1 Samuel 18:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But when Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul 's daughter, loved him,

NIV: When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David,

NASB: When Saul saw and realized that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him,

CSB: Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him,

NLT: When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and how much his daughter Michal loved him,

KJV: And Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him.

NKJV: Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him;

Saul, king of Israel, is having a difficult time. The prophet Samuel had informed Saul that God would take away the throne of Israel due to Saul's disobedience (1 Samuel 15:28–29). The Holy Spirit left Saul while empowering David (1 Samuel 16:13–14). An evil spirit started tormenting Saul, and the only cure was David's music (1 Samuel 16:1–23). The Holy Spirit also equipped David to kill a giant warrior who blasphemed God and threatened to put Saul's army into servitude (1 Samuel 17). When the army returned home, the women praised David more than Saul (1 Samuel 18:7).

Saul's appreciation of a shepherd boy changed into rage, jealousy, and a deep fear. Saul tries to kill David with a spear, but David escapes. He sends David on countless battles with the Philistines, but David always returns triumphant. Saul uses his daughter to bait David into an even more dangerous mission, but David exceeds Saul's demands (1 Samuel 18:20–27). Saul finally understands how much the Lord has left him and joined with David.

None of that cut as deeply as what Saul sees as betrayal from his own children. His daughter Michal is in love with David (1 Samuel 18:20) and readily marries him. Before long, she will rescue David from Saul's assassins (1 Samuel 19:11–17). And Jonathan, the son who would have taken the throne after Saul, will bind his heart to David and declare his allegiance to his future king (1 Samuel 20:12–17). Rather than accepting God's judgment and repenting, Saul dedicates much of his life to trying to destroy David (1 Samuel 18:29).

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.