Artwork by Douglas Kallerson
1 Samuel 18:17-30
Two Hundred Philistine Foreskins
(Typed 8 December 2025) Although I try to keep current politics out of sermons, in this case, it is hard for me not to see a parallel between Saul’s offer to David and what happened to President Trump during his first term.
Saul tries to set David up so that he will die at the hands of the Philistines. Though unsuccessful, there was the real possibility that David could have perished.
President Trump was successfully navigating his first term as president. The economy was booming, and he had been able to avoid every attempt by the left to remove him from office. Less than a year before the elections, he was told that for the “safety” of the American public, he had to shut down the economy.
It was the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on a sitting president. He was duped into accepting the proposition, and the economy was shut down. For those paying attention, it quickly became obvious that there was more at play than a sudden plague sweeping the world.
The CDC, an organization sold out to the left, whose aisles were filled with weeping people when Trump was first elected, suddenly registered NO flu cases, something impossible by all standards. Instead, COVID swept up all of the statistics.
What was essentially a very bad flu was rebranded as something else. Along with that came an attempt to crush Trump’s reelection, something that ultimately succeeded. This was followed by the government’s persecution of the people of America, unlike anything in our history.
Had it not been for a handful of Republican governors, America would be a very different place today than it is.
Text Verse: “Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;
But I will trust in You.” Psalm 55:22, 23
Concerning this passage, David was successful, and Saul’s hoped-for result failed. David was better off for how things turned out. The same is true for our nation. Though Trump was not reelected right away, and despite the left waging every possible attack against him after January 2020, he was ultimately successful in returning to office.
President Trump had a new determination that he never would have had if he had won in 2020. The backlash the left has faced for their cunning machinations has been… well, it has been breathtaking to see. Where it will all end is hard to say, but like David, President Trump was saved to fight for another day.
For any Christian who accepts the Bible as inspired, we must acknowledge that both biden’s election, despite how he won, as well as Trump’s, were ordained by God. It is He who sets up kings and deposes them. David was saved despite Saul’s attempts to kill him. Trump has been saved thus far despite a variety of attempts against him.
We can be confident that whatever happens, it is within the will and acknowledgment of the Lord. Such great truths as this are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.
I. In Second, You Affinitied Yourself (verses 17-24)
17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife.
The word “then” is a time marker not stated or implied. Also, the Hebrew is more colorful and bears emphasis: vayomer shaul el David hineh viti ha’gedolah merav othah eten lekha leishah – “And he said, Saul, unto David, ‘Behold! My daughter, the whopping, Merab. Her, I will give to you to wife.’” Saul offers his daughter to David as an enticement, but his reason for offering her has a dark purpose.
The enticement is status within the nation. To marry a king’s daughter would bring a person directly into the royal family and give unprecedented access. Calling her “the whopping” means that she is the first, or great, daughter.
Placing the word “her” in the emphatic position is like saying, “This is my crown jewel, but HER I will give to you.” It is a way to lull David into accepting Saul’s offer, as if saying “No” would be to reject his very heart.
Saul means Asked, as in Asked for. David means Beloved. Merab is from ravav, to cast together and, thus, increase. Thus, it means Multiplication or Increase.
17 (con’t) Only be valiant for me, and fight the Lord’s battles.”
akh heyeh li leven khayil vehilakhem milkhamoth Yehovah – “Only, you must be to me to ‘son, valor’, and you must be fought – ‘battles, Yehovah’.” Assuming these verses chronologically follow verses 1-16, this is already what David was tasked to do. Therefore, it may be that Saul is asking for him to be a permanent member of his military, not just a soldier enlisted for a certain amount of time, who is later discharged.
