This chapter presents an interesting shift in Israel\u2019s regard from Saul to David. Saul\u2019s initial enthusiasm for David quickly deteriorated into suspicion and fear, as David’s popularity and prominence in Israel grew. Every step upward for David seemed to be a step downward for Saul. Every attempt Saul made to squelch David’s popularity had the opposite effect, making him even more admired. Saul, instead of honoring his pledge to release David, decided to conscript him into full-time military service.<\/p>\n
David had a gift from God for instilling loyalty in men. Many men wanted to come\u00a0under his strong leadership. As David spoke with Saul, after defeating the giant Goliath, Jonathan watched and listened and was drawn to this brave and godly, young man from Bethlehem. David had confidence in his relationship with the Lord, but not in an egotistical way. He was just secure in who he was before God and what God had made him to be. Real men are still drawn to and want to be around a real man who is godly. Jonathan, as Saul’s son, was next in line for the throne, and could have been jealous of David’s increasing popularity, but instead he wanted to help David excel.<\/p>\n
When we see someone with the same gifts we have, but more of them, are we willing to help that person become everything God wants them to be? The Accuser, Satan, wants us to become jealous and work against that person. But God wants us to serve and help others become all He desires them to be.<\/p>\n
“LORD, make us, Your people, willing and able to help others become what You want them to be.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Samuel 18 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father\u2019s house.\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. 5<\/sup> And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul\u2019s servants.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.\u00a0\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0And the women answered\u00a0one another\u00a0<\/em>as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed\u00a0but\u00a0<\/em>thousands: and\u00a0what\u00a0<\/em>can he have more but the kingdom?\u00a0\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. 10<\/sup>\u00a0And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and\u00a0there was\u00a0<\/em>a javelin in Saul\u2019s hand.\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall\u00a0with it\u00a0<\/em>. And David avoided out of his presence twice. 12<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul was afraid of David, because the\u00a0LORD\u00a0was with him, and was departed from Saul.\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the\u00a0LORD\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>with him.\u00a0\u00a015<\/sup>Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them. 17<\/sup> And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the\u00a0LORD\u2019S\u00a0battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.\u00a0\u00a018<\/sup>And David said unto Saul, Who\u00a0am\u00a0<\/em>I? and what\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>my life,\u00a0or\u00a0<\/em>my father\u2019s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul\u2019s daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0And Michal Saul\u2019s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.\u00a0\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in\u00a0the one of\u00a0<\/em>the twain. 22<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul commanded his servants,\u00a0saying\u00a0<\/em>, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king\u2019s son in law.\u00a023<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul\u2019s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you\u00a0a\u00a0<\/em>light\u00a0thing\u00a0<\/em>to be a king\u2019s son in law, seeing that I\u00a0am\u00a0<\/em>a poor man, and lightly esteemed?\u00a024<\/sup>\u00a0And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.\u00a0\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king\u2019s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.\u00a026<\/sup>\u00a0And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king\u2019s son in law: and the days were not expired.\u00a0\u00a027<\/sup>Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king\u2019s son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. 28<\/sup> And Saul saw and knew that the\u00a0LORD\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>with David, and\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>Michal Saul\u2019s daughter loved him.\u00a029<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David\u2019s enemy continually.\u00a030<\/sup>\u00a0Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth,\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This chapter presents an interesting shift in Israel\u2019s regard from Saul to David. Saul\u2019s initial enthusiasm for David quickly deteriorated into suspicion and fear, as David’s popularity and prominence in Israel grew. Every step upward for David seemed to be a step downward for Saul. Every attempt Saul made to squelch David’s popularity had the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6495"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6495"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16170,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6495\/revisions\/16170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}