What do you do when someone’s out to get you? Oh, it may not be as dramatic as Saul trying to kill David. Maybe it’s a coworker who is jealous of your abilities. Maybe it’s a rival or competitor in business who is afraid of your success. Or maybe someone in your own family is jealous because you are receiving time and attention from a mutual loved one. After all, Saul wasn’t the only father who ever looked askance at a boy’s attentions to his precious daughter.
How should we respond to such hostility? It would be easy for us to fight fire with fire, to respond with the same sort of grudging resentment that others have shown toward us, and thus escalating the tension. In contrast, look at David’s humble attitude in verse 23. Instead of being proud of his military successes or even his musical talents, he insists that he isn’t worthy of marrying into Saul’s family. Just so, a humble attitude usually goes a long way toward diffusing any jealousy that may come our way.
Moreover in verse 27 we see that David was willing to be obedient to the lawful authority of the king, regardless of Saul’s bad motives, and in spite of the danger involved in carrying out his orders. As long as David was being asked to do something that was in accordance with God’s will, he was ready to comply.
Just so, a great way to diffuse other people’s suspicions is to keep our focus on our proper responsibilities. Working hard and demonstrating that we are good team players goes a long way toward proving that we aren’t trying to undercut anyone else or pull anyone else down – we’re just working for the success of the family or the company, just trying to help those we are called to serve.
And in both of these ways, we see again an opportunity to demonstrate the character of Christ, the One Who humbled Himself not only before the Father, but before the religious leaders and Roman officials who condemned Him unfairly. Jesus never wavered from His mission to save unworthy sinners, even though that mission cost Him His life.
So, if Jesus could earn our trust through His humility, His self-sacrifice and His desire to do what is good for us, shouldn’t we try to earn the goodwill and respect of others by following His example? Let’s pray that He would fill us with His Spirit so that we might live in such a way today.
I Samuel 18:17-30 (NASB)
17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife, only be a valiant man for me and fight the LORD’s battles.” For Saul thought, “My hand shall not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
18 But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”
19 So it came about at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.
20 Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When they told Saul, the thing was agreeable to him.
21 And Saul thought, “I will give her to him that she may become a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David, “For a second time you may be my son-in-law today.”
22 Then Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David secretly, saying, ‘Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you; now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.'”
23 So Saul’s servants spoke these words to David. But David said, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?”
24 And the servants of Saul reported to him according to these words which David spoke.
25 Saul then said, “Thus you shall say to David, ‘The king does not desire any dowry except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.'” Now Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
26 When his servants told David these words, it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the days had expired
27 David rose up and went, he and his men, and struck down two hundred men among the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal his daughter for a wife.
28 When Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him,
29 then Saul was even more afraid of David. Thus Saul was David’s enemy continually.
30 Then the commanders of the Philistines went out to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul. So his name was highly esteemed.