Fighting the Lord’s battles is a way of setting Israel apart from other nations, something David has already done when he said –
“You come unto me in sword and in the spear, and in javelin. And I come unto you in Name – Yehovah Sabaoth – God arrangements Israel whom you exposed.” 1 Samuel 17: 45 (CG)
Israel serves the Lord. Therefore, to fight nations that do not serve the Lord is equated to fighting for the Lord. This is seen in the Book of the Wars of the Lord in Numbers 21:14. The underlying darker purpose for Saul’s words is seen next…
17 (con’t) For Saul thought, “Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
veshaul amar al tehi yadi bo u-thehi vo yad pelishtim – “And Saul, he said, ‘Not may it be, my hand, in him. And may it be in him, ‘hand, Philistines’.’” Saul already tried to pin David to a wall. David, however, avoided this. If this continued, word would get out that Saul’s intentions for David were not just a temporary mental disorder but a purposeful disdain for him.
Therefore, he changes the means of removing his foe. The impetus behind his machinations, meaning his evil heart, remains the same. Saul’s intent is that David, being a man of war, will eventually die in battle. He could ensure that David was put in unfavorable conditions during the battle, something David will do to one of his own men in 2 Samuel 11.
The irony of Saul’s hopes, though many years away, is that he, not David, will be the one to die in battle with the Philistines. David, however, is uninterested in Saul’s proposition to marry Merab, knowing that it was a responsibility that bore a weight he was not prepared to carry…
18 So David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”
vayomer David el shaul mi anokhi u-mi khayay mishpakhath avi beyisrael ki ehyeh khathan lamelekh – “And he said, David unto Saul, ‘Who, I myself, and who, my livings – ‘family, my father’ in Israel, that I will be affinity to the king?’” Lange says, “David’s artless simplicity and honest humility are here sharply contrasted with Saul’s artfulness and trickiness.”
It is rightly stated. First, David says, “Who, I?” David was ha’qatan, the diminutive, of his father’s house, and he was a mere shepherd. Despite his great deed in slaying the giant, his upbringing was not suited to kingly living. Next, he says, “and who, my livings – ‘family, my father’.”
The words of the NKJV, et al., “and what is my life or…” are incorrect. He has already acknowledged his personal unworthiness. He is acknowledging the unworthy nature of his surroundings, meaning those he interacts with, “my livings.” “Not only am I nothing, but my state within the society, which is reflective of my father’s house, is not of high society. We are just country bumpkins.”
There is nothing concerning himself that would allow him to be acceptable as a relative of the king. As such, the offer remained unaccepted…
19 But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.
Rather: vayhi beeth teth eth merav bath shaul ledavid vehi nitenah leadriel ha’mekholathi leishah – “And it was, in time ‘giving Merab, ‘daughter, Saul’, to David’, and she, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite to wife.” It seems the offer had an expiration date to it. It may be that Saul said something like, “I offer you my daughter, who I have decided should marry by her sixteenth birthday.
Though David didn’t accept Saul’s offer, Merab still needed to be married. Therefore, she was given to another. Most scholars see Saul’s action as a personal attack against David, as if he offered his daughter and then gave her to another to scorn him.
Others see this as an instance of greed where Adriel offered a giant dowry, and Saul took that in favor of the poorer David. These explanations discount two key points. The first is that Saul’s intention was stated, meaning he wanted David to die at the hand of the Philistines.
The second reason is that another daughter will be given to David. If there was another reason, Saul would not have given David another daughter.
The name Adriel is from eder, flock, and el, God. However, the Aramaic adar is equivalent to the Hebrew azar, to help. Thus, his name means Flock of God or possibly My Help Is God. Meholah is from one of three roots: makhalah, disease, makhalath, a sad song, or mekholah, dancing. As such, it means Diseased (One), Sad Singing (One), or Dancing (One).
David’s chance of having Merab ends with her union to Adriel. But if there is a whopping daughter, there is also lessor one…
20 Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David.
vateekhav mikhal bath shaul eth David – “And she cherished, Michal, ‘daughter, Saul’, David.” In 1 Samuel 14:49, the same word used to describe David, qatan, diminutive, was used to describe Michal. They are both the youngest. She has eyes for him. As such, some scholars think that Merab didn’t, so that is why Saul gave her to someone else. That seems like a stretch.
