1 Samuel Chapter 18 – Verses 28-29
When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and how much his daughter Michal loved him, Saul became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.
Saul was never able to relinquish his need to feel approved by people, so as David’s popularity grew, he first became jealous of David, and then as David continued with God and Saul did not, Saul grew increasingly afraid of him. There are two other mentions in this chapter of Saul’s fear of David. Personally, I think Saul recognised that David had something that he had lost.
If as Christians we walk in obedience to God, as we should, we may find that people take a dislike to us. After all, look how Jesus himself was treated. It’s important that we don’t curry favour with people, at the cost of God’s presence. Popular as he was, David never did.
Another important lesson from the life of David is that he never tried to retaliate against Saul’s behaviour. In fact, he went out of his way to serve Saul when he could. David was successful because he put God first, and God was with him. He never sought success for the sake of it. We too should never compromise our relationship with God for any reason. God will give us all that we need if we are obedient to Him.
Dear Lord,
Help me never to retaliate if someone shows me dislike or ill favour. May my focus always be on pleasing You before anyone else. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.