Saul’s
treatment of David was driven by fear. Much of the accounts from here until his
death would be dominated by how he reacted because of his fears. He was fearful
of losing his popularity, then he was fearful of losing his kingdom. Remember
Saul was a man after men’s hearts hence he was envious when David
was given more recognition and applauds. David not only gained the admiration
of the king’s family, especially his son, Jonathan, but also his subjects. The
reason for Saul’s failure was his inability to see the real reason
why the people appreciated David, who had given them a great victory over the
Philistines. Hence overtaken by fear, Saul was threatened by David’s popularity.
He read it as his attempt to usurp the throne. This is often the case when a
leader feels threatened by his followers. The key to overcoming such fear is to
see that we can only be in a position because God placed us there. Remember,
our promotion comes from the Lord. No one can ever be in whatever position
unless granted by the Lord. Therefore there should be no fear when we are
serving God. Our position is His to give and to take.
First
Samuel 18:2 said that Saul took David into his service and would not let him
return to his father’s house. Then in 1 Samuel 18:5, we saw how in recognition
of David’s capability, he put him in leadership over the men of war. But when
we come to 1 Samuel 18:13 he moved David down to only as a commander over a
thousand. Probably Saul was threatened by David’s popularity, so he sought to
remove him. To make the demotion looked more palatable, he offered David the
hand Merab. She should have been his reward for defeating Goliath in the first
place. Obviously, Saul had failed to keep his word. So we read what he said to
David in verses 17-18. “Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her
to you as a wife, only be a valiant man for me and fight the Lord’s battles.”
The reason he offered the hand of Merab was a ploy. Verse 17 tells us so. For
he thought to himself saying “My hand shall not be against him,
but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” He was seeking
to bait David to accept the offer using his daughter as an incentive. It was
sinister, to say the least. He was hoping for him to be defeated by the
Philistines. But David did not accept nor turn the offer down. It shows that
he was a man without gull. In his response, he showed that he was a down to
earth man. So he said, “Who am I, and what is my life or my
father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s
son-in-law?” Anyway, we are told that the marriage did not take place
because Saul reneged on his word. When it was time for Merab to be given
to David, she was given instead to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.
It is so important to appraise life rightly. We should never denigrate ourselves but
neither should we be too elated when we are offered a grand position. It is
always best to first take all matters to the Lord in prayer. Lucrative offers could
be a trap. It is needful, therefore, to evaluate and discern life rightly. Know
our own standing in God, remain steadfast in Him and refuse to fall
for any ruse that promises instant greatness.
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