1 Samuel 18:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Saul eyed David from that day on.

NIV: And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.

NASB: And Saul eyed David with suspicion from that day on.

CSB: So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.

NLT: So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

KJV: And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

NKJV: So Saul eyed David from that day forward.

David's relationship with Saul transitions very quickly from court musician to brilliant warrior to rival. Saul recognizes David is quickly becoming more popular than him. The king becomes enraged by a song celebrating David's accomplishments as greater than his own (1 Samuel 18:7–8). So, Saul keeps an eye on David, watching for any hint that his new champion will try to take the throne.

Unchecked jealousy quickly becomes a filter through which we view another person. We interpret every word, action, and non-action with assumptions about their "real motives" and hidden agendas. And yet, Saul has reasons to be concerned. The prophet Samuel told Saul that the Lord had rejected him as king over Israel because of disobedience (1 Samuel 15:23). Rule over Israel was given to a "neighbor who is better" (1 Samuel 15:28). Saul would naturally be on the lookout for this successor.

What Saul fails to consider are David's motives. Even though David knows he will be king, and that Saul is actively trying to kill him, David is fiercely loyal to "the Lord's anointed" (1 Samuel 24:7–15). David acts only with integrity and honor. He embraces his role as Saul's servant and a champion of Israel. He trusts the Lord enough to leave everything about the throne in divine hands.

First Samuel 18:6–16 reveals the hastening story of King Saul's demise and David's rise. When the army returns from battle, David's victory over Goliath (1 Samuel 17) is celebrated more than the king's win over the Philistine army. The harmful spirit returns to Saul (1 Samuel 16:14–23). His jealousy of David turns to violence. Before long, Saul will use his own daughters as bait in traps to destroy his greatest warrior (1 Samuel 18:17–30).

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.