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The kingdom of the world has always been in conflict with the kingdom of God. In our passage this conflict is made personal in the difficult relationship between Saul, the rejected king, and David, the Lord’s chosen king.
It’s clear that Saul can’t stand David and his success. The victory over Goliath wasn’t just a one-off, but was the beginning of a new power in Israel. David’s rule flourishes and increases because the Lord is with him (18:12, 14, 28). Everything he now does is successful (vv. 5, 7, 14, 15, 27, 30). He has become famous (vv. 7, 30) and is loved by the people (vv. 6, 16). Even Saul’s own family adore David and pledge loyalty to him (vv. 1–4, 28).
Saul, by way of contrast, is rejected (v. 12). Though gifted, he’s filled with evil (v. 10), dominated by insane jealousy of David (vv. 9, 10–11), and is fearful of David’s growing influence (vv. 15, 29). Accordingly, feeling under threat, Saul secretly plots and conspires to have David killed (vv. 20–21, 25). The kingdom of the world really can’t stand the kingdom of God!
Saul’s hatred of David in chapter 18 is a taste of the world’s hatred for King Jesus. Jesus himself tells us that we shouldn’t be surprised if the world hates us, because it hated him first (John 15:18). Therefore, while we shouldn’t give in to paranoia, we shouldn’t be surprised if the world conspires against the church. If that does happen, we should deal with our enemies in the same way that the chosen king does. Notice how David, amazingly, doesn’t revolt against Saul despite intense provocation. Rather, his attitude towards Saul remains remarkably humble and submissive (vv. 18, 23). This is a pattern for us. However the world treats us, let’s return hatred with the love and humility of David, and ultimately of Jesus himself.
REFLECTION
1. Where do you see, or experience, the world’s dislike of the kingdom of God?
2. How are you responding to that dislike? How does David (and the Lord Jesus) set you a pattern for your life today?
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1 Samuel charts the rise and fall of several of Israel’s leaders. You’ll meet the notoriously arrogant king Saul and see the ascent of the man after God’s own heart – David. You’ll read of dangerous battles, murder plots, giants and even more surprises in this book. You’ll see that despite turbulence in leadership, seemingly strong enemies and spiritual decay God is very much at work orchestrating the fall of the proud and the rise of the humble. What an encouragement for us today when we are faced with challenges not too dissimilar to these!
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