1 Samuel 18:12

1 Samuel 18:12 says, And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.  Saul was afraid of David, not because David was stronger or richer, but because God was with David and had departed from Saul.  I believe it is more accurate to say that Saul had stopped being obedient to God and David still was obedient to Him.  As followers of Christ, we can be certain that God is not going to just arbitrarily leave us, so if we believe that He is blessing someone else more, instead of being jealous, we just need to get closer to God.  Verse thirteen adds,  Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.  Saul moved David away from himself by making him a captain over a thousand, and David went 8n and came out before the people.  Of course, this had the effect of making David more visible and endeared to the people of Israel, which certainly had not been Saul’s intention.  The best laid plans of those who stand against God today will always ultimately fail, and at times may have the opposite effect of what they intended.  Verse fourteen continues, And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.  David continued to behave wisely, or under the direction of God, since all true wisdom comes from God.  David was still faithfully serving Saul and even though he had already been anointed as the king of Israel, he was content to let it happen in God's time.  If we know that God has called us for a particular purpose in the church today, we need to just continue to serve Him until He decides the time is right for us to do what He has called us to do.  We should never attempt to force ourself into any position before God says it's time.  Verse fifteen states, Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. Seeing how wisely David behaved made Saul even more afraid of him.  When we act wisely, or under God's leadership, as Christians in the world today, we should not be surprised if the people of the world become even more afraid us.  If we are no different than them, they will have no reason to even think about us, much less be afraid of us.  Verse sixteen continues, But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.  All the people of Israel and Judah loved David, because he was always out amongst them.  As followers of Christ, if we want the people of the world to love us today, we need to first love them and be out amongst them.  We cannot reach the world with the gospel of Christ by withdrawing from it.  We need to be out amongst them with Godly wisdom guiding us.  Verse seventeen says, 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 LORD’s battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.  Saul then devised a plan to have David marry one of his daughters, which would show the people of Israel that he loved David, and then have David to swear to act valiantly for him.  All this was done not out of any love for David, but for the purpose of having David die in battle, so the people would not know that Saul wanted him dead.  As Christians, people today may appear to be our friends while they are secretly plotting how to destroy us.  Verse eighteen adds, And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?  David asked Saul who he was or even who his father was that he should become the son of a king, which he would have been considered had he married Saul’s daughter.   We need to realize that this all happened after Samuel, under God's direction, had already anointed David as king, but David was still humble servant to Saul.  I believe that sometimes as Christians, we let self-pride get in the way of our effectively fulfilling the position that God has called us to.  Verse nineteen continues, But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul’s daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.  At the time when Saul’s daughter, Merab, should have been marrying David, she was given in marriage to another man instead.  Matthew Henry says Saul did this in an attempt to get David to mutiny against him, and then Saul would have had a reason to kill David.  We can be certain that the people of the world are often going to do everything they can to get us to react in anger instead of out of love and concern under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.