Taught by
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Taught by
Stephen ArmstrongOur story of Saul and David is going to start reading like a Coyote and Roadrunner cartoon script
Saul is fast becoming obsessed with finding some way to get rid of David
Whether by hook or crook…or exploding bomb or catapult
Somehow Saul has to rid himself of David’s tormenting presence
And what is it about David that bothers Saul so much?
Putting aside the supernatural causes (like the tormenting spirit)
The main reason is David’s continued rise to prominence and widespread appeal
No matter what Saul does to David, David prospers
And to make matters worse, David’s so annoyingly humble about it all
But we know what’s behind the tension truly
The Lord is bringing these two men together so He can use one to school the other
Saul is David’s tutor, though neither appreciate it that way
David will be seasoned over ten difficult years before becoming a king
And Saul will provide the seasoning through his paranoia and jealousy
But of course the Lord can’t allow Saul to get the upper hand on David
Just as every Roadrunner cartoon must end with the hapless Coyote falling from the cliff or flattened by his own contraptions, so it must be for Saul
David will prevail, for this is the Lord’s intent
But it’s not the outcome that’s important to this story so much as the mayhem that leads us there
Each time Saul tries to put an end to David, the Lord ultimately blocks His path
Yet He allows Saul just enough room to operate so that he places David in a position where he must react
He must run
He must hide
He must raise likeminded soldiers, find allies, cry out to the Lord and deal with temptations to put an end to his enemy
And through it all, he grows and matures and learns
Saul’s first attempt on David’s life is rather unimaginative
Saul abandons any pretense of working in David’s best interests and tells his son, Jonathan, and all his servants to kill David
And now we see why the Lord knit Jonathan’s heart to David’s heart in the earlier chapter
Now that this man is in covenant with David, he is bound by his own life to protect David’s life
So not only can Jonathan not carry out the king’s orders, he must stop anyone else from killing David either
Samuel says Jonathan greatly delighted in David, so we know he was personally motivated to protect David as well
But Jonathan is also called to honor his father and the king
So we see him working very hard here to find a solution to preserve his allegiance to both men
He begins by warning David that others might be trying to kill him since the king had given this order
I doubt David was very surprised by Saul’s orders
After the spear throwing episodes, David probably had a suspicion that Saul didn’t like him
But Jonathan knows that the order had gone out to have David killed so the servants would have been coming after him too
Furthermore, Jonathan said he would try to learn more of his father’s plans
It seems he arranged for David to hide in a place near where Saul was staying
He did this so that once he won his father over, he could orchestrate a quick reconciliation
Time was of the essence here, because the word had gone out that David should be killed
Jonathan needed to get Saul to change his mind and then get David back in the king’s presence quickly so that no one might kill David before the reconciliation
Jonathan is successful, as we see, based on the argument that David was innocent
David had done great things for Saul, so killing David would be unjust
David killed Philistines
David served Saul honorably
The people rejoiced over David and so did Saul
It’s this last part that probably made Jonathan’s argument convincing to Saul
Saul remembers how the people perceive David
I wonder if he considered the ramifications of killing a popular man who everyone knew to be innocent
For whatever reason, Saul vows not to kill David after all
But it doesn’t take him long to break this vow
Now we see Saul’s fourth attempt to put David to death, and once again the Lord will use a member of Saul’s household to save David
The continual war with the Philistines goes hot again, and again David is sent out into battle
Though Saul secretly hopes that the battles will put an end to David, the Lord continues to ensure David’s success
He slaughters the Philistines in great number
And they retreated again into the costal plains
Another impressive victory for David
David’s victory reminds Saul of all the reasons he’s ready to see David’s end
With the evil spirit stirring up Saul’s hatred and paranoia, he grabs his spear again
And once more, he tries to pin David to the wall
This phrase emphasizes the force with which Saul threw the spear
With that throw, David realized that Saul was not a man to keep his vow
Of course, David has seen this before
Saul didn’t keep his vow for the reward for killing Goliath
And now it’s clear that Saul is going back on his promise not to kill David
With that understanding, David leaves the court knowing that there is no chance of survival if he stays around Saul
From this point forward, David will be a fugitive from Saul
He will live on the lam about ten years
David will never be free from living this way until Saul dies
He first flees to his home and wife, probably because he didn’t know where else to go
David’s wife, Michal, gives him sound but certainly difficult advice
She tells her own husband to run away to save his life
This was very self-sacrificial on her part
David escapes through a window to avoid being seen and chased
And Michal prepares a rouse to delay the servants of Saul
She constructs a dummy in his bed from goat hair and the household idol
Once again it’s Saul’s child that devises the plan and directs David for his own good
What should we conclude by the fact that there was an idol in David’s house?
