1 Samuel 18 – Study
For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.
Passage: 1 Sam 18:1-16
1 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 2 From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.
5 Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.
6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lyres. 7 As they danced, they sang:
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands.’
8 Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. ‘They have credited David with tens of thousands,’ he thought, ‘but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?’ 9 And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.
10 The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, ‘I’ll pin David to the wall.’ But David eluded him twice.
12 Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. 13 So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. 14 In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. 15 When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.
A. Find Out:
- Who loved David? v.1,16
- Why were the people pleased? v.5
- Why was Saul angry and jealous? v.6-8
- Why did Saul try to kill David? v.10,11
- Why was Saul afraid of David? v.12,15
- Why was David successful? v.14
B. Think:
- How is Saul shown to be a man of contrasts here?
- Why is David so plainly successful?
- How does his success affect different people?
C. Comment:
Clearly a passage of contrasts! Saul is now becoming a passive king who becomes jealous when others in his service are successful. Strangely he still prophesies (see back to 10:10) but because he is self centred and disregards the will of God he is vulnerable to the demonic activity that God sends to provoke and stir on this situation. Saul is shown as weak, fearful, jealous and disturbed!
David, by contrast, is successful in everything he does, very simply because the Lord is with him. Success can have different effects. For Jonathan, Saul’s son, it stirs faith and his heart is knit together with David’s; for the people, David’s success brings a sense of security and joy, but for Saul it just adds to his insecurity and brings jealousy.
Why should the Lord send an evil spirit? Look back to Study No.2. The reason the Lord may be using it may be twofold: first as a means of disciplining Saul, seeking to turn him back, and second, as a means of separating David off from Saul.
It is not God’s intention that David will spend the rest of his life serving Saul. David is now God’s anointed king, and he has to go through God’s training course for it! David is going to walk a strange path before he actually becomes king, but along the way he will learn many things.
D. Application:
- Disobedience & self will make us vulnerable to enemy attack.
- Obedience to God brings His blessing.