David spirits his parents away to a foreign country for safekeeping and an army starts gathering around him.  At first, now, it is a bunch of malcontents and probably more than a few criminals, but it is a start.  While David is forming the nucleus of his kingdom Saul is ranting over losing his.  He accuses everyone of treachery and subversion for not telling him that Jonathan was allied with David and letting David sneak off.  At this point a man who saw David with the priest speaks up and implicates the priest to Saul.  Saul calls him in, ignores his protests of innocence (how was he to know David had been demoted from trusted commander to fugitive) and has the whole group of priests serving in that tabernacle executed.  His men refuse to do the deed but the informer is more than ready.  The sole escapee from this massacre comes to David in the wilderness and informs him of all that happened.  David admits that he saw the informer, Doeg, and that he knew the man would betray him and the priests to Saul.  But he did nothing to stop it and the priests died.  David seems somewhat remorseful in this situation,but more interested in how that puts the sole surveyor and he on the same side.  Not very heroic.

Without Wax,

Jonathan thinks everything is going well the first night of the feast.  David is absent, Saul notices but appears unmoved, everything is going swimmingly and soon he will be able to tell David that his fears are foolish and Saul loves him like a son.  The second day of the feast does not go as well.  Saul demands to know David's whereabouts and when Jonathan responds with his carefully crafted story about letting David go home to celebrate the festival with his family Saul is having none of it.  He knows this means Jonathan is in league with David and is hiding him.  In his fury Saul tries to kill Jonathan with a spear in the same way that he tried to pin David to the wall earlier.  Jonathan appears to know David has been anointed to be the next king and is content with a place at his side rather than the throne itself.  Imagine David's rule with Jonathan as head of the army instead of Joab.  What a wonderful thought.  But no, Saul is more angry for Jonathan's inheritance than Jonathan himself.  The next day David and Jonathan bid a teary farewell and each goes to his own place.  David to a fugitive existence in the wilderness and Jonathan back under the eyes of an increasingly maddened father who still holds the power of the throne.

Without Wax,

David runs to Samuel and seeks what to do.  he tells the old prophet all that has happened and is probably looking for further instruction from the Lord.  We have no record of what Samuel told David, but we do know that when Saul got wind of what David was doing he set out to kill him again.  God defended David in the most peculiar of ways.  He made the men prophesy uncontrollably.  Here things get sorta murky when we deal with the culture, the text, and God’s ways.  One form of commonly accepted prophecy in the ancient world and in many places today is a sort of ecstatic trance in which the person is speaking but appears to be unaware of his or her surroundings.  The words pour forth in a torrent and there are often physical abnormalities such as drooling, bulging eyes, or uncontrollable twitches.  It was considered that this sort of behavior meant the gods were speaking through a person in the Greek or Egyptian forms of worship.  In Christian circles there are still groups that view this sort of behavior and other bizarre behaviors as indicative of such a state, but I really wonder about that.  Here it seems that God causing these men to prophesy causes them to be unable to complete their mission.  When Saul himself comes not only does he become unable to fulfill his original aims, but he ends up stripping naked and prophesying right in front of Samuel for a day and a night.  It is weird and fairly disturbing.  I do not have a good explanation as to whether Saul was really speaking for God and speaking God’s words as he prophesied nor am I certain that my own prejudices are not getting in the way of better understanding this verse.

Without Wax,

Dr. Dwight
Have this read to you.

Subscribe To My Podcast with iTunes

Saul’s jealousy becomes a flame consuming all his other relationships.  His own daughters become only a means to the end of destroying David.  Now think about that.  In a society in which a woman has no place unless she is married you marry your daughter off to someone whom you hope to kill then make her a widow.  After David passes on the first daughter, Merab. Saul finds out that Michal, his second daughter, loves David.  So now it becomes killing the love of your daughter’s life.  Saul tries to get David killed before the wedding sending him out to kill 100 Philistines.  Saul ceases to care about his children as people in his obsession to destroy David.  That is what happens when we focus our life on destroying a perceived rival or enemy, we destroy those closest to us and ourselves in the fruitless effort to harm someone else.  If the person truly does wish us harm it is like giving them a bonus coupon.  First we they have no work to do in order to do us harm, then we do their work for them and destroy our own lives.  Wouldn’t it make more sense to ignore or work around an opponent’s issues rather than beating ourselves to death on his shortcomings?

Without Wax,

Dr. Dwight
Have this read to you.

Subscribe To My Podcast with iTunes

Saul raises David to a position of respect by his actions.  In most circumstances the heir finds the sudden elevation of a new favorite at court as a challenge to his claims.  In this case Jonathan finds a best friend.  Completing the acceptance of his father Jonathan publicly welcomes David as a brother.  He gives him equipment and clothes appropriate to the crown prince.  He arms David as a Lord would arm his soldier and claims him as a part of the royal family.  Saul continues in his delight and David extends the power of Israel, leading men in battle after battle.  Think about it.  Saul had been a tormented king, bereft of the Spirit of God.  David is like a breath of fresh air blowing through the court with his strong faith and ready smile.  Everyone is happy until Saul realizes just how happy everyone is to have David around…

Without Wax,

Dr. Dwight
Have this read to you.

Subscribe To My Podcast with iTunes