Coming off the heels of a victory in battle over the giant Goliath that made David a superstar in Israel, we notice a major shift that occurs in the story of David in 1 Samuel 18:6-9. As was customary after a victory, the women of the various cities came out to play instruments, sing, and dance, and they developed a new chorus that caught on across the land: “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Not content to play second fiddle to David, King Saul feels threatened by him and grows intensely jealous, and the rest of the book of 1 Samuel tells the story of the conflict that erupted between them as a result. From this point on until Saul’s death, David will be opposed by the most powerful man in Israel, and for no good reason.
In this regard, David’s example foreshadows what Jesus would later say to his disciples in John 15:19: “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” We hear a lot about the “culture war” today. If you’re not familiar with that term, it’s a way of referring to the political and cultural clash that is now constant in our society that tends to focus on moral issues related to sexuality. What is really happening in the cultural war is a clash of two different religions: Christianity and a new form of paganism. Let’s call this new form of paganism “Pride,” named after their focus every June. As it now stands, Pride has captured almost all the powerful institutions of Western society. And the adherents of Pride hate Christianity. They hate the moral vision for which we stand. Many of them personally hate us. And while it is certainly tempting to whine and complain about our lot in this world as those hated for no good reason by the powerful elites of our culture, we would do better to look to Scripture, to stories such as those recorded in these three chapters, and be encouraged instead. Being hated and opposed simply comes with the territory of following Christ. But so does being delivered.
What we see in 1 Samuel 18-20 are seven stories of deliverance for David, a man hated and opposed without cause. Four of these are stories of deliverance from direct attacks from Saul or his men, and three of them are stories of deliverance from Saul’s plots to have David killed. I want to walk through these seven stories briefly and then draw out some words of application for us.
Notice first the four stories of deliverance from direct attacks. The first one comes in 18:10-16. Here we see a familiar scene: David playing the lyre to soothe King Saul, who is once again overcome by the presence of an evil spirit. In chapter 16, we read that David’s music had an ability to put Saul at ease during these moments. But not this time. Apparently, Saul was too far into the grip of this evil spirit to be released by soothing music, and he tried to pin David to the wall with a spear. But David evaded him twice. The second story of deliverance from a direct attack comes in 19:8-10. The story is nearly identical to what we just saw in chapter 18, where Saul once again was overcome by an evil spirit and, in spite of David’s best attempts to soothe him, hurled his spear at David again, but once again, David escaped. As the famous baseball player Yogi Berra might say, “It’s déjà vu all over again!” The story in chapter 19 is notable, however, because it is narrated right after an account in which Saul has just sworn to his son Jonathan that he would not harm David. It highlights the fickle nature of Saul’s word.
The third story of deliverance from a direct attack comes right after, in 19:11-17. Having just been attacked by Saul’s spear, David runs home to his wife Michal (more about her later). Somehow, whether because she was particularly observant or because someone informed her, Michal knew that Saul had men watching their house so that they could kill David the next morning. So she told him to get out of town, let him down secretly out of the window, and then came up with a plan to fool Saul’s men into thinking David was sick in bed. Once again, David escaped. The fourth story of deliverance from an attack follows right after, in 19:18-24. Running from his house, David flees to Ramah where he finds the prophet Samuel, and they go to a place called Naioth where there was a group of prophets. Saul’s intelligence operation brought back word about where David was, so Saul sent men to arrest David. As they approached, they saw Samuel and the company of prophets prophesying, which probably means in this context that they were praising God in word, and possibly in song, as they were empowered by the Spirit of God. And lo and behold, as Saul’s men came up to the group, they were overwhelmed with the power of the Spirit, and they too started prophesying and forgot all about the reason they had come in the first place. So Saul sent more men, and the same thing happened. And then he sent still more men, and the same thing happened again. So finally Saul himself went personally. Notice 19:23-24: “And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he too stripped off his clothes [probably referring to his outer garment only], and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’” That saying about Saul was first mentioned in 10:12, when the Spirit of God first rushed upon Saul to empower him to rule as king over Israel. Ironically, what was an empowering presence at that time has now become a power that frustrates his wicked plan. Four different times David has been delivered from a direct attack from Saul and/or his men.
