Continuing a chronological Bible study after a brief interlude of psalms:
(1 Samuel 18:1) And it came to pass when he had made an end of speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
At the end of 1 Samuel 17, David had reacquainted himself to Saul after killing Goliath when Saul had not recognized him. Then after speaking to Saul, he won the heart of Saul's son Jonathan who saw in David qualities that he loved and was attracted to, probably because they were much like his own, and Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. This is the love that God commanded for all His people in Leviticus 19:18, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
(2) And Saul took him that day and would let him go no more home to his father's house.
Formerly, David had been Saul's musician to calm his demons and must have been little noticed by the king, but now Saul brought him into his palace to stay. He didn't allow David to go back and forth to his father's house as he had done before.
(3) Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. (4) And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
Jonathan made a covenant of friendship with David because he had a great love for him. He stripped himself of his princely garments as he was the son of the king and gave them to David. He even gave him his sword, his bow, and his belt. This was due to the great kinship he felt for David and probably to have David look the part of a prince rather than a shepherd.
(5) And David went out wherever Saul sent him and 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's servants.
David went wherever Saul sent him, and he was made a leader over the men of war. He always behaved wisely, so that he was accepted by all the people and by Saul's own servants, as well.
(6) And 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 tambourines with joy and with instruments of music.
At that time, when Saul and David had returned from the killing of Goliath and their victory over the Philistines, the women came out as they usually did after great victories, singing and dancing with tambourines and other musical instruments, to meet King Saul returning from battle.
(7) And the women sang as they played, and said, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." (8) And Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him, and he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands. And what can he have more but the kingdom?" (9) And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
Although they were supposed to be greeting their king, the women began singing that Saul had killed his thousands, but David had killed his ten thousands. That made Saul angry with jealousy. The way Saul saw it, as he had already bestowed great honor on David, and now the people saw him as greater in battle than he was, the only thing left for David to accomplish was to have the kingdom, and Saul watched David carefully from that day forward.
(10) And it came to pass on the next day, 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 a javelin was in Saul's hand.
The next day that evil spirit from God that had tormented him before came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. We aren't told what he prophesied, so it may have been the rantings of a mad man since the evil spirit had come upon him. David was playing music with his hand, probably the harp, as he had done other times when the evil spirit had come upon Saul. Saul held a javelin in his hand.
(11) And Saul cast the javelin, for he said, "I will strike David to the wall." And David avoided out of his presence twice.
Saul cast the javelin at David, saying that he would pin him to the wall. However, David escaped Saul twice, as it appears Saul tried twice to pin David.
(12) And Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him and was departed from Saul.
Then was Saul afraid of David because he could see that the Lord was with him, protecting him, and that He had departed from Saul.
(13) 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 then removed David from his court, but probably because he did fear David and God's hand on him, he did not completely dismiss him, but he made him captain over a troop of one thousand, perhaps hoping he would be slain by the enemy at the head of his troop. However, David went out and came back again before the people, probably with great honor and respect, which was the opposite of what Saul desired. It reminds me of the psalm David wrote that I studied in the last chapter, which may have been better placed chronologically after this chapter, "Let them fall by their own counsels..." (Psalm 5:10). That is, let his enemies' plans fail; let their plots work against them and expose their guilt. But then again, it may have been perfectly placed as an answer to David's prayer.
(14) And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. (15) Therefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.
David always behaved himself wisely, and the Lord was with him. That made Saul fear him even more as he was gaining favor more and more because of his wise conduct, and that was further proof that the Lord was surely with David.
(16) But all Israel and Judah loved David because he went out and came in before them.
All of Israel and David's own tribe, Judah, loved him as he went before the people.
(17) And Saul said to David, "Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give you as wife, only be valiant for me and fight the Lord's battles." For Saul said, "Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him."
As Saul had promised to the one who killed Goliath, he offered his daughter Merab to David as his wife on the condition that he remain valiant for him and fight the Lord's battles. Saul still hated David, but rather than him trying to kill him, he would put David out there against his enemies so that the Philistines would kill him.
