Saul has turned to more subtle methods of getting rid of David, his earlier method of chucking spears had failed (1 Samuel 18: 10-11). Remember, if the enemy can’t get you directly he will try very subtle ways of robbing you of peace and blessing. How utterly foolish is Saul for considering trying to stop what the Lord has planned and anointed.

Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. 1 Samuel 18:12

Saul’s first ploy is to get David out of the court and onto the battlefield, reduce his influence and raise the possibility of his death (1 Samuel 18: 13-16).

And David had success in all his undertakings, for the LORD was with him. 1 Samuel 18:14

Saul’s second idea was to give David his older daughter Merab (poor girl) but in doing so he instructed him to fight the Lord’s battles (vs 17 in the hope he would soon attend his funeral.

Saul’s third idea (the enemy is relentless) was his other daughter Michal. Now his bitterness would affect his own family as he knew she was in love with David (vs 20) and he hoped to make her a widow. How cruel we can be.

Saul’s manipulation has gripped him and overtaken him. Webster’s defines the verb manipulate as follows: “to manage or control artfully or by shrewd use of influence, especially in an unfair or fraudulent way.” It can be emotional or physical. Manipulators will use everything they can to try and control you and situations (sadly we haven’t got time to go into this in depth).

David was able to see through Saul’s tactics, and acts in humility (vs 23). We too are as Paul says to clothe ourselves with humility.

I don’t know if it still exists but can I recommend a book:  C.J. Mahaney: “Humility: True Greatness”. To quote him “Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.”

David wins the battles even after Saul asks him for evidence that he had killed 100 Philistines – the yucky collection of foreskins. But most of all he knew the Lord was with him. It reminds me of Psalm 121:5 where it says the Lord is your shade.

If God is your helper (vs 1) then part of that helping is that he will be your shade. Meaning no one is nearer to you than the one who helps you. Nothing can come between you and your God. “The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night” (vs 6)

This is the writer’s way of saying, “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed” (Isaiah 54:7) no weapon of man, no weapon of Satan, no danger in nature can keep God from helping you.

Nothing at day or night, for as long as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, can rob you of your life or his love. Even when you sleep, surrendering all awareness and control of your circumstances, “He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (vs 3-4)

As you walk through these very scary times why not take time to read Psalm 121, maybe more than once, and to comfort yourselves with the truth that worked for the Psalmist, and know that whatever you are doing and wherever you are the Lord is with you and will help you.