But there are also three stories in these chapters about David’s deliverances from Saul’s plots to have him killed in more creative ways. Saul’s first plot against David is recorded in 18:17-30, where he attempts to use his daughters as bait to get David killed. First Saul offered to give his older daughter Merab to David as a wife, if David would be a valiant warrior and fight the Lord’s battles against the Philistines. Secretly, Saul hoped that David would get killed in battle, and then he could get rid of him without having to dirty his own hands. But when the time came for Merab to marry, and Saul noticed that David was still standing, he reneged on his word and gave her to another man. But sometime later, Saul got word that his younger daughter Michal loved David, and he thought, “Here’s my opportunity.” So he brought it up again: “David, this time you really will be my son-in-law.” But now Saul took things an extra step and communicated through his servants a specific bride price that he wanted before he would give Michal to David. He knew David couldn’t afford to pay in monetary value what would be required for a fair bride price, so instead he said he wanted one-hundred Philistine foreskins, cut from fallen Philistine soldiers on the battlefield. This proposal pleased David greatly because it was a price he could actually pay. So he led his men out to battle and came back with the gruesome price of two-hundred Philistine foreskins. This time Saul was backed into a corner, having named a specific price, so he had no other choice but to give Michal to David. His plot had failed.
So in 19:1-7, Saul tried another plot. This time he went to his son Jonathan and his high-ranking officials, and he tried to persuade them to carry out the dirty deed of putting David to death. But one thing Saul didn’t count on was Jonathan’s great love for David. So instead of doing his father’s bidding, Jonathan told David to hide out in a field while he took his father aside and tried to persuade him. He made the argument to Saul that David had done nothing wrong, and he reminded his father of the great salvation that the Lord had worked through David in striking down Goliath, the Philistine warrior. Apparently, it was a moment of clarity for Saul, who listened to the argument his son made and swore to him, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death” (19:6). I don’t think there is any reason to say that Saul was being intentionally deceptive here. In that moment, it seems, the fog cleared from his mind, and his intention to protect David was true. The problem was not deception; it was simply that his word was fickle. Soon the fog would return and cause him to violate this oath. But for the time being, a second plot of Saul to have David killed has been foiled.
The third plot is the longest story in these chapters, and it is the story of chapter 20. This time Saul has plotted to have David killed, but he has done so without telling Jonathan, because he knows that Jonathan is on David’s side. So the narrative tension turns on the fact that David knows Saul wants to kill him, but Jonathan, apparently still hearing the echoes of his father’s oath, doesn’t believe it. “After all,” Jonathan says, “My father doesn’t do anything without telling me. If he still wanted to kill you, I would know about it.” So David throws out the obvious suggestion that Saul is hiding the truth this time, and Jonathan agrees to help expose the truth. They come up with a plan to have David hide out in a field and leave his place empty at the upcoming feast celebrating the new moon. Jonathan says they will come up with an excuse about why David is not there for that occasion (he needed to go back to Bethlehem for a special sacrifice), and then Jonathan will observe how Saul reacts. If Saul is content to allow David’s absence, then all is well. But if Saul reacts in anger, Jonathan will know that it was actually his intention to have David killed at the feast. So Jonathan tests his father. On the first day of the feast, Saul notices David’s empty spot at the table, but he says nothing, assuming that David must have become ceremonially unclean and had to wait the appointed time before he could come out in public again. But on the second day, when David’s seat is empty again, Saul asks, “Where is the son of Jesse?” And Jonathan tells him, “He asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem for a special sacrifice.” Saul’s nostrils flared, and he became so angry that he insulted Jonathan in front of the whole assembly for aligning himself with David against his own father. When Jonathan pushed back, Saul threw a spear at him! Once again, he missed, but his intention to have David put to death was now clear to Jonathan. In anger and grief, Jonathan left the gathering.
Jonathan had arranged a signal with David to indicate whether Saul was favorable or unfavorable, and with David hiding out in the field, Jonathan gave the clear signal that his father was unfavorable, and it was time for David to flee. But in spite of their best plans to take every precaution of secrecy, it seems David and Jonathan couldn’t resist meeting together one more time to weep together and reaffirm their loyalty before David went on the run. From this point on, David is no longer a servant in Saul’s court. He is a fugitive, but he has been delivered seven times total from attacks and plots to have him killed.
