1 Sam 18:20-30
When Saul found out his daughter loved David, he sought to use this to insure his place as king. “Saul thought, ‘I will give her to him that she may become a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.’” (21a) His motive was revealed in his thoughts and not in his words. He hoped to snare David with Michal’s love and see him killed by Philistines. When David declared his unworthiness and poverty, Saul said “…’Thus you shall say to David, ‘The king does not desire any dowry except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’…” (25). Then David accepted the challenge and killed 200 Philistines in the allotted time receiving Michal as his wife. “…then Saul was even more afraid of David,. Thus Saul was David’s enemy continually.” (29) Fear caused Saul to live in insecurity and hide his motives. However, because God was with David, he lived in courage open for all to see and “…So his name was highly esteemed.” (30d). Living in God’s presence, we should live without fear of those who aggressively oppose us. We must not be distracted by opposition!
