A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

Saul began to view David as a personal threat. His fear grew into paranoia and resulted in him
hating David.
The breakdown in the relationship between David and Saul began when Saul overheard
the singing of the women of the city as David returned from a battle with the Philistines.
Celebrating the success of the Israelites over their enemies, the women of the city took to the
streets with dancing and various musical instruments and joyfully began singing their chorus,
“Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (v. 7).
As is true with much poetry, the actual claim was probably not meant to be taken
literally, but Saul became upset when he heard it. He complained the people were ascribing more
military victories to David than to him. Inasmuch as Saul had been in constant armed struggle
during his entire reign and David had only recently begun fighting, it is most probably that Saul
had in fact personally killed more of Israel’s enemies than had David. Yet one might suppose
that if the chorus had been altered accordingly, Saul would then have been upset that David’s
name had come first in the refrain. In his insecurity, Saul could not share the limelight with
anyone. “So Saul eyed David from that day forward” (v. 9).
Saul had promised to give the one who conquered Goliath his own daughter as part of the
reward, but Saul made no move to honor that promise. His concern was not to bless but rather
destroy David. The day after the women danced in the street singing their refrain about the
victories of David, Saul was, again being tormented by the evil spirit. David was brought to Saul
to comfort him with music, but as David played, Saul saw his opportunity to kill him. Quickly
the king seized his javelin and threw it at the unsuspecting minstrel. When Saul realized his aim
was off, he grabbed the javelin again and was able to get a second shot before David escaped.
The thing Saul feared most about David was not his popularity with the people but his
fellowship with God. “Now Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, but had
departed from Saul” (v. 12). Realizing he had failed to kill David himself, Saul adopted a
different strategy to destroy his rival. He promoted David to the rank of captain over a thousand,
anticipating David would soon find an enemy he could not defeat and lose his life trying. To
insure David’s involvement in the battle, Saul again offered his daughter to David in marriage if
he would fight valiantly.
Saul’s plot failed. David was not killed by the enemy but continued to grow in popularity
with the people and grow in fellowship with God. When it came time for Merab, Saul’s
daughter, to be married, she was given to Adriel, the Meholathite rather than David. For a second
time Saul refused to honor his word and fulfill his promise to David (v. 19).
After the marriage of Merab to Adriel, Saul learned his daughter Michal was among the
many women who were finding David attractive and growing in their admiration for him. Saul
saw this as yet another chance by which he could destroy David. Saul made sure David heard of
a third offer of a wife. David was told Saul was prepared to let David marry his daughter if he
could provide proof of killing a hundred Philistines by an appointed time. The proof of their
deaths, therefore, would be delivering the foreskins of the victims to the king (w. 20-29).
The Scripture does not state how long David was given to accomplish his mission against
the Philistines; however, it is implied the time must have been so short as to involve an
unnecessary risk on the part of David to perform it. Saul was confident David would be killed in
attempting to defeat the Philistines. But well within the limit set by Saul, David and his men
were able to deliver twice what had been requested. This time Saul did follow through on his
promise, and Michal became the first of several wives in the harem of David. The multiple wives
of David and other men such as Jacob is descriptive of their behavior, not normative experience