Daughters were given according to their father’s will. Marriages were arranged according to the Hebrew custom. This, however, serves as an opportunity to offer Michal to David. Not only does he have plans for eliminating David, but he has an excuse for David to accept the offer because of Michal’s affections.
Michal is identical to mikal, a rivulet. But it is also a shortened form of Michael, derived from mi (who), k (according to), and el (God), and thus means Who Is Like God.
20 (con’t) And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
vayagidu leshaul vayishar ha’davar beenav – “And they caused to declare to Saul. And it straightened, the word, in his eyes.” This forms a great reason to entice David. It might be like saying, “David, I know you don’t feel worthy to hold such a position, but my daughter is crazy about you, and for her sake, I am offering her to you.” Therefore…
21 So Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.”
vayomer shaul etenenah lo u-thehi lo lemoqesh u-thehi vo yad pelishtim – “And he said, Saul, ‘Let me give her to him, and may she be to him to snare, and may it be in him ‘hand, Philistines’.’” Saul still has the same evil intent. He wants David to fall into the hand of the Philistines. The way to do this is to use Michal as a snare to entice David into what he will suggest.
The first time, Saul underestimated David’s humility. He was offered something great at essentially no cost to himself. He was already fighting the Lord’s battles. Therefore, accepting Merab would have been an offer with no discernible cost to him.
It is like the offer of Araunah, who offered David his land and possessions to satisfy the anger of the Lord. David’s response was, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24).
Saul now understands David better…
21 (con’t) Therefore Saul said to David a second time, “You shall be my son-in-law today.”
vayomer shaul el David bishtayim tithkhaten bi ha’yom – “And he said, Saul, unto David, ‘In second, you affinitied yourself in me the day.” The words, “in second,” seem pretty clear, but there are quite a few ideas about what they mean. So, translations vary greatly. Some options are the second time being offered, one of two ways, in two things, etc.
It seems likely that Saul’s words include the number two/second rather than it being part of the explanation. Young’s says, “By the second – thou dost become my son-in-law to-day.” Though this seems to be the intent, there is no article. Rather, “In second, you affinitied…”
If the text said, “In the second,” it may imply more than two daughters. But Michal is the youngest. Therefore, “In second” is a way of saying, “In my second (and only other) daughter.” It is its own enticement. “This is your big and last chance!”
Two is the number of division or difference. In it, there is both a contrast and a confirmation. For example, Jesus has two distinct natures. He is God, and He is Man. They contrast, spiritual and material, but they confirm the totality of His one Person.
22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Communicate with David secretly,
vayetsav shaul eth avadav daberu el David balat – “And he enjoined, Saul, his servants, ‘You must speak unto David in the secrecy.’” The meaning seems to be that after having offered Michal to David, to impel him towards favorably responding, he sends men from his inner circle to act as if they are going outside of Saul’s knowledge to speak to David.
We do this kind of thing all the time, “When you see Tom, don’t say I said anything, but try to convince him that I really want him to join us this weekend.”
22 (con’t) and say, ‘Look, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you.
lemor hineh khaphets bekha ha’melekh vekhal avadav ahevukha – “to say, ‘Behold! He inclined in you, the king, and all his servants, they cherished you.’” These are supposedly the words of Saul’s servants. They just really like David and want him to take advantage of the situation. “And why not! We all know Saul, and everyone around him, loves you so much.”
22 (con’t) Now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.’”
veatah hitkhaten bamelekh – “And now, you must affinitize yourself in the king.” You can almost sense their attitude, “Man, David, we wish we were you! If only this opportunity were given to us, we would jump on it! Do it before she gets away! This is your big chance to be the king’s son-in-law, you lucky duck.”
23 So Saul’s servants spoke those words in the hearing of David.
vaydaberu avde shaul beazene David eth ha’devarim ha’eleh – “And they spoke, ‘servants, Saul’, in ‘ears, David’ the words, the these.” The narrative repeats the notion that these are the words of Saul. It ensures that we understand that the plot is determined by him, and his desire is for this marriage to come to pass.
