Day 83: 1 Samuel 16-18

(The previous post covered Saul's rebellion against God and Samuel's last encounter with Saul.)

1 Samuel 16
¹ And Jehovah said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? fill thy horn with oil, and go: I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite; for I have provided me a king among his sons.

(God sent Samuel to Beth-lehem to find the next king. Jesse was the grandson of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 4:17, 22).)

² And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And Jehovah said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to Jehovah.
³ And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

(Samuel was fearful of Saul. Did Samuel have some insight into Saul's thought process? Did Samuel know how Saul would act towards anyone who posed a threat to his reign?)

⁴ And Samuel did that which Jehovah spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

(The elders of Beth-lehem were afraid when Samuel came to their city. Were they doing something wrong?)

⁵ And he said, Peaceably; I am come to sacrifice unto Jehovah: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
⁶ And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely Jehovah's anointed is before him.
⁷ But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart.

(God told Samuel to not look at the outward appearance, the effects. God looked on the heart, on the causes. God had already stated He would find a man after God's own Heart. God's Heart was to help people to profitably grow by making them aware of their issues. A man after God's own Heart would always respond to God's chastening by growing. He would see God's confrontation/chastening as a benefit. Saul responded to God's chastening by defending himself because of his pride.)

⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath Jehovah chosen this.
⁹ Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath Jehovah chosen this.
¹⁰ And Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Jehovah hath not chosen these.
¹¹ And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he come hither.
¹² And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look upon. And Jehovah said, Arise, anoint him; for this is he.

(David was out with the sheep, like Rachel in Genesis 29:6. God told Samuel that David would be king. David's outward appearance was the opposite of Saul's. Saul was taller than everyone by a full head. David was the youngest of Jesse's sons.)

¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

(Samuel anointed David and the Spirit of God was upon him from that day forward. It appeared that during this 5th Dispensation (the Law) the Holy Spirit was in the prophets and in/on the Judges and/or kings. Notice, during David's life, he always responded to God's chastening with growth. This did not mean David didn't make mistakes or sin but when he made mistakes or sinned, he always responded with growth: by confession and repentance.)

¹⁴ Now the Spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Jehovah troubled him.

(It appeared the Holy Spirit could only be in/on one king at a time. When the Holy Spirit was upon David, the Holy Spirit ceased to be upon Saul.)

(An "evil spirit" troubled Saul. This "evil spirit" was from God. Notice how important it is to understand God's Nature in this instance:
-God Nature being always and completely Right and always and completely Just proves true, even in the context of God sending an "evil spirit" to trouble someone. In this case, it was Just of God to do so in response to Saul's disobedience.
-If God's Nature was "love," how would this hold true? It wouldn't hold true because it would be a contradiction.)

¹⁵ And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

(The evil spirit from God came from the outside. This was why Saul's servants knew about it.

More clarity on God sending this "evil spirit":
How could God send an "evil spirit"?
-Good meant "right and just" and the effect was "creation in the long term."
-Evil meant "wrong and unjust" and the effect was "destruction in the long term."

Isaiah 45:7 stated God created "evil." If God was not able to destroy, then He could not be Just, He could not equal out Justice on those who deserve to lose. God tried to lead Saul from the inside with the Holy Spirit, through understanding. This failed because Saul chose to harden his heart. The only way left for God to lead Saul was from the outside through experience. Learning through experience is painful.)

¹⁶ Let our lord now command thy servants, that are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.
¹⁷ And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.
¹⁸ Then answered one of the young men, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is skilful in playing, and a mighty man of valor, and a man of war, and prudent in speech, and a comely person; and Jehovah is with him.

(Among David’s many abilities, he was skillful in playing the harp. He was also prudent in speech. Prudent meant "to discern, understand, consider." David was a master with his words. He had understanding and he knew the right words for the situation. Second only to being a man after God's own Heart, was David's ability with words.)

¹⁹ Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, who is with the sheep.
²⁰ And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.
²¹ And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armorbearer.

(David became Saul's armorbearer.)

²² And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favor in my sight.
²³ And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

(When the evil spirit troubled Saul, David would play the harp and Saul would be refreshed and the spirit would leave. This ought to have made Saul see David as a blessing. However, Saul could also have associated the evil spirit with David.)




1 Samuel 17

(This chapter covers the famous story of David and Goliath.)

¹ Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongeth to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.
² And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
³ And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.

(The Israelites and the Philistines were gathered for war.)

⁴ And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

(Goliath was a "champion" of the Philistines from Gath, there most skilled and feared warrior. He was approximately 10 feet tall!)

⁵ And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.

(Goliath wore about 200 lbs. of brass armor.)

⁶ And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders.
⁷ And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and his shield-bearer went before him.

(The head of Goliath's spear alone weighed 25 lbs. A rifle used in the military today weighs less than 8 lbs.)

⁸ And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
⁹ If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

(Saying these words disconnected the Israelites. Goliath attempted to make them feel like individuals and not a whole army. This was a negotiation: whoever wins a fight between just these two soldiers would win the entire war. Notice, Goliath also stated his will and a will for the Philistines in verse 9.)

¹⁰ And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
¹¹ And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

(Dismayed meant "to be shattered or broken." Goliath was successful in causing the Israelites to feel disconnected from each other. His "negotiation" caused each of the Israelite soldiers to imagine fighting Goliath "one-on-one." This caused fear in each of them and caused them to forget about the strength they had together, as an army.)

