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The Path of Jealousy

1 Samuel 18:1-30

Saul has always been jealous of anyone who does anything other than himself. Jealously is like a gateway drug. Jealousy, when you want to take what someone else has, leads down a continual downward path. When not repented, it leads to anger, self justification, false accusation, wishing harm to others, putting others in harms way, and then causing harm to others. We?ll see that in the next couple of chapters.?

 

But 1 Samuel 18 is about two other important things as wells: David?s continuing training to be a king after God?s own heart, and the forging of a godly friendship. Here we learn by contrast but also by the example of Jonathan who, though was in line to be king, humbled himself to support one whom he loved.

 

1

 

In the first verse we are re-introduced to Jonathan, Saul?s son. Remember, Jonathan was one who gained a great victory over the Philistines in chapter 14. In many ways he is more like David than his own father so its no wonder they hit it off so well so fast.

 

First of all?David acted like Jonathan when he went up against Goliath?one guy against formidable odds. David showed himself as a ?no holds barred? servant for Yahweh, just as Jonathan did. (Remember how Jonathan said ?It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few? 14:6).

 

Jonathan trusted in Yahweh, was valiant but not stupid, and inspired faith in others. David is the same way. It says in verse 1 that the soul of Jonathan was ?knit? to the soul of David. That?s a good word to describe it. The word means ?to tie? or ?join?. Jonathan realized this was a guy he could trust and rely upon?a person who could inspire his faith and together they could be used mightily.

 

Do you have someone like that? Do you have a friend that just resonates with you in the Lord?someone who is like you and inspires you and you inspire them?

 

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

 

2

 

I guess Saul figured that either he needed David to fight his battles, or he needed to keep David close to keep an eye on him. You know the saying ?keep your friends close and your enemies closer.?

 

3 ? 5

 

The bond between David and Jonathan was more than just friendship. As Jonathan takes off his robe and armor, he is effectively passing up his role as heir apparent to the kingship and giving it to David. Jonathan could not necessarily know at this point that David is to be king, but recognizes in him such leadership and anointing that he is making himself lower before David.

 

This is the mark of a truly godly person and is the opposite of Saul?s character. David, then, continues to have success and Saul must recognize it. Notice that all the people, and even Saul?s servants, recognize David as a success. One person does not recognize it, and that?s Saul.

 

6 ? 16

 

Jealousy a very potent emotion. It is probably what motivated Lucifer to rebel against God. God had something Lucifer wanted, to be numero uno, so he set out to topple God off his throne. Saul is terribly jealous of David, so much so that he opens himself up for more enhancement by evil spirits who want him to murder in order to retain power. This is significant because Saul, now under the authority of Satan, is trying to murder the man who is not only a picture of the Messiah, but his direct ancestor.

 

Notice too the contrast between Saul and Jonathan. Saul?s reaction to David?s victories is ?why don?t I get more credit than anyone else? and ?anyone else who succeeds is trying to harm me.? When Jonathan recognized David?s gifts he made himself lower and wanted a close relationship.

 

How do we react when someone else does well in something? Who is our default role model? Saul becomes afraid of David ?because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul? (vs 12). Are we jealous when the Lord does good things through someone else and not us?

 

Saul was in ?fearful awe? of David, whereas the people ?loved? him. Saul now hatches a plan to get David killed if he can?t do it himself. But it backfires.

 

17 ? 19

 

Is David being falsely modest here? I don?t think so. David recognizes that he is not of royal blood (according to men) and didn?t ?deserve? or hadn?t ?earned? the right to marry into the royal family. David had already proved himself a valiant and successful warrior but this would not ?earn? him the bride price. So David declines and avoids Saul?s traps.

 

But Saul isn?t finished. He hatches a more subtle plot that tries to assuage David?s concerns but still get him killed in the process.

 

20 ? 21

 

Michal loved David. It never says David loved Michal. Later she will become a problem for David, but it is interesting that both her and her brother love David. It doesn?t say they love their own father. Marrying into the king?s family was a big step. If Jonathan died then David could assert rights to the throne. Usually a daughter of a weaker king was offered in marriage to the king or prince of the stronger nation. I?m sure Saul isn?t looking at it that way, though. He just wants Michal to be a ?snare? to David?a distraction so that he?ll be thinking about being home with his wife and not pay attention in battle. Saul is much more sly this time about approaching David.

 

22 ? 25

 

David says he cannot marry into the royal family because he is from a poor family and because he is from a lower class family. Saul won?t let it go. Perhaps this was his plan all along, to bait David into ?earning? the right by taking on Philistines, hoping, of course, that he would die in the process.

 

26 ? 28

 

This is the first time that David?s ?men? are mentioned. This now becomes a team effort. ?Arose? ?killed? and ?brought? are all singular showing David as the leader here. But ?given? is a plural, showing that without his men, David could not have succeeded. Though there is a time to show our individual devotion and willingness to step out and let God work through us, we must always recognize that we are not ?an army of one? as the US military ads would have us believe.

 

We are all in this together and as we help each other we see God win incredible victories.

 

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2? I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, \"I follow Paul,\" and another, \"I follow Apollos,\" are you not being merely human?

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5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God\'s fellow workers. You are God\'s field, God\'s building.

 

Lessons

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Jealousy leads us to try to minimize the work of others, put roadblocks to success and see others as rivals, not fellow workers. Jealousy actually leads us to plan ways for others to fail. Perhaps it?s by subtly pointing out the weaknesses of someone to others or purposefully leading them into an area of weakness.

 

True love leads us to want to give something of ourselves to help others succeed. We don?t keep an eye on but we keep an eye out for the welfare of others.

 

Signs of Jealousy

 

When you wonder why people aren?t recognizing you for your accomplishments

When you begin to focus on the accomplishments of others

When you begin to feel that it?s unfair when others don?t compliment you

When you begin to have bad feelings towards a person who is ?successful?

When you find yourself thinking of weaknesses in that other person

When you find yourself wanting them to fail and rejoicing when they do

When you find yourself beginning to mention those things to other to minimize them

 

Signs of Love & Servanthood

 

When it doesn?t really matter what you or anyone else does in terms of its ?success?

When you find yourself really bonding to another

When you find yourself giving up credit so that another gets it

When you find yourself giving up your place so another can succeed

When you disciple or encourage another