1 Samuel 18

Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 18

Hello.

To just cut to the chase in today’s bible blog, we begin to see the start of Saul’s jealousy towards David, of how the former couldn’t stand being compared to be lesser than the young, ruddy David. Of how Saul had slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

And we can see in this chapter, that there was a huge difference between the two people..

What’s that difference?

So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely… – v. 5

And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him… – v. 14

These are the passages which showed why the Lord was always with him, and why he managed to find favour among men (well.. maybe save Saul).. And that was because wherever he went, he was always behaving wisely. He knew how he ought to have behaved

But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul… – chpt 16, v. 14

Now Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul… – v. 12

Now.. In stark contrast, we see Saul. We know what happened to him, don’t we? In previous chapters, we’ve read that he had behaved very foolishly in the eyes of God.. And even in the eyes of men (I mean, NOT eating during a war??? Kinda reminds like one of them poor dudes who made that “no-eating-till-we-kill-Paul-go-team!” pact.. I wonder if they starved to death…). And because of that, God actually left him.

See that? One had God with him all the way. The other lost His abidance.

One had a something that should be considered very valuable to us today. But the other, had one of the most dreadful and horrific feeling we could ever imagine…

How we ought to behave..

Well, I think the answer is kinda obvious..

In earlier chapters, we had seen Saul do some really foolish stuff. He didn’t obey Samuel concerning waiting for him to sacrifice to the Lord. He didn’t completely finish off the Amalekites, but instead savoured the best they had for himself and even spared the king. He was foolish in the main sense that he did not fully obey the commandments of God. He did not consider his ways and thoughts before doing them, but thought that what he had done were right in his eyes. And this was indeed sad, considering he was once a had a rather impressive start to his kingship..

David, on the other hand, behaved wisely and did what was good and gained favour in the eyes of God and men, although it didn’t really state any specific thing he did in this chapter. But we can tell he was the opposite of Saul, from the fact that God was with him, and even Saul knew that (v. 28).

I think that the situation can be illustrated in the following verses:

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit or itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me, you can do nothing.. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned…
John 15: 4-6

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love…
John 15: 10

We must pray for spiritual wisdom, to know what to do and how to conduct ourselves, that we may be pleasing in the eyes of God. We have to strive to abide in our Lord, that He may abide in us.

God was with David, even when he went out to get those foreskins (man… of 200 dudes!!) in this chapter. Because God was with him, David was abide to do his things well. All this because he had conducted himself appropriately, behaving wisely.

But Saul, was like the branch that had been cut off.. He didn’t obey the commandments of God and the instructions given by Samuel.

Therefore, let us strive to be like David, behaving wisely in all that we do. We must always consider our ways carefully, and our thoughts too. Because it is that important that we have the abidance of God in us, lest we are nothing by ourselves.

Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and envy..
Romans 13, v. 13

Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil..
Proverbs 3, v. 7

Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool lays open his folly..
Proverbs 13, v. 16