1 Samuel 20: BFF

BFF is one of those acronyms that originated from the internet. It means “best friends forever.” Best friends are commonly talked about on the internet. There’s even a bunch of best friend jokes. One such example is “A friend will bail you out of jail, but your best friend will be standing next to you saying ‘Dude that was awesome!’” 1 Samuel has already established David and Jonathan as best friends. 1 Samuel 20 will show how close the two best friends are.

Even though Saul is in the presence of the Spirit of the Lord, prophesying, David knows he can’t stay there too long until Saul catches up with him. So he takes the time to go back to Jonathan and meet up with him. David expresses in rhetorical questions the same proofs Jonathan gave to his father Saul when persuading Saul not to kill David. David has done nothing sinful, evil or wrong, so why is Saul trying to punish like he is guilty of some crime? Jonathan insists that his father is planning no such thing because he claims that his father tells him everything. So if Saul were trying to kill David, Jonathan claims that Saul would have told him. In verse 3, the NIV Bible says “David took an oath…” In this context, it doesn’t mean making a promise or a covenant. It’s just a statement saying that what he is saying is true. In other words, it’s like David is saying in our language, “I swear you father knows…” What does David swear Saul knows? David swears Saul knows how close David and Jonathan are, and that Saul won’t tell Jonathan any thoughts he has about David, in fear Jonathan will rat out Saul to David. So now Jonathan wants a way to prove his loyalty to David.

David concocts a plan to expose Saul. First, David won’t show up for the New Moon festival; he’ll be in hiding. If Saul to were to ask for his whereabouts, Jonathan would simply answer that David went home to celebrate the festival with his family. If Saul was OK with it, then David is safe. But if Saul got angry about it, then David is in danger. It’s pure genius, if you think about it. David keeps a safe distance from Saul. Jonathan does not have to confront or accuse his father; all he has to do is simply answer about David’s whereabouts when his father asks. Jonathan is about to agree to it when David throws in another clause. David tells Jonathan that Jonathan does indeed find out about guilty wrongdoing David has committed, then Jonathan should at least do the executing himself. On one hand, I think that David asked that simply because he didn’t want to give Saul the pleasure of killing. On another hand, since David mentioned Jonathan’s kindness, David probably believes that if Jonathan were to kill him, Jonathan would be more merciful, while as Saul would torture him. Jonathan cannot agree to that term. But they come across another problem: how will David find out the answer?

Jonathan has a plan for that, but first, he wants more assurance and security about the friendship. Something is about to happen to their friendship. Through David and Jonathan’s plan, Jonathan will expose Saul’s heart toward David. Both David and Jonathan are expecting the worst, and rightfully so. Saul’s hostility towards David will make Saul and David rivals and enemies. As we’ll see, it will put great strain and hostility between not only these men, but their families as a whole. Jonathan wants to make sure that David and his family will always see Jonathan and his family as friends, and never see them as enemies. Both David and Jonathan make covenant, agreeing to do so, and it will be shown in their kindness toward each other.

Now Jonathan explains his plan on how to reveal the answer to David. David is to come out of hiding and go to the rock Ezel (Ezel in Hebrew means “the way” or “the departure”). Jonathan will go out and make it look like he’s practicing shooting his bow and arrow. Jonathan will shoot 3 arrows. If the arrows fall nearby, then David is safe and he can return back. But if the arrows fall far away, then David must leave immediately. Jonathan adds more genius to this plan. In this way, Jonathan can communicate to David the message without talking directly to David and risking David’s life by exposing him. In verse 23, Jonathan closes by once again reminding David that no matter the outcome, their families will always show love and kindness to each other. This promise is very important to Jonathan!