Most readers of 1 Samuel conclude that the idol belonged to Michal, not David
This is likely because household idols were usually the property of the heir of a family and were proof of the inheritance right
You may remember Rachel taking Laban’s household idols when she and Jacob were leaving
This greatly bothered Laban because it gave Jacob right to return some day and claim Laban’s inheritance
So it’s likely that these were Saul’s household idols given to Michal, perhaps at the wedding
Either way, it troubles us that David has not addressed the presence of an idol in his home
Since we don’t know why he decided to hold on to them, we can only assume that Saul’s negative influence is moving into the next generation
And though David should have stopped it, he hadn’t
Later, we’ll see that this wife will prove to be a disappointment to David in other ways
When the servants came for David, Michal pointed to the quilt of goat hair and told them David was in bed sick, so they left
Interestingly, the Septuagint translates the Hebrew word for quilt of goat hair differently
That ancient version translates it as goat liver, not hair
The sense is that Michal put a goat liver under the quilt
So that when she stroked the quilt like she was rubbing her husband’s back, the liver would undulate like a person breathing
Whatever she did, it was convincing to the point that the servants retreat
They go back to tell Saul that David is taking a sick day from the court
Saul said what any harsh boss would say…”go back and pick up his bed and bring him back”
So I can kill him
When they return and discover they have been tricked by Michal, they turn their attention to her
She has committed a high crime, and she has to think fast to save her skin
And she does
Michal declares that David threatened to kill her if she didn’t do what she did
It’s a lie, of course, but it works
Michal is in a covenant with David also, a marriage covenant
This covenant made her one flesh with David, and as such she was expected to give her loyalties to David over all others
Still, her choice to go against the king was dangerous
And her decision to lie was punishable by death
We can’t excuse her sin in protecting David
But clearly the Lord was working through her sin to accomplish good things for David
David too recognized that the Lord was at work to protect him, as he wrote in Psalm 59
So now that David is on the run, where does he go? To the only person stronger than Saul
Samuel reappears in the story
The last time we saw Samuel, he was anointing David
And he’s refused to see Saul since that episode in Gilgal, when Saul decided to keep some of Agag’s possessions
Now he’s David’s best hope in the face of Saul’s expected attack
David finds Samuel in his home barely an hour’s walk from Saul’s home in Ramah
Samuel seems to be running a school for prophets
Saul learns David has taken refuge there and sends servants to arrest David
These servants come in three waves
And each wave arrives to do Saul’s bidding only to end up doing the Lord’s bidding
Each group begins to prophesy
We don’t know what they were saying, but it would make sense they were speaking about David and the Lord’s anointing on David
The fact that Saul sent servants three times is telling
It demonstrates that Saul wasn’t listening to the Lord nor interested in obeying Him
If he had, then he couldn’t have helped but notice the Lord’s supernatural rebuff of his orders to capture David
Finally, in an act of hubris and pride, Saul decides he will come to Naoith, the abode of the prophets at Ramah, to take David himself
But as with his servants, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon Saul
He prophesies as well
More than that, Saul is moved to strip himself of his clothes
He lays naked before Samuel prophesying all day and night
A king determined by his own authority to kill the Lord’s anointed is now prostrate naked before the Lord’s prophet serving the Lord by speaking prophecy
His nakedness is a symbolic picture of the Lord stripping him of his royal authority and honor
And his posture indicates his submission to the anointing of Samuel
The passage ends with a repetition of the phrase that marked Saul’s rise to power
His prophesying caused some to wonder if Saul was now among the prophets
This phrase was uttered once before when the Lord’s Spirit first came upon Saul
Now it’s being uttered again as the Spirit has returned to Saul temporarily to create this scene
It’s as if to remind the reader that Saul began as a man under the influence of the Spirit, but it’s never seemed a natural fit
Every time Saul has spoken the word of the Lord under the Spirit’s influence, the people have wondered aloud
In the first case, it was a surprise because Saul was an unknown
And no one had ever seen him show any interest in the things of God prior
This time the surprise comes from having a full knowledge of Saul’s character
The nation knew their king was trying to kill the very man who had saved them from the Philistines on multiple occasions
And they must have known that he was acting in crazy and unpredictable ways
So the phrase that first became a source of praise for Saul has become a phrase of derision
After this episode, David is able to leave Ramah safely, but of course this is just one episode in the ongoing saga
And David is searching for a way to put an end to the chase, so he returns to Jonathan for answers
David confronts Jonathan and asks the obvious question, what did I do to Saul?
