1 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. 7 And the women sang to one another as they celebrated,
“Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”
8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on. – 1 Samuel 18:1-9 ESV
David’s victory over Goliath was going to bring him great fame and a full-time position on Saul’s staff; no more dividing his time between the sheepfold and the palace. Saul gave him a permanent place on the royal payroll. Not only that, David was able to strike up a deep and lasting friendship with Saul’s son, Jonathan. But David’s close proximity to the king was going to result in a growing tension. His popularity among the people was unprecedented. He was a rock star, with a growing fan base and people were not only singing his praises, they were actually making up songs about him. All of this is far from pleasing to Saul because he had never forgotten the fateful words spoken by Samuel the prophet.
“But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” – 1 Samuel 13:14 ESV
The prophetic message spoken by Samuel remained in the back of Saul’s mind throughout his reign, causing him great unrest as he waited for its fulfillment. Who would his successor be and when would he show up? What would the transition of power look like? Years had passed since Samuel spoke those foreboding words and Saul remained the king of Israel. But he was forced to rule with his head on a swivel, always looking over his shoulder to see if the man after God’s own heart was there.
As he witnessed the meteoric rise of David’s popularity after his defeat of Goliath, Saul must have been conflicted about just what to do with this rising superstar. He recognized that David would be an invaluable addition to his leadership team but, in the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but be paranoid and a bit defensive regarding David’s growing fame. Despite assigning him a commission in the Israelite army, Saul began to question David’s loyalty and wonder whether this ambitious young man might be the one of whom Samuel spoke.
The text states that David “was successful wherever Saul sent him” (1 Samuel 18:5 ESV). This young man was a natural-born leader with an innate capacity to succeed at whatever he did. This must have left Saul wondering whether David would grow discontent serving behind the scenes and eventually aspire to a more permanent and powerful position in Israel’s government. Was David conspiring to stage a coup and replace Saul as the king?
It didn’t help that Jonathan, Saul’s son, developed a close friendship with David. These two men ended up sharing a lot in common. Both were faithful believers in Jehovah and had demonstrated their trust in His power by standing up to the Philistine threat despite overwhelming odds. Jonathan and his armor-bearer had snuck into the Philistine camp, slaughtering 20 of their soldiers, and inciting a panic among the enemy troops that led to a surprising Israelite victory. Jonathan’s actions had been motivated by his belief in Jehovah’s presence and power.
“Let’s go across to the outpost of those pagans,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer. “Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!” – 1 Samuel 14:6 NLT
David shared Jonathan’s confidence in Jehovah and was willing to go up against the Philistine giant, Goliath, with nothing more than a slingshot and five smooth stones. But David knew he wasn’t going into battle out-gunned; he had Jehovah on his side.
“I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” – 1 Samuel 17:36-37 NLT
David and Jonathan shared a kinship of faith that developed into a deep friendship. They became soulmates who enjoyed a common belief in Jehovah’s preeminence and power to deliver His people from their enemies. Unlike Saul, these two men exhibited a willingness to trust God for the future of the nation and conducted their lives in keeping with His will and according to His commands.
The bond between the two of them was strong and sealed by a surprising display of submission on the part of Jonathan. As the son of Saul, Jonathan was the heir-apparent to the throne of Israel, but in an act of uncoerced humility, he removed his royal robes, armor, and sword, and presented them to David as a gift. It would appear that Jonathan somehow knew that David was to be the next king of Israel and he was willing to divest himself of all rights to the throne so that his friend might serve in his place.
“. . . when Jonathan took off his robe (a symbol of the Israelite kingdom; cf. 15:27-28…) and gave it to David (v. 4), he was in effect transferring his own status as heir apparent to him . . .” – Ronald F. Youngblood, "1, 2 Samuel," in Deuteronomy-2 Samuel, vol. 3 of
The Expositor's Bible Commentary
But Saul grew concerned that David would use his friendship with Jonathan and his access to the palace as the means for staging a coup. So, he intended to keep David close so that he could keep an eye on him. Yet everywhere Saul turned, he literally heard the people singing David’s praises.
“Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.” – 1 Samuel 18:7 ESV
Much to Saul’s chagrin, David was getting top billing and receiving all the accolades. This state of affairs left Saul with a growing sense of suspicion and jealousy that bordered on paranoia. He began to believe that David was out to get him.
“…what more can he have but the kingdom?” – 1 Samuel 18:8 ESV
This part of David’s life is fascinating. So far, he has done everything right. He had proven to be a faithful son, caring for his family's flocks, even returning to care for them after having received the anointing of the prophet. He had obediently followed his father’s commands, taking food to his brothers on the front line. Then, when he had seen the Philistine champion and heard his taunts, he had been shocked that no one was stepping forward to deal with this pagan who was defying the God of Israel. So he offered his services to the king, placing his hope in God, and defeating Goliath with nothing more than a sling and a stone. But despite all this, David found himself under the suspicious and watchful eye of the king. He had made a new friend in Jonathan but was quickly developing a formidable enemy in Saul. And it is not yet clear whether David even knew the implications of his anointing by Samuel. Did David realize he had been divinely appointed to serve as Saul’s replacement? Had the prophet shared with him the details of God’s plan?
He most likely saw himself as just another servant of Saul, trying to do the right thing and serve the king in whatever way he could. Up to this point, David had been Saul’s armor bearer and harp player. He had done the king a huge favor by eliminating the threat of Goliath. And it seems that whatever David did, he did well.
David was faithful and he had the Spirit of God dwelling upon him. But all his success would prove his downfall. In God’s providential plan, David was right where he needed to be. His rapid rise to fame and prominence was not a surprise to God. And Saul’s hatred of David was not only expected, it was planned. It was all part of God’s divine strategy for preparing David to be king.
David had received the anointing to be king, but now he was going to get the practical training required for him to be the kind of king God intended for him to be. Whether David realized it or not, he was being placed in God’s boot camp for kingship. As a participant in Saul’s administration, David would have a front-row seat from which to witness an epic display of poor leadership. Saul would provide a master’s-level course in executive management gone bad.
But there were other valuable lessons that David was going to need to learn for him to rule righteously. His world was about to be rocked. As time went on and Saul’s jealousy and anger increased, David’s former days in the pasture tending sheep were going to look increasingly more appealing. But there was much that God had to teach David. He was a man after God’s own heart. In other words, he had a passion for the same things God did. But now God was going to begin the process of giving David a godly heart. His passion for the things of God was going to deepen. His love for the ways of God would become richer and fuller. His trust in the strength of God would grow. His reliance upon the care and provision of God would increase exponentially. And it would all begin with the growing hatred and animosity of King Saul. Things were about to heat up because God’s lessons for David were about to start up.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.