As I reflect on what these stories have to say to us today, my mind is drawn Romans 8:35-37, where Paul asks, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Paul says that no matter what kind of opposition or suffering we may face in this world that hates us, we are more than conquerors through Christ. John Piper has some insightful words into what it means to be more than a conqueror: “…a conqueror defeats his enemy, but one who is more than a conqueror subjugates his enemy. A conqueror nullifies the purpose of his enemy; one who is more than a conqueror makes the enemy serve his own purposes. A conqueror strikes down his foe; one who is more than a conqueror makes his foe his slave.”1 Though this world and the god of this world may hate us and seek to destroy us, it is not only the case that their efforts will fail. In fact, their efforts will only serve God’s purpose for our good in the end. We are not just conquerors through Christ who see our enemies thwarted. We are more than conquerors who see our enemies’ purposes made into instruments to help bring the promises of God to fulfillment in us.
The stories of David’s deliverances from Saul illustrate this point for us and thereby encourage us to continue walking in obedience to the Lord. These are stories that help us mortify our fears and nurture our faith. I want to draw out two particular words of application the flesh out these two sides of the Christian life: mortifying fear and nurturing faith.
First, note from Saul’s bad example
Notice again how this downward spiral begins for King Saul. In 18:8, after hearing the new jingle that celebrates his accomplishments as less than David’s, we read, “And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, ‘They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?’” Saul feels an intense jealousy, but notice what drives his jealousy: desperate fear that he will lose his kingdom. Now, the kingdom belongs to the Lord. He will give it to whom he will, and Saul cannot ultimately control that. But that won’t stop him from trying. He is so driven by fear at this point that he has no view of God’s sovereignty, authority, or presence. It is no coincidence that verse 10 then says, “The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre.” His fear and jealousy provided an occasion for a powerful demonic attack against him. His desperate attempt to seize control aligned him with the purpose of Satan.
And the more he sees David succeed, the more fearful he becomes. In 18:15 we read, “And when Saul saw that [David] had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him.” And then down in verses 28-29: “But when Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.” As his fears increase, his actions become even more desperate and unhinged, to the point that in a fit of anger he even hurls a spear at his own son Jonathan! The man who is so desperate to hold on to his kingdom is reduced in his desperation to almost killing his own heir to throne.
In 2015, Lee and I took a trip to Utah, and it was the first time I had flown on an airplane in over ten years. I realized, in the time leading up to that trip, that I had developed something of a fear of flying. As I faced that fear, I sought first to understand it. What was it, specifically, about flying that made me nervous? In reality, there is no good reason to be afraid. Airline travel is probably the safest way to travel on earth. I am happy to engage in numerous activities every single day (such as getting into a car) that, in reality, are statistically more likely to lead to my death than flying on a plane. So why did I fear flying? And then I figured it out: it’s the feeling of not having control. When I’m on a plane, I’m at 30,000 feet above the ground, moving hundreds of miles an hour, in a confined space. And I’m not in charge of what happens to that plane. Now, that’s actually a good thing. I want the pilot who has been trained, tested, and certified, to take my life in his hands in that moment. And yet, something about relinquishing control to him left me feeling fearful. And that’s an apt metaphor for how we are prone to go through life. We say that God is God, and we are not, and yet when it comes to relinquishing control to him, we often fear letting go. And in our fear, we try to put ourselves in the place of God and do his job for him. The tragic story of Saul illustrates for us the danger to which that mindset can lead.
The antidote to this kind of worldly fear is faith, a whole-hearted dependence on the reliability of God. And that faith is nurtured by a vision of God’s sovereignty, goodness, and promises. And that brings us to a second word of application.
David is hated, opposed, and hunted by the most powerful man in Israel, but the more significant factor in this story is that the Lord was with him. Three times we read that phrase, in 18:12, 14, and 28. In hearing that phrase, we hear echoes of the story of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused of sexual assault by the wife of his Egyptian master Potiphar, and as a result falsely imprisoned for two years in Egypt. But by the end of the story he was the highest ranking official in Egypt under Pharaoh and the instrument of salvation for the people of Israel during a time of famine. Joseph was more than a conqueror, and so was David.
Notice all the extraordinary ways God intervened, not only to deliver David from Saul, but then to strengthen David’s position in Israel, thwarting Saul’s purpose and using it to advance his own purpose for David. If we add together the account in 18:11 and 19:10, we have a total of three times that Saul hurled a spear at David. All three times he missed. Saul is an experienced warrior, and we can imagine that in the confines of his own house, with David distracted by playing the lyre, Saul had the advantage of close range and the element of surprise. And yet, every single time, he missed. How can we explain that apart from the providential favor of God upon David?
