1 Samuel 18:20 says, And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. One of Saul's daughters, Michal, loved David and this pleased Saul. He wasn't pleased for his daughter, though, but was pleased because he thought he could use her by having having her marry David. Verse twenty-one adds, And 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 the one of the twain. Saul’s plan was still to have David killed by the Philistines, believing they would hate David even more if he was his son-in-law. Of course, David was likely already more hated by the Philistines than Saul was, because David was killing more of them. If we are being highly effective as Christians today, which would not be in killing but in reaching the lost, the people of the world are going to attempt to stop us by some method. Saul told David this was going to happen that day, and as a loyal subject to Saul, I don't believe that David would have objected. Verse three continues, And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king’s son in law. In order to ensure that David would agree to marry his daughter, Saul had his servants talk with David privately and tell him that Saul loved him and wanted him to be his son-in-law. As Christians, we should not be surprised if people today use our friends and aquantenances in an attempt to make us think they are being nice to us while they are secretly attempting to destroy our effectiveness in reaching the lost world. Verse twenty-three states, And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? When the servants told David this, he asked if they thought it was a light, or unimportant thing, that he become the king’s son-in-law, since he was a poor man and lightly esteemed. David was still a humble shepherd's son, even though he had killed Goliath and had been anointed king by Samueland more importantly by God. No matter our position by God's calling in the church today, we should always remain but a humble sinner saved by grace. Verse twenty-four adds, And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. His servants told Saul what David had said. Like David, they were obedient to Saul. Verse twenty-five continues, And 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’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. Saul sent word back to David that insteadof a dowry, he wanted the foreskins of a hundred Philistines, not because he really waited them, but because he figured David would be killed trying to get them. People today still often act as though they are being nice to Christians while secretly working to destroy them. It should never be our fellow Christians who are attempting to do this though, as it was with Saul and David, both being a part of God's Chosen People, at least by birth. Verse twenty-six says, And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son in law: and the days were not expired. When David heard this, it pleased him. Still, we would think that David would have prayed about this instead of just basing his decision on what pleased him. I do know that as followers of Christ, we should never base our decisions just on what pleases us, because often we may gain whatever it is, and it may not be what God wanted for us. God may have blessed David's decision, but David should have prayed about it first, and we are not told that he did. The time for David to take action had not expired. Verse twenty-seven adds, 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’s son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. David and his men went out immediately and killed not one hundred, but two hundred Philistines and David brought their foreskins to Saul. David had brought double what Saul requested, but this really wasn't anything Saul wanted. The fact that David was still alive meant that Saul’s plan had failed. As long as we are faithful to God, man's plans to destroy us will always fail. Saul had no choice but to give his daughter to David in marriage. Verse twenty-eight declares, And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him. I am sure that it was much to Saul’s dismay that he realized that God was with David and not with Saul himself, and adding to Saul’s dismay was the fact that Michal actually loved David. I believe the people of the world are often dismayed when their plans to destroy Christians backfire on them, and ultimately they all will. Verse twenty-nine continues, And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually. Saul was now even more afraid of David, because David was now a part of Saul's family, giving him even more power in the eyes of the rest of Israel, and Saul became David’s enemy continually. We should note that this was a one-sided hatred. David was still loyal to Saul. When people of the world treat us with hatred, we are still called on to treat them with Godly love. Verse thirty concludes. Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by. The Philistines were getting ready for another war, and David was still behaving even more wisely, which made the people of Israel esteem him highly. There will always be enemies of God at war with Christians, and all we can do is be ready and behave in a way that pleases God and brings honor to Him.
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