The morning after Goliath, two things begin. Jonathan, the crown prince, loves David “as his own soul” and hands him his own royal robe and sword. And the women of Israel sing a song that puts David’s name above the king’s — and the jealousy that enters Saul that day never leaves. Twice he throws a spear at David across the room. Saul is afraid of him now, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.
A study in 1 Samuel 18-19 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 8 min read
Jonathan Loved Him As His Own Soul
“The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David… And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.”
1 Samuel 18:1, 4
Jonathan is Saul’s heir, the natural next king — and he gives David his robe, his weapons, his belt: the trappings of the throne, handed over willingly. Where his father sees a rival, Jonathan sees a brother, and later says so plainly (“thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee,” 23:17). Ellen White reads the friendship itself as God’s providence, given to keep the future king of Israel alive. It is one of the great loves of Scripture, and it costs Jonathan a crown.
Saul Hath Slain His Thousands, And David His Ten Thousands
“Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth… and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.”
1 Samuel 18:7-9
A song does it. Ellen White pinpoints the flaw it exposed: “One great defect in the character of Saul was his love of approbation.” His measure of right and wrong was “the low standard of popular applause,” and the moment the applause tilted toward David, Saul was undone. A person who lives to be praised has handed the crowd the controls of his own soul.
“The demon of jealousy entered the heart of the king… One great defect in the character of Saul was his love of approbation… No man is safe who lives that he may please men, and does not seek first for the approbation of God.”
Ellen G. White · Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 650
Saul Was Afraid Of David, Because The LORD Was With Him
“And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul… And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him… And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually.”
1 Samuel 18:12, 14, 29
The chapter says it three times: Saul was afraid of David. Not because David threatened him — David keeps serving him, keeps “behaving himself wisely” — but because the presence of a man God was with was unbearable to a man God had left. David’s blameless conduct only made it worse; it “cast a reproach” on Saul by contrast. Envy cannot stand next to the thing it envies.
Michal Let David Down Through A Window
“Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin… and David fled, and escaped that night. Saul also sent messengers unto David’s house… So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.”
1 Samuel 19:10-12
Saul’s own children keep saving the man he wants dead — Jonathan warns him, Michal lowers him from a window and covers the escape. David runs to Samuel at Ramah, and when Saul sends men there, and finally goes himself, the Spirit of God falls on all of them and they prophesy; Saul lies stripped on the ground a day and a night. The old proverb comes back on him one last time, and it is not a compliment now: is Saul also among the prophets?
