June 22, 2025

The love of a friend & the Jealousy of a king

Speaker:
Series:
Passage: 1 Samuel 18:1-30
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1 Samuel 18: The Love of a Friend and the Jealously of a King

 

Introduction

 

Growing up many of us found it frustrating to have our favourite programs interrupted by advertising. Thankfully Netflix and Apple TV put an end to that. But we still can’t get away from advertising completely. On social media, on billboards, or in magazines we still encounter adverts and their sometimes-catching slogans.

I don’t know if you pay much attention to advertising slogans but here are a few that came to mind as I was preparing this week:

Nike: Just do it. Well David has just done it! He’s gone to battle and won!

Pacific Life: Protecting What Matters Most. Perhaps Goliath should have paid attention to this slogan- particularly when it came to his skull.

Marmite: You either love it or you hate it. Many loved David- especially after his victory. But some hated him.

This is what we will discover today. As we work our way through Chapter 18, we will see:

The Unity David Enjoyed

The Jealousy David Encountered

The Presence that David Experienced

David enjoyed the love of a friend and encountered the jealousy of a king- but through it all God was with David to protect him and bless all his endeavours.

In Jesus Christ we enjoy the love of the King who calls us friend. In Jesus Christ we are blessed with the indwelling Spirit and called to a life of faithful, humble service for our Saviour-King.

So, lets listen to God speak to us as we learn of… The Unity David Enjoyed

In verses 1 to 5 we have a summary of events after the Valley of Elah. David’s victory puts him in the spotlight. As a result, David becomes a sort of ‘Marmite’ figure- people either love him or hate him.

Jonathan, Saul’s eldest son, next in line to be king, is the first of many to ‘love’ David. This was a remarkable relationship that was of great significance in David’s life.

And so, in verse 1 we read:

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.

The relationship between David and Jonathan, one of the most wonderful examples of a human friendship in all literature, is also one of the most unexpected friendships. Indeed, given what we know so far about these two men we would expect David and Jonathan to be rivals, not friends.

When we look back to Chapter 14, we remember Jonathan had attacking (and defeating) the Philistine garrison- gaining recognition from the people as the nation’s saviour in the process. But now, after defeating Goliath, David had replaced Jonathan as the national hero with a far more impressive victory than Jonathan’s considerable accomplishments.

Jonathan, once destined for the throne, now had much to lose with the arrival of David on the scene. Humanly speaking Jonathan should have resented David and sought to undermine him.

However, instead of rivalry, Jonathan offers deep and lasting friendship. In a wonderfully unexpected turn of events there is unity where there was every reason for rivalry.

So, in verse 1, we learn that Jonathan ‘…loved him as himself…’. Despite having every reason to hate David, Jonathan loved him ‘…as himself…’. Jonathan joined his life to David’s rather than setting himself against him.

But on what basis does Jonathan love David and unite with him?

Well, simply, Jonathan was responding to the evident grace in David’s life. Jonathan was devoted to the well-being of God’s People and the upholding of God’s honour. Looking back over Jonathan’s earlier activities we see he is burdened for Israel and Isarael’s Lord. And so, when he saw God at work through David he rejoiced.

Jonathan’s soul rejoiced at David’s victory over Israel’s enemy. In David, Jonathan saw a fellow Believer who was worthy of love and devotion- not a political asset or a threat to his position. It was spiritual priorities that governed Jonathan’s response to David.

The true unity of God’s People is always built upon a love for God and for His Glory. When this is our focus then everything else is put in its proper perspective. We can rejoice at the work God is doing regardless of who He is doing it through or whether He is doing it in a way we prefer.

Jonathan rejoiced in David’s faith and achievements. Jonathan was bonded to David because David embodied the things most precious to Jonathan. Jonathan clearly admired David- who wouldn’t admire a brave warrior who was willing to put his life on the line for the glory of God.

Jonathan’s unity with David is a matter of admiration. But there is also affection. Notice again verse 1: ‘…Jonathan became one in spirit with David…’. This could literally be translated, ‘…the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David…’. They were joined together at a soul level.