Not knowing that this is a plot of Saul, David repeats the same general idea of his unworthiness as before…
23 (con’t) And David said, “Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king’s son-in-law,
vayomer David haneqalah veenekhem hithkhaten bamelekh – “And he said, David, ‘Being disesteemed in your eyes ‘affinitize oneself’ in the king?” The NKJV gets the point across. “What, are you kidding? Do you really think it’s so easy to accept and marry a daughter of the king?”
23 (con’t) seeing I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?”
veanokhi ish rash veniqleh – “And I, man being destitute and being lightened.’” A new word, rush, to be destitute, is seen. David understands that he has nothing he can offer the king as a dowry. Saul already concluded that David would not take an offer like this without meeting the accepted demands that traditionally went with it.
Further, David isn’t being noble in his convictions about such a dowry. He feels he is unworthy even if he had the ability to pay it….
24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, “In this manner David spoke.”
vayagidu avde shaul lo lemor kadevarim ha’eleh diber David – “And they caused to declare, ‘servants, Saul’, to him, to say, ‘According to the words, the these, he spoke, David.’” David’s response to their scheming, as directed by Saul, is exactly what Saul figured he would say.
Saul, having gone down this path already with Merab, has a plan laid out that will address both of David’s hesitations…
There is the church, and then there is the church
Which is which, and how does it show?
Can you tell soft maple from a birch?
Sometimes it’s not easy to know
But in each God does a difference bestow
In the true church, the difference is Christ
In the trees, the wood will show
The difference in each determines how things are priced
There is the church, and then there is the church
Where do you belong? It’s important to know
Don’t be left hanging in the lurch
God can tell, so be sure to let it show
II. And They Filled Them to the King (verses 25-30)
25 Then Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’”
vayomer shaul koh tomeru ledavid ein khephets lamelekh bemohar ki bemeah areloth pelishtim lehinaqem beoyeve ha’melekh – “And he said, Saul, ‘Thus you will say to David, “Naught pleasure to the king in dowry, for in hundred ‘foreskins, Philistines’ to be avenged in ‘hatings, the king’.””’ The third and last use of the word mohar, dowry, is seen here. The phrasing indicates that Saul doesn’t want a standard dowry, but he still wants a dowry.
He doesn’t expect a payment in money, useable goods, or an expensive trinket. Rather, he requires taking the lives of his enemies, the proof of which is their foreskins. This means that David was to obtain these not by warfare, but by raiding the enemy personally, proving he took their lives through his own bravery.
Thus, this would answer David’s two objections: First, he was capable of paying a dowry, even if it wasn’t a traditional one. Second, he had earned the right to be other than “unweighted” among the people of Israel.
25 (con’t) But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
Rather, and more expressively: veshaul khashav lehapil eth David beyad pelishtim – “And Saul, he interpenetrated to cause to fall David in ‘hand, Philistines’.” The word khashav literally means to weave or fabricate. Its intent is to mentally interpenetrate.
Saul has woven a cunning fabric of deceit in his mind, intending for his machinations to be the end of David. What are the chances that David could defeat enough enemies to allow him to take one hundred foreskins?
One hundred is a multiple of ten. Bullinger defines its meaning, saying, “Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”
26 So when his servants told David these words,
vayagidu avadav ledavid eth ha’devarim ha’eleh – “And they caused to declare, his servants, to David the words, the these.” As instructed, the servants relayed Saul’s words. Therefore, the narrative of David’s life is set to take a new direction…
26 (con’t) it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law.
vayishar ha’davar beene David lehithkhaten bamelekh – “And it straightened, the words, in ‘eyes, David’ to ‘affinitize oneself’ in the king.” Seeing that he could both pay a dowry according to the societal customs while also validating his esteem in the eyes of the king, and thus in the eyes of Israel, he sees that marrying the king’s daughter is an acceptable proposition. As such…
26 (con’t) Now the days had not expired;
velo maleu ha’yamim – “And not they filled, the days.” This tells us that the analysis above about Merab is sound. She was set to be married at a certain point: “And it was in time giving Merab, ‘daughter, Saul’, to David.” David did not accept the offer, allowing the days to expire.