The plan goes into effect in 1 Samuel 20:24. The New Moon Festival begins. The New Moon festival was both a religious and social festival and it is outlined in Numbers 28:11-16. On the day of the full moon, also known as the first day of the month, a burnt offering, a grain offering, a drink offering and a sin offering were to be presented. If anyone wanted to present a peace/fellowship offering, this would be the time to do it. In the following evening, the Israelites would “celebrate” by holding a feast (this tradition was added later. Later on, the Israelites would also get the work day off). Being a religious festival, when Saul sees that David isn’t there the first day, Saul naturally assumes that David made himself unclean because those who are unclean cannot participate in religious festivals (see Leviticus 7:20-21). But then comes the next day, just a plain, old, regular day, where it doesn’t matter whether you’re clean or not. So now Saul is really curious to why David isn’t there. Saul asks Jonathan about David’s whereabouts, knowing that David and Jonathan are good friends. Notice in verse 27 that Saul calls his own son-in-law not by his name, but “the son of Jesse.” Saul is already distancing himself from David emotionally and socially. Jonathan answers verbatim to what he rehearsed: David is celebrating the New Moon still back with his family.

The Bible tells us that not didn’t get just anger. The Bible says Saul’s anger flared up. His anger is like a fire! Saul calls Jonathan, his own son, a “son of a perverse and rebellious woman.” It’s a derogatory insult that attacks the person’s mother and in turn attacks the person. Once again, excuse me for the language, but Saul calls his own son a son of bitch! And as Proverbs 15:1 says, Saul’s harsh word led to Jonathan giving a harsh word to his father. In chapter 19, the reader hears Jonathan calmingly and gently persuading his father. Now Jonathan angrily asks his father to bring forth at least one true accusation against Saul. This harsh word leads to a harsh action. Saul now tries to kill his own son the same way he tries to kill David! Jonathan storms off in anger, but his anger quickly turns to grief. He is so sad, he can’t eat.

Now David’s part of the plan is finished, it’s up to Jonathan’s part of the plan. David place himself exactly where Jonathan told him. Jonathan brings a small boy with him to fetch the arrows he shoots. As the boy is running, Jonathan shoots an arrow beyond him. Pay close attention to what Jonathan says in verses 37 and 38. “Isn’t the arrow beyond you? Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!” Jonathan may be saying this to both his arrow boy and David. Saying such words would send the message to David without David having to speak directly to Jonathan. The best part is the message is even conveyed without the boy even knowing what Jonathan is saying and who he’s really saying it too.

Despite the success in communicating the message, Jonathan isn’t satisfied with it. He has to see David one last time because this might be the last time Jonathan sees David, and indeed it is. Jonathan sends the boy away so he can meet up with David. They kiss and cry. Jonathan one more time reminds David of the covenant promise, as this will be the last time Jonathan can remind David.

Now notice that since verse 10. That’s about 30 verses of David not talking. The author did that on purpose. The author is trying to display how vulnerable David is. David has to go in hiding and patiently wait. David has to depend on Jonathan to go through with the plan and bring him valuable information. Most importantly, David has to rely on David to stick to his hand and not turn to his father’s side. David is helpless, and he has to depend on God and his best friend Jonathan to help him.

I hate to do this, but once again, I have to remind you that this in no way means that David and Jonathan are a gay couple. The actions seen in the end 1 Samuel 20may not be socially acceptable acts for two friends in 21^st century America, but indeed they were in ancient Israel. It is sad that in this time two men can’t be good friends without being gay. David and Jonathan aren’t gay. They are two men who sincerely care for each other and want to see the best happen to each other. This is a sad moment at the end of the chapter because these two best friends are being torn apart, and by the one’s father! Yet as they depart in sadness, both of them cling to the covenant that they made. When this is over, they hope to see each other again with their families. And if they don’t, the one can be certain that the other one will take care of the family. As we all know, how much will Jonathan need that in the future!