Isn’t it wonderful when we feel as if there are others like us in the world, that we are not alone but are really connected to another at a deep level? That is how Jonathan feels about David- someone who shares the same passion for God’s glory.

In verse 1 we read that Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. And this was a love that showed in action as well as admiration and affection.

In verses 3 and 4 Jonathan displays his love for, and unity with, David by making a covenant with him. Jonathan takes the initiative in declaring his devotion to David by offering him his royal robe and then gives him his royal weapons and armour. Jonathan was symbolically transferring his own royal rights (chief of which was his legitimate claim to the throne in Israel) to David.

This was nothing less than an act of abdication. It may not have been official, and it may not have been publicly known, but this covenant would mean David would take precedence, and Jonathan would rejoice!

Why would Jonathan do this?

Essentially what Jonathan did was an act of faith. Only faith makes us willing to be the lesser. Faith causes us to surrender our supposed rights. In short, where sin makes enemies, faith makes family.

Such selflessness indicates that we are pursuing the purposes of God and following the commands of His Word; in Philippians 2 we read:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit…

In his self-emptying, Jonathan anticipates the far greater act of love by the greater son of David to come. In Philippians 2 we also read:

Though he was in the form of God, [Jesus] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant…

We seek unity in the Church through humble selflessness because of the love of Christ.

Following Jesus is not simply about knowing about Him but living for Him. In the love of Jesus, we are bonded to Him and to each other. In the love of Jesus, we are called to surrender all to Him for the glory of His Kingdom and the blessing of true fellowship.

David enjoyed the fellowship and love and unity of his brother in the Lord, Jonathan. But Chapter 18 also tells us of… The Jealousy David Encountered

Everyone loves David… except Saul.

Jonathan, and the people, love David and rejoice in how God has used him. Saul, on the other hand, sees David as a threat. As Chapter 18 continues we see Saul move from insecure jealousy to hatred and fear. Here is a warning to us of what happens when we allow our selfishness and insecurities to consume us- and a call to look beyond ourselves and find our joy and security in the Lord.

In verses 6 and 7, the narrator takes us back to the homecoming celebration after the rout of the Philistines. The women come out to dance in the streets and sing a song:

‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.’

If you understand the conventions of Hebrew poetry, and if you are not paranoid, you can appreciate that there was nothing deliberately sinister in the women’s song. They were linking Saul and David together in victory. They were simply saying: Saul and David have struck down many thousands. And they did mention Saul first!

In verse 8, however, we see that Saul, consumed by insecurity, took it the wrong way:

Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?”

Saul, clearly jealous of David, sees him as a threat to his throne and starts keeping a close eye on David (verse 9).

Remember, Jonathan rejoiced in David’s victory because his desire was for the Lord’s glory. But Saul’s proud heart, darkened by sin, is filled with jealousy- losing the capacity for both joy and love.

I wonder if there is a warning for us here: do we need to search our hearts for any resentment in our hearts when we should be rejoicing in what God is doing in the lives of others?

 

Saul is jealous of David. He is also afraid- and this fear grows throughout Chapter 18. This combination of fear and jealousy begins to twist Saul and distort his view of reality. Saul begins to hate and fear a young man who had been nothing but a faithful servant.

When we fail to repent of sin and allow resentment to remain in our hearts it will usually end up expressing itself in our words and actions. In Saul’s case this process took only a day; in verses 10 and 11 we read:

The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.

In the past David’s playing soothed Saul’s evil mood, but now the mere sight of David drove Saul into a violent rage.

I wonder when you read verse 12 were you surprised? There we read, ‘…Saul was afraid of David…’. But Saul was the one with the spear, and he was throwing it at David- shouldn’t David be afraid of Saul? Well no, because the rest of the verse says: ‘…because the Lord was with David but had left Saul…’.

That, of course, is what we learned in verses 13, 14 of Chapter 16. This represents God’s rejection of Saul and His choice of David as His king. That is why, we are told, Saul was afraid.  The Lord was with David, and so David had success in all his undertakings (verse 14). And so, in verse 15, Saul’s fear only grew with David’s increasing success and the resulting love from the people.