In this case, however, David thought the offer over, planned how to obtain one hundred foreskins, and then went about the business of doing it…
27 therefore David arose and went, he and his men,
vayaqam David vayelekh hu vaanashav – “And he arose, David, and he walked, he and his mortals.” The words “and his men” are taken by some as the thousand he was appointed over in verse 13. But that would hardly be a conquest worthy of earning Saul’s daughter.
The odds at 5 to 1 would make it appalling to bring home anything less than a thousand foreskins. It is possible, but it seems unlikely, that David, in his exploits, would take such an overwhelming force to do something rather underwhelming.
However, if he went with a handful of men, one hundred foreskins would be a real achievement. But he went beyond that…
27 (con’t) and killed two hundred men of the Philistines.
vayakh bapelishtim matayim ish – “And they caused to strike in the Philistines two hundred man.” Saul had set the dowry, even though it wasn’t a customary dowry. To ensure that David would be properly esteemed in this matter, he voluntarily doubled the amount. Nobody could henceforth say that he did not earn the right to the position he was to receive.
The Greek translation of this chapter has omitted verses and has changes in the text, one of which is one hundred here rather than two. That is an unnecessary attempt to align the previous number with this one. David’s character, as well as a simple read through by a Hebrew scribe who would check for any textual errors, tells us that two hundred is the likely reading.
The number two hundred is a multiple of two and tens, both of which have been explained. However, it is also a derivative of twenty and ten, total insufficiency (Bullinger). But it can also be obtained by four, the world number, and fifty, jubilee and deliverance, or five (grace) and forty (probation, trial, and chastisement).
27 (con’t) And David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law.
vayave David eth arelothehem vaymalum lamelekh lehithkhaten bamelekh – “And he caused to bring, David, their foreskins. And they filled them to the king, to ‘affinitize oneself’ in the king.” The meaning of “filled them to the king” may be that he counted them before the king.
However, it may also (a bit distastefully) be that they didn’t just count them, but counted them into his hands, thus filling them. A pile of two hundred adult foreskins, due to being so thin, would equate is size to “a tennis ball or a small orange” (Google Search).
The reason why this seems right is because of what filling a hand signifies. When a person is consecrated to the Lord, the term used is “fill the hand” –
“…and you anointed them, and you filled their hand [consecrated them], and you sanctified them, and they ministered to Me” Exodus 28:41
Filling them to the king would be like saying, “And they dedicated the dowry to the king.”
27 (con’t) Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.
vayiten lo shaul eth mikhal bito leishah – “And he gave to him, Saul, Michal his daughter to wife.” This was probably an unhappy handing over of his little girl. Saul had hoped to be rid of David. Instead, he was now closer to him than ever. And that, coupled with his daughter’s joy over her situation.
28 Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David,
vayar shaul vayeda ki Yehovah im David – “And he saw, Saul, and he knew for Yehovah with David.” This tends to confirm that David took only a small raiding party with him.
If he took a thousand men with him to take on a garrison or enclave with two hundred men, it would be a victory, but one hardly worth Saul fretting over concerning David’s relationship with the Lord. But it was apparent to Saul that the Lord was with David. And more…
28 (con’t) and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him;
u-mikhal bath shaul ahevathhu – “and that Michal, ‘daughter, Saul’, she cherished him.” The Greek translation again diverts from the Hebrew. Instead of “Michal,” it says, “all Israel.” That was used to confirm the words of verse 16 as a way of explaining Saul’s despondency, but the change is wholly unnecessary.
Saul had hoped to use the offer of Michal as a snare to David. But if that failed, he probably hoped he could rely on their family ties to make David stumble at some point. But seeing that she truly loved David, any hope of that was ended.