One more thing I notice. If you look closely at the covenant David and Jonathan make, Jonathan seems to very certain of David’s future,  but not certain of Jonathan’s own future. Jonathan blesses David left and right, but seems to ask very little of David, just to remember his family. I believe what Jonathan is doing is acknowledging David as the legitimate king of Israel. Don’t believe me? It’s in the covenant blessings Jonathan gives David! Still don’t believe me? Look at  verses 30 and 31. Saul himself announces that Jonathan will never be king as long as David is there, for David will be king. Jonathan’s angry response demonstrates that Jonathan is really OK with it. If Jonathan outlived David, Jonathan would willingly give David the throne. If we’re still looking for proof that David is indeed the legitimate king of Israel, we have another proof: the covenant and testimony of Jonathan.

For anyone looking for an application, I think the best application is that Jonathan models for the reader what a best friend truly is like. A best friend sticks for his/her friend when he/she is right, even when everyone else says he/she is wrong. A best friend helps his/her friend in times of need. A best friend protects his/her friend from harm. Best friends keep promises with each other. Best friends are happy when good things happen to one of the friends. Lastly, best friends stay best friends, even when they are not together. If you ever find yourself struggling with friendships, take a look at the friendship between David and Jonathan. One of the phrases that sticks out to me is that Jonathan “loved David as he loved himself.” Do you love your friends as you love yourself? If you’re not, there’s a good start. I bet if you apply these, you’ll find your friend to be a true BFF.

1 Samuel 19: Brother And Sister Against Father

Discourse Analysis is the act of linking the text at hand with the previous text and the post text. It can be done with verses, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, even whole books. We’re already done a little discourse analysis between 1 Samuel 16 and 1 Samuel 17; now we’re going to do it again between 1 Samuel 18 and 1 Samuel 19. There’s 3 fact you’ll need to remember from 1 Samuel 18. First, Jonathan, Saul’s son, and David are best friends. Second, Michal, Saul’s daughter, is madly in love with David and marries him. Third, Saul has made David his enemy. All 3 of these will add up to conflict, and 1 Samuel 19shows the reader how the conflict plays out.

By the beginning of chapter 19, Saul is getting impatient with his previous plans. Michal is not a snare to David. The Philistines aren’t harming David. So Saul is done waiting and decides to make a more affirmative action to kill David. In verse 1, Saul commands Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. Now this puts Jonathan at a terrible crossroads. He has 2 choices: either he sides with his father and pursues to kill David, or he sides with his best friend by trying to convince his father to act differently towards David. Clearly, he chose the latter, but don’t think Jonathan is totally turning on his father. Jonathan chooses the second option merely because he does not see David to be a threat, and Jonathan wants to communicate that to his father Saul. But before Jonathan does that, Jonathan first goes to David. He warns David of the immanent danger and he even provides a safe haven for David to hide until Jonathan is done persuading his father.

Then Jonathan goes to persuade his father. His persuasive argument is short and to the point. First, Jonathan points out that David has committed no crime or wrongdoing of any sort, so Saul has no basis to kill him. Second, Jonathan makes Saul aware about how much David has done for both the king and the kingdom. To kill David would be detrimental to both the king the kingdom. Why should Saul kill someone who has done nothing wrong and has done everything right?

The Bible tells the reader in verse 6 that Saul legitimately listened to Jonathan. After hearing Jonathan’s persuasive speech, Saul couldn’t argue with it. Saul had to agree with all of Jonathan’s points. Saul promises on oath that as surely as the Lord lives, so too David will live. Saul seems ready to repentant and ready to reconcile with David, if even for a second. Jonathan gets this feeling, too, so he reports back to David what Saul said and then brings David to Saul. And for a while, it seems like everyone is back where they started. But it only lasts for a short while. 1 Samuel 19:9,10 parallels 1 Samuel 18:10,11 very nicely. Once again, an evil spirit comes upon Saul, and Saul tries to kill David. But this time David isn’t sticking around. He’s leaving.

Up to this point, the first 10 verses of 1 Samuel 19, Jonathan is the main character saving David’s. Now, for the rest of the chapter, it will be Michal.

