Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 130
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IMMERSE
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KINGDOMS
1S
| 18:14–19:3
David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with
him. When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him. But
all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading
his troops into battle.
One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my older daughter,
Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior
by fighting the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “I’ll send him out against
the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.”
“Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king’s
son-in-law?” David exclaimed. “My father’s family is nothing!” So when
the time came for Saul to give his daughter Merab in marriage to David,
he gave her instead to Adriel, a man from Meholah.
In the meantime, Saul’s daughter Michal had fallen in love with David,
and Saul was delighted when he heard about it. “Here’s another chance
to see him killed by the Philistines!” Saul said to himself. But to David he
said, “Today you have a second chance to become my s on-in-law!”
Then Saul told his men to say to David, “The king really likes you, and so
do we. Why don’t you accept the king’s offer and become his son-in-law?”
When Saul’s men said these things to David, he replied, “How can a
poor man from a humble family afford the bride price for the daughter
of a king?”
When Saul’s men reported this back to the king, he told them, “Tell Da
vid that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins! Vengeance
on my enemies is all I really want.” But what Saul had in mind was that
David would be killed in the fight.
David was delighted to accept the offer. Before the time limit expired, he
and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. Then David fulfilled the
king’s requirement by presenting all their foreskins to him. So Saul gave
his daughter Michal to David to be his wife.
When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and how much his
daughter Michal loved him, Saul became even more afraid of him, and he
remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.
Every time the commanders of the Philistines attacked, David was more
successful against them than all the rest of Saul’s officers. So David’s name
became very famous.
Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David.
But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, told him what his
father was planning. “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find
a hiding place out in the fields. I’ll ask my father to go out there with me,
and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.”