29 and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy continually.
vayoseph shaul lero mipene David od vayhi shaul oyev eth David kal ha’yamim – “And he caused to add, Saul, to fear from ‘faces, David’ yet. And he was, Saul, hating David all the days.” Saul’s situation has gone from bad to worse. Instead of relief at David’s death, Saul fears because of his abilities.
David, being married to his daughter, brought him closer to the kingship as well. He was now in the realm of the royal family in the eyes of the people. Therefore, Michal cherishing David is set in complete contrast to Saul’s hatred of him.
With this narrative complete, a note concerning David, which will be set in contrast to Saul’s attitude toward him in the selected stories ahead, is given…
*30 (fin) Then the princes of the Philistines went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.
vayetseu sare phelishtim vayhi mide setham sakhal David mikol avde shaul vayiqar shemo meod – “And they went out, ‘commanders, Philistines’. And it was, from ‘sufficiency their going out’, he deliberated, David, from all ‘servants, Saul’. And he enweighed his name vehemently.” Translations are all over the place, and many of them add in a variety of extra words in an attempt to make sense of it.
The meaning is that the Philistine commanders went out raiding as they frequently did. They would do this anytime they could muster enough people (sufficiency their going). At such a time, David would watch and consider his options and then act in accord with his deliberations. In doing this, he prospered against the Philistines, all the while gaining renown.
There is the commonwealth of Israel
But not all who think they belong to it really do
How can we know who is who? How can we tell?
It’s not a secret! Trust in Jesus, only this will do
There are Jews who aren’t really Jews
And there are Christians only in name
It ain’t automatic, that would be fake news
The Bible tells us all aren’t the same
Many Jews are not of Israel
While many Gentiles are in its commonwealth
Genealogy doesn’t make one spiritually well
Faith in Jesus alone provides the needed bill of health
III. Who Is Who in Redemptive History
In chapter 14, Merab, Increase, and Michal, Who Is Like God, were introduced. They pictured the effects of Christ’s work in the people of the world. They form a body that has multiplied and bears the resemblance of Christ.
In verse 17, Merab is the older and whopping daughter. It never says she cherished David. Rather, she was an offering from Saul, those destined for the pit, to David, the state of accepting the doctrines of Christ. The purpose of giving her is so that he will fight the Lord’s battles and be destroyed in the process.
Merab is the church at large, whether saved or unsaved. One can think of all of those who fall under the umbrella of Christ. There are Roman Catholics, Baptists, Hebrew Roots, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Lutherans, Mormons, Presbyterians, etc.
Some denominations are totally apostate. Some have a few saved believers, and lots who have no heart for the Lord. Some are predominantly saved. Under this umbrella, there is a large increase of the body. But how can you fight the Lord’s battles with a large body of people who may or may not love the Lord?
The Philistines, those who work to weaken and undermine the body, have a field day with such people.
In verse 18, David balks at the offer, noting that he is not acceptable to be the son of the king. In verse 19, she is married off to Adriel the Meholathite, Flock of God of the Sad Singing. I reserve the right to be wrong on the definition of his last name, but it appears to use the appropriate root for it.
This reflects the state of the church at large, a body of people considered the flock of God, but who have a sad song, not having a personal relationship with the Lord.
In verse 20, it states that Saul’s daughter Michal, Who Is Like God, cherished David, the state of accepting the doctrines of Christ, saved by grace through faith. In Chapter 14, she was noted as ha’qethanah, the diminutive. She represents the saved of the church who love being in Christ because of the doctrine of grace. It is a much smaller part of the whole. The news of Michal cherishing David delighted Saul.
In verse 21, Saul said that he would give her to David so that she would be a snare to him. Thus, he would be in the hand of the Philistines. Figuring this would be the case, he said to David, “In second, you affinitied yourself in me the day.”
