What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 18:12? So Saul was afraid of David • Saul’s fear is not random; it flows from earlier events—“When Saul saw that David was very successful, he dreaded him” (1 Samuel 18:15). • David’s victory over Goliath (1 Samuel 17:50) and the women’s song, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7), exposed Saul’s declining stature. • Scripture records Saul becoming “even more afraid of David” (1 Samuel 18:29), showing a growing, not passing, dread. • Fear replaces faith when a heart rejects God’s rule; compare the terror of ungodly kings in Joshua 2:9–11 and contrast with David’s boldness in Psalm 27:1. • Saul’s fear underscores the sober reality that earthly position cannot secure peace once the Lord’s favor has shifted. because the LORD was with David • The phrase points back to 1 Samuel 16:13, “the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward.” • David’s success, courage, and wisdom (1 Samuel 18:14) are practical evidences of God’s presence, just as Joseph prospered “because the LORD was with him” (Genesis 39:2). • God’s nearness brings assurance; see Joshua 1:9, “for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” • The narrative highlights covenant faithfulness—God chooses a shepherd boy and stays with him, preparing him for kingship (2 Samuel 5:10). • David’s life becomes a living testimony that divine favor, not human pedigree, determines true greatness (Acts 7:46). but had departed from Saul • The tragic counterpart appears in 1 Samuel 16:14, “the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.” • Saul’s earlier disobedience—sparing Amalek’s king and livestock (1 Samuel 15:23)—brought God’s rejection of his rule. • As with Samson, who “did not know that the LORD had left him” (Judges 16:20), departure of the Spirit marks a decisive end to empowered leadership. • Saul’s later lament to Samuel, “God has turned away from me and answers me no more” (1 Samuel 28:15), exposes the emptiness left behind. • David would later plead, “Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11), remembering Saul’s fate and seeking steadfast fellowship. Summary Saul’s escalating fear springs from seeing God’s unmistakable favor on David while sensing the vacuum of that same favor in his own life. The verse teaches that divine presence brings courage and success, whereas its withdrawal breeds insecurity and dread. Obedience invites God’s abiding nearness; rebellion forfeits it. |
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