David flees Saul and heads for his own house. Saul is smart enough to realize this and he sends his own men to lie in wait until morning to kill. Michal, David’s wife, sees the men lying in wait and plans accordingly. During the night, Michal helps David down a window so he can flee. But Michal has to make it look like David is still there. So Michal takes a teraphim, an idol that looks like a human, and puts in the bed to look like David is sleeping there. She even takes goat hair and puts it on the teraphim to make it look like real hair. This does buy David more time, as Saul’s men seem to be fooled the first time around. It would seem that the men went back and reported to Saul that David was sick, and Saul had to say back to them, “Well then bring him in his bed!” When they return, they discover that David is missing. Interesting enough, when Michal is thrown into Saul’s presence to explain her action, she claims that David threatened to kill her if she didn’t let him escape. It is interesting that Michal results to lying and deception in order to save David. Notice that the author of Samuel does not seem to approve or disapprove. The author seems more focused on David’s rough situation and God’s protection of David. What I find interesting is we find Michal going down the same slippery slope as her father David. It also serves to foreshadow what her personality will be like and what her relationship with David will be like.

Where does David go when he escapes? David probably figured he couldn’t go back home, for King Saul would be expecting it and his men might be lying in wait. So he goes to Ramah to seek counsel from Samuel. After all, Samuel is the one who anointed him king. It’s possible that David went to Samuel for any spiritual advice, as any prophet of the day would. So Samuel takes David to Naioth. Some Hebrew scholars believe the name Naioth comes from the same root as the Hebrew word navi, which means “prophet.” This leads those scholars to believe Naioth was a school campus where Samuel trained prophets. Perhaps Samuel and David considered that Saul would figure out that David went to Samuel in Ramah, so both of them moved on to hide David somewhere else. Or maybe Samuel moved David onto Naioth because he knew what would happen next.

Before fully diving into the rest of 1 Samuel 19, once again, we have to take at a look to the word “prophesying.” First off, we need to look at the word in Hebrew, not in English. The Hebrew root word [transliterated] is navi. In this verse tense, it’s niveim. In the simplest term, the definition means “to prophesy.”  Yet depending on verb tense and context, it has a big range. Of course, as you may suspect, the word could mean “prophesy” as “foretelling the future.” It could mean “prophesy” as in “speak the word of God.” It could even mean simply “to be in a prophetic trance” or “to behave like a prophet.” There’s also non-prophesy definitions. It can mean “to rave.” For my translation and interpretation, I’m going to stick with something between the second-to-last and the third-to last answer. The Spirit of God is so strong in this area that anyone who stepped in the area could only praise, worship and glorify God; they can do no evil. That’s the problem Saul and his men have. When they enter the town, they cannot perform the mission they’ve been sent to do, for it’s evil. Saul even tries a second and third time, but it leads to the same result.

Saul must have said to himself, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself,” for Saul himself embarks to find David. In Naioth, Saul gets the same result, but even more. The last verse says that Saul “stripped off his robes.” Now there’s some disagreement among the scholars among what this means. Some scholars suggests the phrase means that Saul stripped himself naked. Other scholars suggest that the robes simply refer to royal robes, so Saul’s not naked, but down to his undergarments. Either way, it has a deep meaning. Once again in the presence of God, Saul’s still not at the great kingly state he used to be at. Instead, the Spirit of God has him strip off his royal garments (and maybe more!). In the Spirit, Saul himself symbolically admits he is no longer the king by removing his kingly robes. Yet when the people see him prophesying, they doubt their doubts. At this point there’s probably some people already leaving Saul’s side for David’s side because the people have seen God work more through David and less through Saul. But now they see Saul prophesying, they might be second guessing themselves and asking, “Is Saul among the prophets?”