The use of “second” shows there is a division and difference, and yet a whole is confirmed. It speaks of the totality of the church. There are those who follow the doctrines of Christ, cherishing them, and there are those who do not. And yet, together, they form the whole of the collective body.
Michal is the smaller half who cherishes the doctrines of Christ. Saul’s thought is that she is small and can’t defend against the Weakeners. Admittedly, it is a challenge in the church. The forces of those who push law observance are strong. Saved believers struggle with every possible form of legalism and bondage being thrown at them: tithing, no eating bacon (😋 mmmm… bacon 😋), Sabbath observance, etc., ad nauseum.
Saul figures David, the state of accepting the doctrines of Christ, will be done in. In verse 22, Saul sends his servants to convince David to wed Michal. In verse 23, David hears it and balks, knowing he cannot measure up to such an offer because he is destitute and unweighted.
On hearing this (verse 24), Saul responds (verse 25) that all he wants is one hundred foreskins to merit his daughter. The orlah, foreskin, comes from a word signifying “to expose.” David’s job is to expose one hundred Weakeners for their doctrine. Saul is hoping David will fail and be terminated.
In verse 26, David was told of the dowry offer, and it pleased him to accept the challenge, noting that the days had not expired. As such, in verse 27, David went with his men and killed not one hundred, but two hundred of the Philistines.
Being derived from five and forty, it would signify the period of grace, the church age, which is a time of probation, trial, and chastisement. If from four and fifty, it would signify the scope of the church, the world at large, which ends as a period of jubilee and deliverance. Both derivatives are appropriate in this context.
In verse 28, it said that Saul (those of Israel destined for the pit) knew the Lord was with David and that Michal loved him. Naturally, when considering the doctrines of Christ, those who haven’t accepted them would be concerned, and those who bear Christ’s image, Who Is Like God, would cherish the knowledge they possess, which has brought them restoration with God.
Verse 29 said that Saul was afraid of David and hated him all the days. Saul, indicative of those destined for the pit and without hope, would certainly feel this way. The unregenerate are at enmity with the saved.
Verse 30 referred to the commanders of the Philistines, Weakeners, who went out when they had a sufficiency to do so. However, David, the state of accepting the doctrines of Christ, was careful in deliberation and became esteemed.
The meaning is that until the end of the age, there will continue to be attacks against the proper doctrines of Christ. However, those who hold fast to them, deliberating them and applying them, will be highly esteemed. This is certainly a reference to esteem in God’s eyes.
The first half of Chapter 18 dealt with the totality of those who fall under the umbrella of Israel, regardless of their relationship with Jesus. Jonathan was used as an example of those who are sold out to Him. The passage provides further distinctions.
There is not just the umbrella of Israel (meaning the commonwealth of Israel), but there is the church, which is included in that thought. Under the umbrella of the church, there is a further distinction.
There is a large body of people who claim to be in the church. And then, there is a smaller body that hold to the doctrines of Christ. In Chapter 18, we are being shown the various states in which people who fall under the category of Israel exist.
This chapter does not deal with humanity in general, just those who claim a relationship with the God of Israel. There are subdivisions that have to be identified. Are all of Israel, meaning physical descendants, of the spiritual body of Israel? No.
Are all who claim to be a part of the church, which falls under the commonwealth of Israel, actually of the true spiritual body, the true church? No.
These verses provide an explanation of the state of those who claim the God of the Bible. Are you trusting in Jesus alone? If not, you are pictured by Saul. Are you wholly given over to Him, trusting in Him alone for salvation? If so, you are pictured by Jonathan.
Are you a part of the larger body of the church, regardless of holding to the proper doctrines of Christ? If so, you are pictured by Merab. Are you a part of the smaller body that comprises true believers who hold to the proper doctrines of Christ? If so, then you are pictured by Michal.
These are issues dealt with by Paul in his epistles. But they are first seen in typology. It is a way of ensuring that we rightly understand what is stated in the epistles. Why is this needed? Just look at the almost unlimited number of denominations and doctrines in the world.
