Aug 7, 2018
Saul had it out for David. His animosity, driven by his jealousy and fear of David, kept revealing itself in ever-more intense efforts to take David’s life. He had tried to kill David with a spear – twice. Now he was going to issue an order that all of his servants do whatever they had to do to see that David was eliminated. Saul even ordered his own son, Jonathan, to take the life of his best friend, David. All of this reveals Saul’s growing desperation and despondency. He had been rejected by God because of his disobedience. And he knew his days on the throne were numbered. Saul was seeking every opportunity to kill David, all in a futile effort to prolong his reign. And even when Jonathan convinced his father to rescind his order to kill David, it was little more than a delay. The calm before the storm. And 1 Samuel 19:1-10 ends with Saul trying, for a third time, to nail David to the wall with a spear. He missed, but David didn’t take any chances and fled for his life. It was about time for David to give up his position in the palace. His days of learning how NOT to be a king were quickly coming to an end. God was going to separate David from Saul and begin the process of divine preparation that would equip him for his God-ordained role as the shepherd of Israel.