Merciful Monday: David vs. Saul

We can all relate to wanting something that someone else has. Maybe their money, house, or car; but even more often we want the intangible things that others posses such as their intelligence, likability, shrewdness, or grace. Saul’s jealousy towards David was most definitely caused by the intangible things David had that he also longed to posses.

At first, Saul and David were close. Saul kept David in his home, praised him for his victory over Goliath, and promoted him to a high ranking official in the army. Not too long after though, their relationship turned quickly into one plagued by jealousy. When faced with uncertainty, Saul succumbed to evil thoughts and actions. His dose jealousy was a cocktail of three deadly emotions: admiration, fear, and bitterness- all caused by his own insecurities.

Admiration:

• After Saul learned that David was a greater fighter than him and that he had fans, “Saul kept a jealous eye on David…But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle” (1 Samuel 18:9, 16 NLT).  

Fear:

• He feared that David would take his place as king. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!” (1 Samuel 18:8)
• He feared the God in David. “Saul was then afraid of David, for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul…David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him. When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him.” (1 Samuel 18: 12, 14-15)
• He feared the love David had for his daughter. “When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and how much his daughter Michal loved him, Saul became even more afraid of him...” (1 Samuel 18: 28-29)

Bitterness:

• Saul attempted to kill David 3 times. Only a bitter person would repeatedly attempt to kill someone that they once loved.
• Saul allowed his fear and misplaced admiration to control his life and ultimately lead him to be bitter towards David for years. The rest of verse 29 says: “and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life”

When David was faced with adversity though, he reacted in a completely different way. The first thing he did was pray to God for help. In Psalm 63 he mentioned God as his helper and vowed to praise him despite the situation(s) going on around him. David did not fear, because he knew that God would dispense justice and receive the glory in the end. Because of his faith, he spoke with a confidence in knowing that God had his best interest at heart. He said,

“But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.
    They will go down into the depths of the earth.
They will die by the sword
    and become the food of jackals.
But the king will rejoice in God.
    All who trust in him will praise him,
    while liars will be silenced” (Psalm 63:9-11).

So we have two opposite examples of how to react when faced with situations outside of our comfort zones. Saul unconsciously succumbed to his insecurities and turned to jealousy fueled by misplaced admiration, fear, and bitterness while David consciously turned to God. The question is: WHOSE MODEL WILL YOU FOLLOW…DAVID OR SAUL?

Merciful Mondays: Jael

^“For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.” Deuteronomy 4:31