Of course this question can never have an acceptable answer
David didn’t do anything
Saul isn’t acting rationally
And the Lord is working to accomplish something in David’s life
I think every Christian should remember David’s question and bring it to mind when things are going horribly and unfairly wrong
David asked what did I do wrong, knowing he was innocent
And he assumes that if one is innocent, then nothing bad should happen
And yet here it was happening nonetheless
Similarly, we need to remember that just because we’re “innocent” that doesn’t mean the Lord isn’t just when He allows us to suffer in various ways
That suffering is still just if it serves His good purposes in our life
And suffering is a powerful way for the Lord to grow us
David doesn’t understand yet what the Lord is doing so he’s looking for ways to escape his predicament
But we should learn from his experience to realize even in the midst of our circumstances that bad things happen to good people for good reasons
Jonathan is the friend David desperately needed
He reassures David that Saul will not be successful in taking David’s life
In fact, Jonathan tells David he will always know what Saul is planning before Saul does it
Therefore, he can assure David that they will stay one step ahead of Saul
But David isn’t so optimistic
He says won’t Saul anticipate that Jonathan is helping David and withhold details?
Therefore, David returns to the pessimistic, woe-is-me attitude
This is certainly not the David that walked out onto that field against Goliath, is it?
Just for a moment I think we see why the Lord wants to strengthen David through this trial
If David was a bit too pessimistic, then Jonathan was certainly overly optimistic
So Jonathan tells David, tell me what to do to reassure you
David decides that the upcoming new moon festival was the right occasion to show Jonathan Saul’s heart
New moons in Israel began a new month, and it was marked with a sacrificial meal
The king held a special feast meal and a high-ranking commander like David would be expected to attend
Obviously, if Saul was actively trying to kill David, he would be angry if David wasn’t there
So David tells Jonathan to make an excuse for him to test Saul’s heart
David will avoid the meal by hiding in the field and Jonathan will say that David went to Bethlehem for an annual family feast (like a reunion)
David was lying, and in the early days of his running from Saul, he seems to rely on lying or other tricks to get his way
But as his time on the lam goes on, he rests more and more in the Lord for protection, as the Psalms indicate
His trials were a source of purification as scripture promises
Saul’s response to this news will tell David and Jonathan where Saul’s heart truly is
If Saul could accept the story of David’s absence without concern, then it would indicate he wasn’t planning to kill David, since the reason was understandable
But if Saul was upset, it would tip his hand
He would be showing he was intending to kill David and was upset at missing his chance
Jonathan likes the plan and decides to act on it
He helps hide David in the field
And he goes to the dinner
David is hiding in the field instead of actually going to Bethlehem or elsewhere probably because he doesn’t trust anyone else at this point
Jonathan promises David that once he has determined his father’s true intent concerning David, he will communicate it honestly to David
If Saul shows kindness to David, then Jonathan will call for David to return to the king’s court
But if the king desires to do harm to David, then Jonathan will let David know that as well
He is taking a considerable risk in either case
So Jonathan goes a step further and asks David for another covenant with the Lord as his witness (v.12)
The first covenant was a suzerainty covenant in which Jonathan pledged his love to David unconditionally
Now this time Jonathan is proposing a parity covenant for different purposes
Jonathan on his part will divulge his father’s intent toward David, thus saving David’s life
And David on his part will pledge to protect Jonathan’s house forever
Jonathan knew that David was anointed to be the next king
So that meant that David’s house would consider Saul’s house to be potential rivals and enemies
Therefore, Jonathan has good reason to worry that he and his family might be in jeopardy when David assumes the throne
So Jonathan wants David’s assurance in a covenant that he would treat Jonathan’s family with lovingkindness (a covenant term) forever
Even after David’s enemies are completely gone from the earth, David should continue to show favor to Jonathan’s household
This is a parity covenant because it depends on performance on both parties
And yet it is a lifelong covenant binding until death
