Saul tries to Kill David

8Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.

9But an evil^a spirit from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre, 10Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

11Saul sent men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.” 12So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped. 13Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats’ hair at the head.

14When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said, “He is ill.”

15Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him.” 16But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats’ hair.

17Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?” (1 Samuel 19)

Thoughts: David was fighting in Saul's service.  He risked his life for his country, God, and king.  But Saul had not learned to appreciate him.  Jonathan had shortly before persuaded Saul not to kill David.  But when David won a battle, Saul's jealousy got the best of the king.  Saul threw a spear at David, but David escaped.  David went home, but escaped from there as well.  Saul rebuked his daughter who was David's husband, for hiding David.  He called David "his enemy" though there is no record that David spoke anything negative against Saul.  In fact later David will steal Saul's weapons to show he could have used those weapons against Saul.  But he chose not to do so.  He stole a piece of garment from Saul's robe to show he had the chance to kill Saul but did not.  David did all he could to seek peace with Saul.  Saul did all he could to pursue David in order to harm him.  Let us resolve to be more like David and less like Saul. 

Prayer: Lord, give me grace to be gracious to others.