(18) And David said to 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 seemed surprised at Saul's offer, although that had been promised to the one who killed Goliath. However, David had not killed Goliath to get all the rewards. He did it to defend God's honor and that of His people Israel. You see David's humility here, as he asked Saul why such a lowly man as he was, a shepherd, from a family that was not particularly greatly esteemed or upper-class, should become son-in-law to the king.
(19) But it came to pass at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as wife.
However, Saul did not follow through with his word. When it came time for Merab to marry David, Saul gave her instead to Adriel, a Meholathite, probably one from Abel-Meholath (Judges 7:22). Although that could be seen as a great injustice to David, in his modesty before displayed, David showed no signs of resentment.
(20) And Michal Saul's daughter loved David, and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
A younger daughter of Saul, Michal, loved David, and when it was told to Saul, he was pleased with the idea, probably because it gave him a chance to save face with the people after his breach of promise and perhaps another chance to put David in harm's way.
(21) 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." Therefore Saul said to David, "You shall this day be my son-in-law in the twain."
Saul decided he would give Micah to David as his wife so that he could use her as a trap for David, that the Philistines would come against him. He told David that he would be his son-in-law "in the twain." As the word means "two," he either meant David would have a second chance to become his son-in-law, or perhaps it referred to the second of his two daughters. Actually, Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, suggested it meant he would have both daughters, as Merab had actually been betrothed to David, although she never married him.
(22) And Saul commanded his servants, "Commune with David secretly and say, 'Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore be the king's son-in-law." (23) And Saul's servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, "Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?"
It appears that David needed some persuasion to take the deal, and Saul sent his servants to flatter David and encourage him to become the king's son-in-law, by telling him that the king had delight in him, and all his servants loved him. However, David told them that this was no trifling matter, that a poor shepherd, such as he was, should up and become the king's son-in-law.
(24) And the servants of Saul told him, saying, "In this manner spoke David." (25) And Saul said, "Thus shall you say to David, 'The king desires not any dowry, but a 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's servants told him what David had said. He sent his servants back to David to tell him, since it seemed to him that David mentioned his poverty as a reason why he could not afford a proper dowry to become the king's son-in-law, that Saul did not desire a dowry, but he wanted a hundred foreskins of the Philistines to be avenged of his enemies. Of course, his real desire was that David be killed by the Philistines.
(26) 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, (27) When David arose and went, he and his men, and killed of the Philistines two hundred men, and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might be the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter as wife.
When Saul's servants told David what Saul said, it pleased him to consent to being Saul's son-in-law. After all, David willingly went out wherever Saul sent him (verse 5). David wasted no time, and he and his men killed two hundred Philistines, double what Saul had asked for, and brought all their foreskins back to Saul. It seems David felt satisfied then that he was worthy to accept the position of the king's son-in-law. Saul, realizing he could not refuse, gave Michal his daughter to David as his wife.
(28) And Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him. (29) And Saul was yet the more afraid of David, and Saul became David's enemy continually.
Saul could tell that the Lord was with David and now he was married to his daughter, whom he realized loved David very much. Their marriage, which Saul had hoped would destroy David before it ever happened, would now pave the way for his ascending to Saul's throne. That made him even more afraid of David, and he became David's constant enemy.
(30) Then the princes of the Philistines went forth, and it came to pass after they went forth, David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was much set by.
Then the princes of the Philistines went to war against the Israelites, being provoked by their loss after David killed Goliath. So much for Goliath's word that if an Israelite killed him, the Philistines would become the servants of Israel (1 Samuel 17:9). David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul, probably showing himself to be more expert in the art of war and more successful in his attacks on the Philistines than all the others. His name came to be prized, valuable, as was the original meaning of the word "yaqar" that was translated as "set by." He was held in high esteem by the people.
It is very noteworthy that David's prayer in Psalm 5 that his enemies fall by their own counsels was continually answered by God in that all Saul's schemes to destroy David only served to make him greater and more well esteemed by all the people. Once a mere shepherd boy, he was now a prince next in line for the king's throne.
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