Do you see the family conflict now? First, Jonathan had to choose between helping his father hunt down David and saving David from Saul, and he chose to save David. Then Michal helped David escape from her father’s men, and when Saul confronts her, she lies about it. When Saul’s family has to decide between Saul and David, and both choose Saul. But it’s not just family, it’s also Saul’s “co-worker” and “friend” Samuel. Samuel has the Holy Spirit working so hard in Naioth that Saul can’t even do anything himself. God continues to protect David from Saul, and he does it by using those closest to Saul: his family and friends. It just goes to show more that God has left Saul and joined David’s side himself. God is using those closest to Saul to protect those against him. Let me close this entry with quote from Jesus, as recorded in the Gospel. Because sometimes being a follower of God means turning against your family.

Luke 12:53,14:26-

“They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law… If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.”

1 Samuel 18: Keeping Your Enemies Clsoer

Back in ancient most kings kept some kind of journal, memoirs or annals (a record of historical events), written by either king himself or dictated by a scribe. Imagine King Saul wrote on these. Imagine he wrote an entry right after the events of 1 Samuel 16 & 17. It might sound something like this…

Dear Journal,

Remember how I got a little worked up about Samuel telling me that both God and himself were leaving my presence? Well I am happy to tell you that I believe there’s nothing to worry about because I got a new man to help me with all my problems! His name is David. He’s already done so much for me now. His harp playing helps me get rid of the anxiety and depression, as well as those chronic headaches. And when I was faced with a giant enemy that I thought I could not defeat in battle, he steps up and wins the battle for me. What a great guy! Everyone loves this guy and so do I. With David around, I don’t need Samuel. Things can only get better
Saul

An entry like this would accurately represent King Saul’s feelings for David at this point. King Saul loves him, and David makes him happy. But we’re going to see that quickly change.

Shortly after meeting up with King Saul, David meets up with Jonathan. At that point, the NIV says that David and Jonathan becomes “one in spirit.” More literal Bible translations say the two were “knit at the soul.” More paraphrased Bible translations simply say there had an instant bond between the two. What I want to make clear is they were not gay and did not see each other as gay lovers. It’s sad that in today’s world a man cannot show love to another man without being accused of being gay (just go to any Lord of the Rings fan fiction website and you’ll see how many fanfics tell stories a gay Frodo and a gay Samwise in love with each other). Both of these men were God-fearing men and neither of them would even think of such a thing. What we do see hear is best friends, best friend so close they are almost like brothers. In fact, that might be a very accurate description. The only other time the Hebrew phrase the literal translations translate “knit at the soul” is in Genesis 44:30, where Jacob is described as being “knit at the soul” with Benjamin. 1 Samuel 18:2 further supports this idea because at this point Saul has taken David into his own household. So Jonathan makes him feel welcomed at his home by treating him like family, like a brother. Jonathan loved David so much that Jonathan gave David his robe, tunic, sword, bow and belt. This is more than just best friends swapping clothes, like girls do. These articles of clothes most likely are royal clothing given from the king to the prince. It’s not clear whether or not David has yet confided to Jonathan that David has been anointed to be king, but the symbolism remains the same: it’s another sign David is the next king.

After Saul saw David slay the Philistine champion, Goliath, Saul must have figured that if David could defeat the Philistine champion, he can defeat any Philistine soldier. So King Saul gives David a high rank in the army to fight more Philistines. Everyone is pleased with this move, including the king’s officers. In return, David continues giving Saul more wins and victories.

After killing the Philistine champion and chasing the rest of the Philistines back to their home, the Israelites begin the march to their homes. As they approach their home, the women came out to form a make-shift parade. Following the customs of the day, the women would greet their men back from battle, and they would sing and dance to instruments in songs reflecting the winning army’s success. Saul was probably very use to this from his previous successful battles, and he looked forward to another success song. But to his dismay, he hears a song he’s not use to. The women sing, “Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands.” Now if you take a good look at this song, this song technically is not meant to insult Saul, or anyone for that matter. The song is probably meant to point out that Saul and David make a great team, and together they accomplish great things. But Saul, buried in his selfishness, cannot get passed the fact David has a higher kill rate than he does. In the Hebrew Bible, the best translation of Saul’s reaction is probably “displeasing in his eyes” (although some commentaries say “was evil in his eyes). Most literal Bible translations follow suit, translating it “displeased him.” I like word the 1984 edition of the NIV chose: galled. Merriam-Webster says that “galled” is just a really fancy way of saying “irritated” or “vexed.” A lot of paraphrases drop the phrase altogether, assuming the phrase parallel each other synonymously. But galled brings Saul’s anger up to the next level. Saul is angry, troubled, distressed and irritated. Saul rhetorically and ironically asks, “What more can he get but the kingdom?” Saul already sees the people are behind him, like he is the king. It’s another sign foreshadowing what it yet to come.

