Behold Our King: the books of 1 and 2 Samuel

Saul’s Marriage Plots Against David
1 Samuel 18:17–30

Paul J. Bucknell

When direct violence failed, Saul concealed his murderous intentions beneath promises, marriage arrangements, and false kindness.

Saul’s first plan failed. David managed to escape, while David’s success continued. Saul was subtle but deliberate in trying to kill David. The second plan aims to protect Saul’s reputation while also setting the stage for David’s death. Any means to get rid of David were acceptable, even if it involved his daughters. Uncontrolled jealousy leads to madness.

Plan #1 The proposed marriage of David and Merab (18:17-19)

Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife, only be a valiant man for me and fight the LORD’S battles.” For Saul thought, “My hand shall not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” So it came about at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife (1 Samuel 18:17-19).

If Saul could use this romance to have David take extra risks and be killed, then the blame would be shifted away from Saul.

It’s hard to imagine what was going through Saul’s mind. Maybe, driven by greed for power, he just assumed David would seize the opportunity to become the king’s son-in-law. He didn’t really consider his daughters' or family's well-being. If he managed to have David killed in battle, his daughter would lose her husband, and the grandchildren would lose their grandpa. Hatred often defies reason.

Saul’s intention in having the Philistines kill David was only to prevent others from thinking he wanted David dead. Saul was apparently being very kind to David, seeming like a caring future father-in-law who genuinely loved having him as part of his family. However, David did not see through this plan; he found it to be too sinister.

Time passed. David did not follow up on Saul’s bait. His response revealed his true heart. He hardly tried to seize the throne. He was a nobody and couldn’t marry the king’s daughter or claim to become the king’s son-in-law. This should have shown Saul that David had no interest in the throne. That would have been easy—marry and then eliminate potential heirs. But David wasn’t thinking like that. From this, we see how he had a heart after God.

Plan #2 David and Michal (18:20-30)

Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When they told Saul, the thing was agreeable to him. And 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.” Therefore Saul said to David, “For a second time you may be my son-in-law today.” Then Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David secretly, saying, ‘Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you; now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law” (1 Samuel 18:20-22).

Saul was undoubtedly sad about his first daughter's marriage. He wanted to use her to get to David, but when he heard that Michal, his other daughter, cared for David, he revived his old plans. The scriptures show us how he 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.” How horribly vile.

So King Saul approaches David a second time with a proposal to marry his daughter. Saul’s instruction to his servants to secretly tell David that Saul and his officials all love him is very interesting. Was it because he felt his dislike for him was showing? Or was it that his servants might tell David what they were really hearing him say?

So Saul’s servants spoke these words to David. But David said, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?” And the servants of Saul reported to him according to these words which David spoke. Saul then 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.’” Now Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. When his servants told David these words, it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the days had expired David rose up and went, he and his men, and struck down two hundred men among the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal his daughter for a wife (1 Samuel 18:23-27).

When David hears these things, he considers not having anything to contribute to the marriage for the dowry. David has mentioned this before, but I believe Saul did not think this would actually be the problem. However, this situation turns out even better! Saul figures that David can be killed even before the marriage. Saul simply tells him he has a way for David to earn the dowry. All he needs to do is, before the marriage, to get a hundred Philistine foreskins. In other words, David had to kill a hundred enemies, and that would be considered an acceptable dowry.

Saul hoped that David would be killed in battle. David accepted the offer but, to the king’s dismay, safely returned with 200 foreskins. He, of course, cared more about their heads than David did. So Michal was reluctantly given to David as his wife.

When Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, then Saul was even more afraid of David. Thus Saul was David’s enemy continually. Then the commanders of the Philistines went out to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul. So his name was highly esteemed (1 Samuel 18:28-30).

Saul’s problem worsened once his plan backfired. Now David has the king’s daughter and is a partial heir to his possessions! His son, Jonathan, is David’s closest friend. His daughter loves him. David kept going out to battle (probably because of Saul’s command, hoping he would be killed in action), but he returned victorious every time.

Saul was afraid of David because he sensed David might take over the throne. His fear, like most fears, was all in his mind. Saul was correct that he would lose his throne as God had declared, but he was wrong to judge David’s motives. David had no ill will and was not trying to seize the kingship. From Saul’s perspective, things were gradually getting worse.

Conclusion

Saul’s jealousy grew worse as he watched David gradually take over the throne. His fear, like many fears, was all in his mind—not that Saul would lose the throne to David, but that David himself harbored ill will toward Saul. Saul could have repented and embraced his son-in-law’s contributions.

Summary of 1 Samuel 18

Although the focus of this passage is on Saul's mishandling of his jealousy, David is experiencing some severe struggles.

God is preparing David for His service. The training is intense. This passage reminds us that if we focus on past victories or even present ones, our joy in life will be lost. Instead, we should focus on doing God's will, persevering to do what is right even when circumstances seem so wrong. Indeed, what David experiences clearly reminds us of the great misunderstandings and jealousies Jesus had to face all the way to the cross.