Day 136

1 Samuel 18:5–19:24; John 8:31-59; Psalm 112:1-10; Proverbs 15:12-14

ANYTIME A KING comes to town, there is a crowd. Even today, when royalty or leaders of a nation visit, their arrival is on the news, and throngs of people congregate to get a glimpse. It was no different for King Saul when he returned victorious from battle —there was pageantry and celebration. But after David killed the giant Goliath, the song of the young women of Israel went like this: “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!” (1 Samuel 18:7).

“What’s this?” Saul said. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!” (1 Samuel 18:8).

Saul’s insecurity and jealousy only grew as time went on. In a rage, Saul tried to kill David with a spear, which David deftly avoided. Next, Saul sent David into battle, hoping he would be killed, but instead, David was successful. Then Saul invited David to marry his daughter Michal, setting the bride-price at a hundred Philistine foreskins —a grisly price indeed. But David did it. He presented the foreskins of two hundred Philistines to Saul. After that plan failed, Saul asked his son Jonathan —yes, the same Jonathan who Saul was going to kill for eating honey —to assassinate David, but Jonathan would not do it. So Saul attempted to kill David with a spear again —and missed again. Finally, Saul sent troops to David and Michal’s house to assassinate him, but Michal helped him escape.

As Saul’s insecurities mounted into a torrent of jealous paranoia, David continued to thrive, which only compounded Saul’s issues. But David wasn’t living large and flaunting his exploits. On the contrary, David had no choice but to grow up fast. He was thrust into celebrity with no prior training, and in the midst of it, he had to learn how to stay alive.

We can find ourselves in both men’s lives. There are times when we shine —and times when we seem completely unmoored from ourselves. Both Saul and David knew who the God of Israel was. Both worshiped him. But Saul’s insecurity and jealousy pulled him away from God, while David knew that God was his only hope for survival —as we often see in David’s psalms.

These men’s lives were irreversibly intertwined, but they were on completely divergent paths with God. We should pay close attention to where those paths lead as we move forward.

Our insecurities can only continue to plague us and will eventually cause chaos and destruction in our lives. Or we can choose another path —one of total and utter dependence on God for all that we have and are. Which path are you on? It’s never too late to change course.

MEDITATION:

How joyful are those who fear the LORD and delight in obeying his commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.