1 Samuel 18:10-14

As A Result Of His Illness Saul Tries To Harm David And Dismisses Him From His Personal Entourage, But David Prospers All The More (1 Samuel 18:10).

The fact that what follows is stated to have been ‘on the morrow' brings out the connection between the praise heaped on David and the return of Saul's clinical depression. Saul once again moves into one of his states of ‘madness'.

1 Samuel 18:10

‘ And it came about on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily on Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house, and David played with his hand, as he did day by day. And Saul had his spear in his hand, and Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I will smite David even to the wall.” And David avoided out of his presence twice.'

The impact of the women's greetings, and of his own response to them, brought on an even worse fit of mania than usual, with the result that Saul went about the palace babbling and talking to himself. And when David came in to play for him as he regularly did, Saul eyed him jealously had the mad thought of attaching David to the wall with the spear that he had in his hand at the time. The spear was not specifically a war spear, but would be the equivalent of a sceptre as an indication of Saul's royal authority. But it could be effective enough in use. Such a desire to see blood can often result from the type of mental illness that Saul had, (as I have witnessed myself), and indeed he seems to have made the attempt twice (which suggests that David did not see it as a deliberate and serious attempt on his life, but simply as a manifestation of Saul's illness). David, of course, was in the difficult position that he was in the presence of the king and could not leave without the king's permission. But he probably also recognised that the actions were due to the king's illness and not a pre-planned attempt on his life (that would come later). They were after all rough days, and men were used to violence, in play as well as in earnest.

“An evil spirit from God came mightily on Saul.” This language is used as a clear parody on 1 Samuel 10:10 and therefore need only indicate that Saul's severe mental illness has replaced the Spirit of YHWH. In the same way his ‘mad' babbling is described as ‘prophesying' as a parody on his experience in 1 Samuel 10:11. Instead of being a man possessed by God, he is now a man possessed by mental illness.

1 Samuel 18:12

‘ And Saul was afraid of David, because YHWH was with him, and had departed from Saul. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his commander over a military unit, and he went out and came in before the people.'

Saul's morbid fear of David continued to grow because he could see that YHWH was with him, while at the same time having departed from Saul. So he removed him from his personal entourage and made him a commander in the field over a military unit on active service. He probably hoped by this means to be rid of him. He was aware that mortality in the field could be very high, especially for men like David who led from the front. Notice the repetition of ‘YHWH was with him' in 1 Samuel 18:12 and 1 Samuel 18:14. This is to be seen as in contrast with Saul of whom that had once been true, but was so no longer.

1 Samuel 18:14

‘ And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways, and YHWH was with him.'

But while brave, David was not foolhardy. He commanded his men well, was careful in his behaviour both in war and in peace, doing nothing foolish. And what was most important was that YHWH was with him. Thus he was invariably triumphant. The verse sums up 1 Samuel 18:5 and 1 Samuel 18:12, and seals off the whole.