The Bible tells us from that point on, Saul became jealous of David. And jealousy is never a good thing. We all know what happened when Cain got jealous in Genesis 4. The same process is going to flow through Saul. Saul’s jealousy leads to anger. His anger leads to hate, his hate will lead to pain, suffering, and a few attempts to kill.

In 1 Samuel 18:10, the reader reads a situation very similar to the second half of 1 Samuel 16, but it’s slightly different. Once again, Saul is being tormented by an evil spirit and David is in to play his harp. What’s the difference? Before, in 1 Samuel 16, the only reason the evil spirit goes to Saul is because the Holy Spirit left open a gap for it to invade. Saul does not want the evil spirit; hence why David plays the harp for Saul. Now, in 1 Samuel 18, things changed. Saul’s jealousy, anger and hatred is now feeding this evil spirit and welcoming it in. Thus, it is able to take Saul more forcibly this time, take complete control, and even taking a shot at David’s life twice. But David has a bigger and stronger spirit, the Holy Spirit, guarding him from all danger. So don’t dare think that the evil spirit won this spiritual war. If the spirit had, it would have killed David. The only reason the spirit comes on so strong is because Saul invites it to. (Oh yeah, and if you’re wondering how a demon-possessed man can prophesy, a better translation for the word “prophesying” would be “raving,” as in “raving mad.”)

Now you would think that David would be afraid of Saul at this point, but the Bible tells us quite the opposite. Instead, Saul is afraid of David. So he makes David a commander of a thousand troops and sends them off to battle. Perhaps Saul thought it was a fluke that David won all those previous battles. Maybe Saul was hoping that David would lose a battle or a lot of men, proving he wasn’t that great of a guy. But that’s not what happens. David has the same success in the battlefield as he does in pasture tending sheep or in the royal court playing the harp. He has win after win, victory after victory. How does David do this? As 1 Samuel 17 put, the battle is the Lord’s, and the Lord gives David victory. All this winning makes the people of Israel and Judah fall more in love with David. The only one who isn’t falling in love is Saul.

Saul’s still banking on David losing in battle, so he sets up a scenario. As Saul promised in 1 Samuel 17, he will give David one of his daughters in marriage. But there’s a catch. David has to continue to serve as the leader over a thousand troops. Saul has a reason behind this. His plan is to keep putting David in battle with the Philistines. Eventually, he’ll get tired, slip up, and the Philistines will kill David, so Saul won’t have to. But this doesn’t work out. David refuses the marriage. It’s not really clear why. It may be Merab wasn’t in love with David (compare with verse 20), and David did not want a loveless marriage. Maybe it was because David did not believe he could pay the marriage price for Merab, which will talk about in the next paragraph. In ancient times, nobility only married nobility. Perhaps David did not feel noble enough or upper class enough to marry a princess. Or perhaps Saul simply married Merab to someone else on an impulse while David was taking his good time. Any option works, but I like the second and third option because they appear in the next paragraph.