When his first murder attempt failed and his fear of David increased, Saul sent David away in 18:13. David went from serving in the court of Saul to leading on the battlefield. That was actually a demotion in the ranks, but the result of it was that David “went out and came in before the people.” Saul’s attempt to take him down a notch only result in his increasing popularity among the people, a popularity that will become crucial to David’s claim to the throne after Saul’s death. Through Saul’s plan, God is laying the groundwork for David to become king.
And then consider the story of Saul attempting to have David killed by the Philistines by offering his daughter Michal to him. Saul named a price of one-hundred Philistine foreskins. Not only did David not die in battle, he came back with two-hundred Philistine foreskins, doubling the price. And at the end of the story, not only was David still alive, he was married to the king’s daughter and thus a member of the royal family.
In chapter 19:1-7 and chapter 20, notice who it is who delivers David from Saul’s plots: Jonathan, the son of King Saul, the apparent heir to Saul’s throne, and his closest advisor. God gave David an ally at the highest level of Saul’s administration. And then in 19:11-17, notice who it is who delivers David: Michal, Saul’s own daughter. David has two of Saul’s children on his side against their father. And then when he runs off to Samuel at Ramah (19:18-24), there is no human agent who can deliver him from Saul, so the Lord intervenes directly by his Spirit to thwart Saul’s purpose. David emerges from this series of events not only alive, but in a stronger position to receive the throne of Israel when the time comes than he had before Saul turned against him. He is more than a conqueror.
What you see from these stories (and in the six chapters that follow) is that David is immortal as long as God’s purpose for him is yet to be fulfilled. He is the Lord’s anointed one, destined to rule Israel. Therefore, nothing Saul plans against him can possibly succeed. Now, that may sound all well and good for David, but does that have anything to do with us? In fact, it does. But the road from David to us runs through Jesus Christ. David’s deliverances from the threat of death foreshadow Christ’s deliverance from death itself. In Psalm 16:10, David prayed to the Lord, “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” Commenting on this verse, the apostle Peter said in Acts 2:29-32, “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses.” As the Lord’s anointed one, Jesus could not be held under the power of death. David was delivered from death in our text today, but Jesus was delivered through death to the life of the age to come. And if we are in Christ, that same deliverance will be ours as well. That’s why Jesus said in Luke 21:16-18, “You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish.” Did you hear that? You will be betrayed, delivered up, hated, and killed. But not a hair of your head will perish.
The security that we have in Christ is a security that frees us to relinquish all attempts to assume God’s place for our own self-protection and instead pursue genuine love for others. To live a life that is oriented to the good of others, instead of the narrow protection of our own interests, requires a faith in God that says, “I don’t have to pursue my own interests because God has me in his hands.” And that’s exactly how David and Jonathan relate to each other. Look at 20:14-17, where Jonathan speaks to David about the future day when Saul is gone and David is king: “‘If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die; and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.’ And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, ‘May the LORD take vengeance on David’s enemies.’ And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.” In this covenant between Jonathan and David’s house, both men act against their own political interests. Jonathan throws his support behind David, even though he would be the natural heir to the throne. And David binds himself and his descendants to show kindness to Jonathan’s descendants in the future. The reason that is a significant move is because it would have been nearly unheard of for the king of a new dynasty not to wipe out all remnants of the previous royal family. David looks into the future where he will be reigning as king, and every descendant of Jonathan (and thus descendant of Saul) would represent a potential opposition leader who could rally a mob to his cause and pose a threat to David’s rule. By the normal rules of politics, you don’t allow that situation to arise. You kill your predecessor’s descendants, or you risk chaos in your kingdom. That’s the normal rule. But David doesn’t trust in the normal rules of politics here. He trusts in God, and he is free to show covenant loyalty to his dear friend Jonathan, binding himself and his house to a risky political future out of love. Where Saul constantly tries to seize control from God, David is content to let God have control and then simply to seek to walk in obedience to him.
If you are in Christ, you have no reason to be gripped with fear over the opposition of this world and your lack of ability to control it. If you are in Christ, your security is absolute. You are not just a conqueror; you are more than a conqueror. Every plot hatched against you by the Satanic powers of this age will not only fail, but will serve to strengthen you in the end. As Paul writes in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So may we respond by putting ungodly fear to death and nurturing our faith on the promises of God. Amen.