself. Saul encounters the same experience where God's Spirit rushes on him and he begins to prophecy. Two things should be seen here. First, Saul's experience with prophecy is not the normal experience. This should not become our guide for prophesying. God was preventing something and used these means. That is God's choice, we must simply trust Him. Second, God was being faithful to David. Through these strange means, David's life was spared. Whatever the means, God proved that He was strong enough to spare David. This should be an encouragement for us today that God is able to deliver us from anything and is strong to work out His plan as He sees fit.