1 Samuel 18–20; 23–24

In 1 Samuel 18, we become better acquainted with David. It is apparent that he is someone very special. In verses 5 and 14, we are told that David “behaved himself wisely,” and in verse 30 that “…David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.” It is also apparent that Saul’s children loved and valued David. In verse 1, we read, “…Jonathan loved [David] as his own soul.” In verse 3, it says, “Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because [Jonathan] loved [David] as his own soul.” And in verse 20, we read, “And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David….”

But Saul was jealous. When the public praise for David is better than the praise for Saul, it says in verse 9, “And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.” Saul arranges for David to marry Michal, not because Michal loves David, but so that “she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him….” (verse 21). Saul asks David to kill 100 Philistines if he wants to marry Michal. David kills 200 Philistines instead. In verses 28 and 29, it says, “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.”

Clearly, we are still dealing with a cruel and war-oriented culture led by men whose primary job is killing other people. The big focus in this reading assignment, however, has to do with love and loyalty, and most particularly the love and loyalty between David and Saul’s son Jonathan.

Chapter 19 starts to develop the theme, where Jonathan and Michal are both straight with David about the fact that their father wants to kill him. Although everybody apparently loves and respects David, that doesn’t count for much once people also understand that Saul is David’s enemy.

In 1 Samuel 18:22–26, Saul tells his servants what to say to David, and they do exactly what Saul says, even though Saul’s purpose is to put David into a situation where the Philistines will kill him. But in 1 Samuel 19:2, we read, “…Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee….” More than that, however, Jonathan also tries to mend the relationship between Saul and David. In verse 4, we read, “And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father….” In verse 11, Michal also intervenes on David’s behalf: “Saul also sent messengers unto David’s house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David’s wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life tonight, to morrow thou shalt be slain.”

The lesson guide asks a good question. It asks, “Why is it sometimes difficult to be happy about the success of others? How do jealousy and pride affect our spiritual well-being?” (Old Testament Class Member Study Guide, “The Lord Be Between Thee and Me For Ever,” p. 16.) This is a good question because it asks us to look at a side of ourselves that we might be too willing to excuse. However, I think there is a more important question to be asked.

The drama that plays out between Saul and David had an interested audience, yet the only two people who stood up firmly for David were Saul’s son and daughter. When we see unjust situations, where someone who is powerful goes after someone with less power, whose cause do we support? Do we stand with the person who is being unfairly attacked, or do we stand with the person who has power?

If there is one thing that is abundantly clear in the lessons of the last few weeks, it is the fact that good people make mistakes, even good people with remarkable souls and a lot of authority. However, I do think there is a tendency for LDS people to sometimes defer to that authority at the expense of doing what is right. I am not suggesting that we should attack those who are in authority or undermine their ability to do the work they have been asked to do. What I am suggesting, however, is that we have a responsibility to look at what happens in our wards and neighborhoods from a moral point of view, and to choose our conduct accordingly. Blind endorsement of someone else’s mistakes, even if that someone else has authority over us, is not righteous conduct. That puts us in company with Saul’s servants, and not with David, Jonathan, and Michal.

The remainder of the lesson deals increasingly with David’s struggle to support a king who flat-out wants to kill his loyal subject. Chapter 20 is really beautiful. In verses 1–3, David tells Jonathan that Saul wants to kill David but is too smart to let Jonathan know. In verses 4–23, they put together a plan to confirm David’s suspicions, and in verses 24–34, Jonathan learns for himself that David was right (see verses 30 and 31 in particular). In verses 35–42, Jonathan tells David to flee, and they bid farewell. Keep in mind that this short summary I’ve just given you is nowhere near as beautiful and moving as the actual chapter. It is a vivid and well-told story.

In chapter 23, we are given another example of how love and loyalty don’t always go together. In verse 2, God tells David to go fight the Philistines “and save Keilah.” He does, so you would expect that the people of Keilah would have some loyalty to David because he saves their lives. However, you would be wrong. David asks God, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into [Saul’s] hand?” (verse 11). God answers in verse 12, “They will deliver thee up.” So David leaves. Contrast Keilah’s disloyalty with Jonathan in verses 16–18, where it says, “And Jonathan… strengthened [David’s] hand in God….”

In chapter 24, Saul goes hunting David yet again (verses 1–3). It is worth considering that Saul’s enmity against David was not a ten-second trial for David; David had to deal with Saul’s jealousy and animosity over and over and over again. In verses 4–8, David cuts off Saul’s skirt, feels remorseful for that, but does not hurt Saul. In verses 9–15, David pleads with Saul, and in verses 16–19, Saul’s heart is again temporarily softened toward David. In verses 20–22, David promises Saul that he won’t destroy Saul’s descendents.

How many of us have ever dealt at length with the kind of animosity that David faced from Saul? We focus so much on David’s eventual failure; how much attention do we give to his success, and his generosity of spirit, when he was dealing with Saul? Have we done as well as David toward those who have mistreated us?

The Bible Dictionary has some interesting entries you might want to refer to as you study this lesson. I recommend the following entries: “Philistines,” (p. 751); “Saul,” (p. 769), “Jonathan,” (p. 716), and “Michal,” (p. 732).

Sunday School Notebook -June 2006 - Susan Morgan