What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 18:29? He grew even more afraid of David 1 Samuel 18:29 opens with, “He grew even more afraid of David.” • Saul’s fear had already been noted twice (1 Samuel 18:12, 15); this line shows a mounting, not passing, terror. • The reason is spiritual: “The Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him” (1 Samuel 16:14), while “the LORD was with David” (1 Samuel 18:12). Saul recognizes the contrast and dreads it. • Every fresh victory David enjoys—slaying Goliath (1 Samuel 17:50), leading military campaigns (1 Samuel 18:13–16)—confirms God’s favor. Saul cannot deny the hand of God, so fear replaces faith. • Fear, left unchecked, metastasizes: “The wicked flee when no one pursues” (Proverbs 28:1); Saul’s conscience, already troubled by disobedience (1 Samuel 15:24), magnifies David into a threat he cannot control. • Cross-reference: when Pharaoh perceived the LORD’s power in Moses, he too became afraid (Exodus 10:7). Unrepentant hearts fear God’s anointed instead of submitting to God Himself. So from then on Saul was David’s enemy The verse concludes, “So from then on Saul was David’s enemy.” • Fear hardens into hostility. What began as jealousy over songs (1 Samuel 18:7–9) now becomes settled enmity. • Observable fallout: – Saul twice hurls a spear at David (1 Samuel 18:11; 19:10). – He plots through marriage traps (1 Samuel 18:17–25). – He orders outright assassination (1 Samuel 19:1) and a nationwide manhunt (1 Samuel 23:14). – Even a miraculous deliverance at Naioth (1 Samuel 19:23–24) does not soften him; sin blinds. • Scripture consistently links fear of man to enmity with God’s purpose (James 4:4). Saul sets himself against David, and therefore against the LORD, mirroring how the Sanhedrin later opposed Christ (Acts 7:52). • Yet David refuses retaliation (1 Samuel 24:6; 26:9), modeling Christlike grace toward enemies (Matthew 5:44). Saul’s hatred cannot void God’s promise; the LORD’s anointed will reach the throne in God’s timing (2 Samuel 5:3). summary Saul’s escalating fear of David stems from recognizing God’s unmistakable favor on the younger man while knowing he has forfeited that favor himself. Instead of repenting, Saul chooses resentment, and fear crystallizes into lifelong enmity. The verse warns that unchecked jealousy breeds hostile opposition to God’s work, yet it also reassures that no human enmity can thwart the LORD’s sovereign plan. |
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