A great deal happens in this chapter including the formation of David and Jonathan’s friendship, Saul’s initial jealousy of David, and his first attempts to “kill” David (by the hands of the Philistines).
“Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him. And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.” (v12-16)
I think Saul initially becomes jealous of David because David is more highly loved by the people. Saul probably thinks he should be the most revered and loved person in the land because he is the king, but humble David (with whom the Lord resides) is revered far more than Saul.
Saul means to kill David by making him a commander and sending him into battle after battle (v25b). He seems to forget that the Lord with with David, granting him success in all that he does, so David wins battle after battle, infuriating Saul even further.
Have you ever had someone angry with you for no apparent reason? Perhaps you have gone out of your way to help this person, yet they still seem to hold it against you. Maybe you were/are bullied, and can’t quite figure out what you have done to deserve it. Well, it likely isn’t your fault.
Saul is literally “of this world” – he’s a man born into the flesh, and is now under the influence of a “harmful spirit”, sent by Satan himself. Saul/Satan essentially persecutes David because he’s blessed by God. Satan hates God, yet cannot win a fight directly with God, so he picks fights he thinks he can win by attacking God’s people (eg. David and us).
Satan made his ultimate attack on God when he saw ‘God in the Flesh’ (Jesus) and thought that He was only a man, so He must be vulnerable (Mt 4:1-11). Satan was thwarted because Jesus was too strong in His faith and protected by God until the appointed time. Even at the appointed time of the cross, Satan could not directly attack Jesus, he had to influence regular people to torture and crucify Him (see Mt 27:27-44). God allowed this persecution and murder because it was part of His sovereign will for Jesus to die.
My encouragement for today is to remain strong in the faith when we experience persecution of any kind. In a weird way, if we are being persecuted (eg. bullied, hated, recipients of undue anger, etc.) that means we’re probably on the right track, following God, and Satan is trying to discourage us.
How many Christ followers of influence do you know of who have fallen prey to scandal? I can think of at least 5 off the top of my head (but won’t name names). These are strong, God honoring people, faithfully serving the Lord, but have been attacked by Satan because they honor God and are people of influence (like Satan constantly attacked King Saul who eventually gave in).
Let’s not forget that God is on our side – for those of us who love the Lord, He will protect our spirit from eternal harm. Though we may endure hardship to our reputation, physical being, and emotional selves (David knows a great deal about this), Jesus has overcome this world and rescued our spirits into eternity. Whether we recognize it or not, every day we are at war in the spiritual realm, and we need to rely on God to protect us (see Eph 6:10-20). Be encouraged, our present suffering will produce perseverance of spirit, and the suffering is temporary when viewed through the lens of eternity.
Father God, our Matchless King, we praise Your holy name. Thank you for Your steadfast love which endures forever. Your mercies are new every morning, and Your shield vanquishes the fiery arrows of our enemies. Father thank you for delivering us from the hands of our enemies, and preventing us from suffering eternal harm. We honor, love and revere You, for You alone are worthy of our praise. All glory be to You, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training