(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
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1 Samuel 18:12–30, “And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them. And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king? But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul’s daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife. And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain. And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king’s son in law. And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son in law: and the days were not expired. Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king’s son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him. And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually. Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.”
Saul didn’t want to be replaced as king because that would mean that he would have to die. The Lord was with David and David had won a great victory therefore Saul wanted to make sure that David was killed. Saul made David into one of his generals and made his go out to fight against the Philistines, this seemed to be the best way of eliminating David. After all, David was a man of undoubted courage and showed a willingness to fight even the most powerful of enemies. In spite of this, David didn't die and the people of both Israel and Judah loved David because he was such a mighty warrior. Saul promised David that he would be able to marry Merab’s his daughter when David defeated Goliath but Saul gave Merab to another man. Saul’s second daughter, Michal loved David and Saul though that he would use her as means of eliminating David from the scene. He told his servants to let everyone, including David, that he would be happy to let David marry Michal. David was a poor man and had nothing to give the king as a present. Saul let David know that all he had to do was kill one hundred Philistines. The major difference between Philistines and Israelis was the the first were uncircumcised and the second were circumcised. If David had been asked to bring one hundred heads there would have been no real way of proving who they belonged to. However, if David killed Israelis he would not have any foreskins to bring. Saul didn’t want the foreskins, he wanted David to be killed while he was trying to kill one hundred Philistines. David went with his men and killed two hundred Philistines and brought the evidence to the king. After this Saul was even more afraid of David because he tried everything he could to kill David but the Lord kept David alive.
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