1 Samuel 18:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the servants of Saul told him, "Thus and so did David speak."

NIV: When Saul’s servants told him what David had said,

NASB: Then Saul’s servants reported to him, saying, 'These are the words David spoke.'

CSB: The servants reported back to Saul, "These are the words David spoke."

NLT: When Saul’s men reported this back to the king,

KJV: And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.

NKJV: And the servants of Saul told him, saying, “In this manner David spoke.”

King Saul has known David for a while. The two met shortly after God took the Holy Spirit from Saul and gave him an evil spirit of torment. David's lyre-playing calmed Saul's mind when nothing else could. But Saul didn't really know David. He certainly didn't suspect that a shepherd boy could use skills honed protecting a to kill a giant Philistine warrior (1 Samuel 17).

When the army returned from battle, the crowd praised David more than Saul. In that moment, it seems Saul realized David was the one who would replace him (1 Samuel 15:28–29). But Saul can't comprehend the idea that David would never rebel against his king. Saul clearly had no idea what motivated David to take on Goliath. Whatever happens, it won't be because of David's schemes.

In his state of rage, jealousy, and spiritual darkness, Saul only sees David as a threat that needs to die. The only feasible way Saul sees this happening is if the Philistines kill David in battle. To force cooperation (1 Samuel 17:25, 50), Saul plans to marry David to his daughter. Then he can send David into battle after battle until the Philistines kill him.

But David is too humble to marry into the king's family. Even when Saul sends his servants to tell David they approve of the marriage, David declines (1 Samuel 18:17–22). The servants return to Saul defeated. But Saul will not give up. He plots a way to send David into battle immediately, while still using his daughter as bait. He can encourage David to prove his worth in combat, so he feels worthy to marry Michal. With luck, Saul hopes there will be no wedding, at all (1 Samuel 18:25).

First Samuel 18:17–30 reveals the depths of King Saul's hatred toward David. When David killed Goliath, Saul thought he had a champion (1 Samuel 17). The moment they return from battle, however, the people's affections transfer to David, and the king grows furious. Saul's direct attempts to kill David fail (1 Samuel 18:6–16), so he uses his daughters to lure David into a fatal battle with the Philistines. Again, Saul's plan fails, and the king realizes God's protection over David is too great. Soon, Saul will watch as even his children favor David (1 Samuel 19).

Saul's son Jonathan becomes David's best friend. David succeeds in every military mission Saul sends him on. The people praise David as being even mightier than Saul. The king is furious and terrified that David will take his throne. After Saul's direct attempts to kill David fail, the king sends David to battle the Philistines using marriage to his daughter as bait. David not only survives, but he continues to prove himself to be a mightier warrior and leader than Saul. Saul knows the Lord is with David and not with him and cements himself as David's permanent enemy.

First Samuel 18 begins the story of how the changed work of the Holy Spirit on both Saul and David (1 Samuel 16:13–14) leads to the king's destruction and David's rise. David faithfully serves both Saul (1 Samuel 16:14–23) and Saul's kingdom (1 Samuel 17—18). But David wins the hearts of Saul's people and his children. Saul can't handle the competition (1 Samuel 19—20). Finally, David flees the royal court and raises his own army. He spends years fighting Israel's enemies from afar, patiently waiting until Saul dies in battle and the shepherd boy can take his rightful crown (1 Samuel 21—31).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.