Saul, wanting rid of David, had made him a commander of a thousand- a demotion after his high rank in verse 5. But David, in verse 16, grew in popularity- not just with his own tribe, Judah, but all Israel. David’s soaring popularity meant Saul could not risk continued open assaults on his life. But there were other ways to arrange a funeral- such as dangling the prospect of marriage before the young hero.

In verse 17 Saul’s jealousy and fear gives birth to more murderous intent. He offers the hand of his elder daughter as an incentive for David to take on dangerous military responsibilities- hoping the Philistines will do his dirty work and dispatch David.

David responds with humility and refuses the marriage. David sincerely thought it inappropriate for him to be married to a woman of such high standing.

Then, in verse 20, Saul discovers his second daughter, Michal, also loves David. Therefore, Saul revives his plan. David again responds with humility. So Saul present a challenge to David. David can win his daughter’s hand by securing the foreskins of 100 Philistines. Saul reasons that even if David succeeds in slaying 100 Philistines, he will be a marked man from that point on and his life under continual threat.

The challenge given to David was ideal for a man of his skills and abilities. So, David accepts the challenge and succeeds. Indeed, in verse 27, he provides Saul with 200 foreskins.

Saul’s plan has spectacularly backfired. He is worse off than when he started, now David is part of the royal house, and his reputation has grown further. Now Saul is in no doubt about David: he is his enemy.

Like Jonathan, Saul sensed that David would replace him as king. But Saul’s reaction is the precise opposite of Jonathan’s response. In Saul we see anger, jealousy, fear, and scheming. When we are not aligned with God in our own lives we will not be aligned with God’s purposes in other people’s lives.

In Chapter 18 we see that David enjoyed unity with Jonathan as they sought God’s glory together. We also see David encounter Saul’s jealousy as Saul was consumed by self-centredness. Finally, we must briefly note… The Presence that David Experienced

Notice how Chapter 18 concludes in verses 28 to 30:

When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.

Put simply, David does everything he is asked to do with great success.

If we go back up to verse 5, we see the same thing. The army, both the rank and file and the top brass, loved David. And in verse 16 we see David successfully leading God’s People in battle after battle.

But David was not simply a loveable lad with a knack for fighting. Instead, as the narrator makes clear- in verse 12 and verse 14 and then in verse 28- the key to David’s success was Lord’s presence.

And so, David shows us the importance of living in humble submission to God’s purposes. When we accept His grace shown to us in Jesus Christ, we experience the presence of God in our lives and His blessing upon us. We are made right with God by looking to Jesus. And in Jesus, and by His indwelling Spirit, we enjoy God’s presence in the most intimate way- the Living God living in us.

This wonderful truth calls us to live as David did- a life of humble obedience that brings true blessing, a life to the full. Jesus taught in John 15 verse 5:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing….

In Christ, we can experience constant God’s presence with us. And in following His life-giving way we can enjoy the blessing of a fruitful life- life lived the way it was supposed to be lived.

No, Believers are not perfect, nor will they enjoy a perfect life this side of eternity. Those who trust in God will experience failures and many forms of hardship. But we face them in the strength that God provides, in the assurance of His constant presence, and in the confidence that He works all things for good.

And travelling through this world with its dark valleys and difficult paths, we remember the promise of Psalm 121 was true for David and it is true for us who belong to God today:

“The LORD is your keeper . . . The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life”

Imagine trying to oppose a people who have God for their keeper!

And we have that precious promise that though the world may sometimes wrongfully hate us, as Saul envied and hated David, ‘….neither death nor life… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord…’ (Romans 8 verses 38 to 39). In Christ we can know that God is with us and at work in us for our good and His Glory.

Conclusion

David enjoyed the love of a friend and endured the jealousy of a king. Today let us rejoice that in Christ the King of Kings calls us friend and unites us in unbreakable bonds of love.

 

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