God is providing information, tucked away in stories from the Old Testament, to help us determine if we are on the right track or not. Let us hold fast to the core doctrines of Christ. In doing so, we will be wholly sold out to Him.
Let us trust in Him, not in our own efforts, to be pleasing to God. What Jesus has done is fully sufficient to ensure that our restoration with God is complete. From there, we should do our utmost to be pleasing in His eyes by applying the words of the epistles to our lives. May it be so for each of us until His coming! Amen.
Closing Verse: “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.” 1 Thessalonians 2:4
Next Week: 1 Samuel 19:1-14 Despite the action, he remained calm, just havin’ fun… (He Set His Soul in His Palm, Part I) (41st 1 Samuel Sermon)
The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He is the One who abases the haughty and exalts the humble. He regards the lowly, and the proud, He knows from afar. So yield yourself to Him, trust Him, and believe His word. In this, He will do great things for you and through you.
1 Samuel 18:17-30 (CG)
17And he said, Saul unto David, “Behold! My daughter, the whopping, Merab. Her, I will give to you to wife. Only, you must be to me to ‘son, valor’, and you must be fought – ‘battles, Yehovah’.” And Saul, he said, “Not may it be, my hand, in him. And may it be in him, ‘hand, Philistines’.”
18And he said, David unto Saul, “Who, I myself, and who, my livings – ‘family, my father’ in Israel, that I will be affinity to the king?” 19And it was, in ‘time giving Merab, ‘daughter, Saul’, to David’, and she, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite to wife.
20And she cherished, Michal, ‘daughter, Saul’, David. And they caused to declare to Saul. And it straightened, the word, in his eyes. 21And he said, Saul, “Let me give to him, her, and may she be to him to snare, and may it be in him ‘hand, Philistines’.” And he said, Saul, unto David, “In second, you will affinitize yourself in me the day.”
22And he enjoined, Saul, his servants, “You must speak unto David, in the secrecy, to say, ‘Behold! He inclined in you, the king, and all his servants, they cherished you. And now, you must affinitize yourself in the king.’”
23And they spoke, ‘servants, Saul’, in ‘ears, David’ the words, the these. And he said, David, “Being disesteemed in your eyes ‘affinitize oneself in the king’? And I, man being destitute and being lightened.” 24And they caused to declare, ‘servants, Saul’, to him, to say, “According to the words, the these, he spoke, David.”
25And he said, Saul, “Thus you will say to David, ‘Naught pleasure to the king in dowry, for in hundred ‘foreskins, Philistines’ to be avenged in ‘hatings, the king’.’” And Saul, he interpenetrated to cause to fall David in ‘hand, Philistines’. 26And they caused to declare, his servants, to David the words, the these. And it straightened, the words, in ‘eyes, David’ to ‘affinitize oneself’ in the king. And not they filled, the days. 27And he arose, David, and he walked, he and his mortals. And they caused to strike in the Philistines two hundred man. And he caused to bring, David, their foreskins. And they filled them to the king, to ‘affinitize oneself’ in the king. And he gave to him, Saul, Michal his daughter to wife.
28And he saw, Saul, and he knew for Yehovah with David, and that Michal, ‘daughter, Saul’, she cherished him. 29And he caused to add, Saul, to fear from ‘faces, David’ yet. And he was, Saul, hating David all the days. 30And they went out, ‘commanders, Philistines’. And it was, from ‘sufficiency their going out’, he deliberated, David, from all ‘servants, Saul’. And he enweighed his name vehemently.
1 Samuel 18:17-30 (NKJV)
17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
18 So David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” 19 But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.
20 Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21 So Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, “You shall be my son-in-law today.”
22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Communicate with David secretly, and say, ‘Look, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.’”
23 So Saul’s servants spoke those words in the hearing of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?” 24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, “In this manner David spoke.”
25 Then Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’” But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law. Now the days had not expired; 27 therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.
28 Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him; 29 and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy continually. 30 Then the princes of the Philistines went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.