Both men vow, so a second covenant is struck between them
Now Jonathan begins to enact the plan
He’s concerned about how to get word to David without giving away David’s position
He devises a plan of using arrows
Jonathan will come out to the field to shoot arrows after the dinner is concluded
He will bring a servant with him to retrieve the arrows
He will shoot three arrows
If he shoots so they land near David, then he is signaling that all is clear for David to return to the court
If Jonathan shoots the arrows far over David’s head, then it’s a sign that David run away from Saul
But Jonathan adds that the agreement they struck is forever lasting
Later in 2 Samuel we see the outworking of this covenant in David’s life
As king, he calls for any servants of Jonathan he should show kindness to in response to his covenant with Jonathan
And a crippled son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth, is found and given a place at the king’s table
David is faithful to this covenant even after Jonathan’s death
We first hear about Mephibosheth in Chapter 4 of 2 Samuel
So this young man is crippled
And David calls for this descendent of Jonathan to appear before him
Now imagine yourself Mephibosheth
Due to his crippled nature, Mephibosheth can’t stand before the king
He lies prostrate on the ground
And what must have been going through his mind?
He probably doesn’t know about the covenant between David and Jonathan
All he knows is that he is the last living male heir to the house of Saul
And his grandfather’s rival has called for him to appear
He must assume the worst
He must assume that he will be killed any minute
But instead, look what David does
David recognizes Mephibosheth’s fear
And David understands why he’s afraid
But David says don’t worry, because I called you here to show kindness upon you
And why?
Because Mephibosheth deserved it?
Did David show kindness because of something Mephibosheth did?
No
And Mephibosheth knows he is receiving something he shouldn’t receive
He asks a rhetorical question…why are you showing regard for a dead dog like me?
David was giving lovingkindness on account of Jonathan
The word lovingkindness is chesed
It means a special kind of underserved faithfulness
This is same kind of kindness David was prepared to show Jonathan’s son on account of his father’s covenant
We have another word for this special kind of kindness
We call it grace…unmerited favor
It was the basis for David’s actions
David was willing to restore Mephibosheth to the king’s table on the basis of another’s act of faithfulness
Not on the basis of Mephibosheth’s own worthiness
But on the basis of an agreement the king made with Mephibosheth’s father, Jonathan
And look at the favor Mephibosheth received
Mephibosheth inherited the property that had been his grandfather’s
And he had the benefit of servants to feed him
And he dined with the king at the king’s table
He went from a dead dog, a worthless person in the eyes of all of Israel
To become as a son of the king
Eating at the kings table continually
Many of us probably already know this, but David is a type of Christ
And it’s easy to see that type revealed through this story
In this story of David, we have a king showing grace – unmerited favor – upon an unworthy man
And more than that, a man who would be considered an enemy of David
Yet, on the basis of a covenant of faithfulness that the king made earlier with the ancestor of this poor dead dog of a man
The king can now bestow grace upon this man
And he will enjoy the riches of the King’s palace, like dining at the king’s table
This is exactly the way our king, Jesus Christ, looked upon you and I
Before we were drawn to Him, we were dead in our trespasses
We were like that poor Mephibosheth, dead as dogs and unable to stand in the king’s presence in our own power
But by the grace of the king we are made to stand
And what exactly did we do again to deserve God’s favor?
In a word nothing
It was grace. Unmerited favor
And it was on the basis of an earlier covenant
Mephibosheth was a descendent of Jonathan, a man in covenant with the king
His relationship to the one who was in covenant with the King meant he participated in the blessings of that covenant
Likewise, by our faith, God makes us members of Abraham’s family
Therefore we receive the same blessings from our King Christ as a result of our family relationship with the covenant holder, Abraham
The scriptures speak of David as a man after God’s own heart
That like Christ, David was faithful to keep his covenant and to forgive those who were his enemies
Likewise, our Lord is such a king
We can be confident in that assurance
As a child of the living God, we will always be welcome at his table
Having been renewed by His Spirit and reconciled by His Son’s sacrifice