David has killed the Philistine giant, Goliath, and has been added to Saul's collection of armor-bearers.
I Samuel 18: 1-4, David and Jonathan
After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father's house.
And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 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.
David and Jonathan become good friends. The king's son give David some of his clothes and weapons as a sign of their friendship.
In the typical longterm view of the Old Testament histories, little is said about this friendship beyond these short statements. But both men are well-liked and aggressive, in contrast to the often tentative Saul. They are quick to win victories over the Philistines while Saul watches.
I Samuel 18: 5-9, David grows in fame
Whatever Saul sent him to do, David did it so successfully that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the people, and Saul's officers as well. 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 lutes. As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."
Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
David grows in popularity and this becomes a threat to a jealous king.
As we have seen before (Miriam in Exodus 15: 20-21, Deborah in Judges 5, the unsuspecting young women of Shiloh in Judges 21; 20-2) one role of women in the ancient Near East was to lead triumphant singing.
I Samuel 18: 10-11, Angry Saul
The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall."
But David eluded him twice.
An evil (or "injurious") spirit afflicts Saul. While Saul is "prophesying" (??), David plays the lyre and Saul tries to kill him.
I Samuel 18: 12-16, Fame grows
Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had left Saul. So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns.
In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.
Despite Saul's jealousy, David's fame and popularity grow. YHWH has chosen David to succeed and Saul is frightened by this.
I Samuel 18: 17-19, Merab
Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the LORD." For Saul said to himself, "I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!"
But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?" So when the time came for Merab, Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.
David declines the offer of the king's daughter.
I Samuel 18: 20-23, Michal
Now Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. "I will give her to him," he thought, "so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him."
So Saul said to David, "Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law." Then Saul ordered his attendants: "Speak to David privately and say, `Look, the king is pleased with you, and his attendants all like you; now become his son-in-law.'"
They repeated these words to David. But David said, "Do you think it is a small matter to become the king's son-in-law? I'm only a poor man and little known."
David continues to be resistant to these offers by Saul. Michal has a crush on the popular David but David is still resistant. Earlier, with Samuel, Saul had claimed to be of little worth. Now it is David that says the same thing. Along with David's humility, there is an economic issue. A bride price for the king's daughter is surely quite high -- and David, eighth in his family, has no resources for this.
Robert Alter says that this passage is the only one in the Old Testament where we are told of a woman's attraction to a particular man.
I Samuel 18: 24-27, A challenge offered
When Saul's servants told him what David had said, Saul replied, "Say to David, `The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.'" Saul's plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.
When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.
The king's attendants to David have been told to pass on little encouragements for David to accept this challenge. The bride price does not require wealth but military might.
If David wants to be challenged by Saul, Saul will make the brideprice challenging. Yet David meets and doubles the price. He wins a victory over the Philistines (with a typically bloody ending) and at the same time Michal gets her wish and becomes David's wife.
I Samuel 18: 28-30, Fame continues
When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.
The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul's officers, and his name became well known.
Nothing seems to stop David.
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