And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.
The time is perhaps a year after David killed Goliath, when Saul kept David at his court in the royal palace at Gibeah four miles north of Jerusalem. The servants reporting David's words comes in the midst of the marriage negotiations over Michal. It belongs to the chain in chapters 18, 19 and 20 leading to David's flight to Samuel at Ramah, the secret covenant with Jonathan, the new moon feast, and the sign at the rock Ezel.
At that time David behaved wisely and gained the friendship of the people and played before Saul as before. He stood as champion of God's people. But Saul looked on him with a jealous eye because the people welcomed the conquerors with songs and dancing that credited Saul with thousands and David with ten thousands. Saul's jealousy over David's honor and advancement grew with David's increasing popularity into unreasoning hatred and open effort to take his life. In jealous rage he three times hurled a javelin at David while he played, made him captain of a thousand to remove him from his immediate presence, and gave him his daughter Michal to wife.
Alongside this runs the beginning of Jonathan's friendship with David, sealed after Goliath and growing as Jonathan stood for his friend against every plot. It showed noble unselfish generosity and freedom from envy even though David's rise came at his own expense. The passage thus contrasts jealous Saul, made wretched by David's honors, with his noble son. It shows David avoiding Saul's hostility without retaliating against the ruler of Israel, in hope and trust in God and utter refusal to take vengeance into his own hands on the enemy pursuing him.
The time is perhaps a year after David killed Goliath, when Saul kept David at his court in the royal palace at Gibeah four miles north of Jerusalem. The servants reporting David's words comes in the midst of the marriage negotiations over Michal. It belongs to the chain in chapters 18, 19 and 20 leading to David's flight to Samuel at Ramah, the secret covenant with Jonathan, the new moon feast, and the sign at the rock Ezel.
At that time David behaved wisely and gained the friendship of the people and played before Saul as before. He stood as champion of God's people. But Saul looked on him with a jealous eye because the people welcomed the conquerors with songs and dancing that credited Saul with thousands and David with ten thousands. Saul's jealousy over David's honor and advancement grew with David's increasing popularity into unreasoning hatred and open effort to take his life. In jealous rage he three times hurled a javelin at David while he played, made him captain of a thousand to remove him from his immediate presence, and gave him his daughter Michal to wife.
Alongside this runs the beginning of Jonathan's friendship with David, sealed after Goliath and growing as Jonathan stood for his friend against every plot. It showed noble unselfish generosity and freedom from envy even though David's rise came at his own expense. The passage thus contrasts jealous Saul, made wretched by David's honors, with his noble son. It shows David avoiding Saul's hostility without retaliating against the ruler of Israel, in hope and trust in God and utter refusal to take vengeance into his own hands on the enemy pursuing him.