Saul gets another chance to execute his plan. He discovers that his second daughter, Michal is madly in love with David. So Saul makes sure David feels comfortable marring Michal. Saul sends his house attendants to David to coax him into marrying Michal, convincing him that everyone is Saul’s house, including Saul, like David so much they would be more than happy to see David and Michal wed. It almost works, but David reminds himself about the one thing that gets in the way: the dowry. The dowry was a price the husband had to pay for the bride, in either goods or services. Before you get in a fit about how sexist this is, let me make a comparison. In today’s culture, before marriage, there is engagement, and the engagement is marked as started with an engagement ring. These rings can cost anywhere from the hundreds to thousands, depending on the stones. Now a lot of women want these to be expensive for two reasons. First, they want it to be the most expensive thing they ever wear because of the significance. But second, and most important, is signifies that the husband-to-be has invested a lot of money into this relationship and into the future. The dowry was to signify the same thing. When a man paid a dowry to the woman’s family, he was making a statement to the father and mother that the daughter would not be taken lightly, but be taken care of with the greatest care.

Going back to the story, David pretty much says to Saul’s attendants, “I’d love to marry Michal, but I’m poor, and there’s no way I can pay the dowry price for a princess.” Saul sends back word to David that all he needs to pay for Michal was 100 Philistine foreskins. As disgusting as this might sound, it does have significance. Saul was forcing David to engage in another battle. The foreskins served as mere proof that these men were dead. Now courting Michal, Saul was really hoping Michal was becoming a snare to David, taking his head mentally out of the battle. It does no such thing. David doubles up Saul’s offer. In the same amount of time David had to kill 100 Philistines and get their foreskins, David kill 200 Philistines and retrieves 200 foreskins. Now Saul really has to fulfill his promise and he hands over Michal to David. The plan that Saul constructed to make him feel better is only making things worse. Saul is now more afraid of David, so afraid that Saul makes David his enemy for the rest of his life.

The chapter ends with a generic statement, yet an important one. It simply mentions the Philistines continued to challenge David in battle, and every time David had success and won. The important word here is success. Now that we’re at the end of the chapter, go back over the entire chapter and count every time the word “success” or a form of the word appears. I counted 4 times: “successfully” in verse 5, “success” in verse 14, “successful” in verse 15, and “success” in verse 30. The chapter is definitely trying to get a message across to us. David is successful man. Verse 14 explains why: “Because the Lord was with him.” All this talk about success reminds me of the patriarchal fathers: Abraham, Isaach, Jacob, and even Joseph, all found in Genesis. No matter what did these guys did, they always did whatever they were doing successfully, and it brought them blessing. This success is part of the blessings God gives Abraham in the Abrahamic Covenant. When God renews that covenant with Isaac and Jacob, they get the same blessings, which mean the same success. I believe the author is trying to draw on that. David is getting the same success and the patriarchal fathers is getting. It foreshadows that God will make a covenant with David similar to the one God made with Abraham, another successful and blessed man. What made both Abraham and David successful men was that they trusted in God and followed. The author invites the reader to do the same. If we want success, we must follow God. These days any person can walk into a library or a bookstore and find an array of books to make you successful and whatever you want, from cooking to sports to business. Yet not everyone will find the success the book sells. The book of 1 Samuel has only one tip to find success: obey God. God knows what He’s doing and He knows the right path to get you there. So trust in God, let him show you the way, and you too might find success. And if you don’t find success in a certain area, maybe that’s not where God wants to be successful. He might want to be successful somewhere else, so pay close attention for it!

While David is successful in life, Saul is not so much. He seems to be deteriorating every day. Now that we’ve come to the close of 1 Samuel 18, let’s see what Saul has to say now.

Dear Journal,
I hate David! At first, I was happy to work with him because he made my life so much better. But now all he does is bring me misery. First, he takes my firstborn by becoming best friends with him. Next, he takes my daughter’s hand marriage and she becomes his wife. Then, he wins over all the people of Israelwith all these victories fighting the Philistines. It’s like he’s already got the picture adoring him. I fear it’s only days, if not hours, until they force the crown off of my head and onto his. I’ve tried many things to get rid of him. I’ve tried making my daughters a snare to him. I’ve tried putting him in deadly battles. Yet none of them work. So as the saying goes, if I want something done right, I have to do it myself! David, today you become my enemy, and I will hunt you down!
Saul