1 Samuel 18: 5-12 And David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants. And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with instruments of music. And the women sang to one another as they played, and said, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom And Saul eyed David from that day forward. And it came to pass the next day, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand. And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will pin David even to the wall with it. And David escaped out of his presence twice. And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.
Have you ever had someone that you loved and respected that didn't love you back? This is what happened to David when you was a youth. He loved and respected King Saul. David would have been a faithful servant and son-in-law to Saul if Saul had been willing. Saul was unwilling to be a good father-in-law or a mentor to David. The truth is Saul needed David. David was the only man that God could use to slay the giant Goliath. And also, a troubling spirit from the enemy would come and torment Saul. But, when David would play his harp for King Saul, the troubling spirit would leave him. Even though he greatly needed David, he wanted to get rid of him. Why would he want to get rid of someone that had benefitted him so greatly? David was an asset to King Saul, he was an asset to the entire nation. Why would he want to kill David? David had never done anything harmful to King Saul. You have to be careful, because sin will cause us to persecute people that we really need in our lives.
King Saul had been disobedient to God. Every time he looked at David he saw his own failure. David was a reminder to King Saul that he was unwilling to fight the giant. And he served as a reminder that the prophet Samuel had prophesied that the kingdom would be torn away from him and given to another. Have you ever looked at someone and everything about them reminds you of nothing but your own failures? We know it wasn't David's fault that King Saul had disobeyed the LORD, yet, David's obedience and faith was a threat to Saul because of his disobedience! Is there someone in your family that despises you and treats you with contempt because you have succeeded where they have failed? Some people are so full of hatred that they have nothing better to do than predict the downfall of others, and then sit back and wait for it to happen!
Was Saul jealous of David? Of course he was jealous of David, but it was more than jealousy that drove him to chasing David with the intent to kill him. David was a reminder to Saul that he hadn't lived a life that was pleasing to God! Saul thought that killing David would solve all of his problems. People mistakenly pick wrong answer to their problems everyday. Getting drunk is not the answer to your problems. Getting even with someone is not the answers to your problems. Getting more money is not the answer to your problems. Getting a new car, house or spouse is not the answer to your problems. The answer to the problems in our lives is not something out there, the answer is something in our own hearts. It was Saul's disobedient heart that had caused him to fail in life, nothing more, nothing less. It is the same for everyone as it was for Saul. We fail because we do not have a heart to win. A winning heart is a heart that is full of faith and obedience to God.
God wants us to have a winning heart. Do you need a change in your life? Ask God to change your heart. When your heart changes, your life will change as well.
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