¹² Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken in years among men.
¹³ And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
¹⁴ And David was the youngest; and the three eldest followed Saul.
¹⁵ Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem.

(David had not joined the Israelite army, presumably because of his age. However, he did travel back and forth from home to the battle.)

¹⁶ And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

(Goliath had presented himself for forty days, in the morning and evening, to taunt Israel.)

¹⁷ And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to thy brethren;
¹⁸ and bring these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.

(The reason that Jesse sent David back and forth from home to the battle was to see how his brothers were doing. He would also deliver ten cheeses to the captain over the thousand that included his brothers, and to take their "pledge." This "pledge" meant David would bring back a token that proved his brothers were still alive.)

¹⁹ Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the vale of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
²⁰ And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the place of the wagons, as the host which was going forth to the fight shouted for the battle.

(David left the sheep with a keeper. David cared for the well-being of his sheep, even when he was not with them. David was a true shepherd. In Hebrews 11:32, David was identified as an example of faith.)

²¹ And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army.
²² And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
²³ And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.

(David was a master of words and he heard Goliath's words. This was David's first experience of war in this battle, and the weapons were words.)

²⁴ And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

(The men of Israel reacted to Goliath's words with fear. What was David's reaction?)

²⁵ And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.
²⁶ And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

(David's response was to find out what reward would be given to the man who responded to Goliath's words. Why? David saw Goliath as an unbeliever who defied the armies of the living God. Again, David was a master with words. Notice the importance of understanding that God was living...)

²⁷ And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
²⁸ And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why art thou come down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thy heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.

(Eliab accused David of coming just to see the battle. Eliab projected on David. Eliab said David's heart was naughty. Naughtiness meant "bad; evil." Eliab judged David. The weapon of words was being used against David, by his own brother!)

²⁹ And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

(David wanted to know the cause of what he had done that would have resulted in his brother's projection on, and judgment of, him. Again, David was a master of words.)

³⁰ And he turned away from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.

(Eliab and everyone else rebuked David and then did not answer his questions. David continued to be experiencing a battle with words, from the soldiers of his own nation! Perhaps Eliab and the rest of the soldiers were in condemnation because of their own lack of courage and displaced this pain onto David. David accumulated spiritual value because he handled this abuse well.)

³¹ And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him.
³² And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

(Eventually, David's words were stated so many times, soldiers were able to restate them to Saul. Saul sent for David. David told Saul that he would fight. David recognized the cause was in the heart.)

³³ And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

(Every male, including Saul, refused to affirm David. Every male, including Saul, continued to fight against David with their words.)

³⁴ And David said unto Saul, Thy servant was keeping his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock,
³⁵ I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
³⁶ Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
³⁷ And David said, Jehovah that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and Jehovah shall be with thee.

(David was in the "Faith Hall of Fame" (Hebrews 11:32-34). Here we see David built his own faith and Saul’s faith by referencing his experience with God delivering him from a lion and a bear. David also referenced understanding by stating that Goliath had defied the armies of the living God. David understood God's Heart, God's causes. Verse 37 was David's proof of his faith.)

³⁸ And Saul clad David with his apparel, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail.
³⁹ And David girded his sword upon his apparel, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

(David refused Saul's armor because he had not proved them. He did not have faith in this armor.)

⁴⁰ And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

(David chose five smooth stones. 2 Samuel 21:22 stated Goliath had four sons and many people believe that David was preparing to fight them after Goliath, "just in case." Were Goliath's sons with him? We don't know for sure.

Although the above theory for the "five smooth stones" sounds great, another theory is that David grabbed five smooth stones because that's how many fit in his "shepherd's bag." David was fighting Goliath in faith. With the great amount of faith that David had, would he have been concerned about anything other than the task he was going towards?)

⁴¹ And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
⁴² And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance.
⁴³ And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

(Goliath mocked David and cursed him. The battle with words continued.)

⁴⁴ And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the field.
⁴⁵ Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

(David proved his faith when he stated to Goliath that David had come in the name of God. Goliath had confidence in the physical. David's confidence laid in the spiritual, in God.)

⁴⁶ This day will Jehovah deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day unto the birds of the heavens, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
⁴⁷ and that all this assembly may know that Jehovah saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is Jehovah's, and he will give you into our hand.

(David was firmly convinced (believed/had faith) that the battle was God's. David used his memory to build his faith. Here, David was using his imagination to prove his faith.

He stated four will's and two may's. The will's were stated about God and himself. The may's were stated about the beliefs of others: all the earth and all this assembly. David was a master with his words.)

⁴⁸ And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

(David ran toward Goliath. David’s actions (running) proved his faith. He really believed God would deliver him. He really deserved to be in the "Faith Hall of Fame.")

⁴⁹ And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth.

(David slung a stone and it hit Goliath in the forehead so hard that it sunk in. Goliath fell forward.)

⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
⁵¹ Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

(David used Goliath's own sword to cut off his head. The Philistines ran away when they saw that Goliath was dead.

What was this battle with Goliath really about? This battle, from the beginning to the end, was about words!....and the faith of those who used those words: the Israelite soldiers, David's brothers, Saul, Goliath, and of course David.)

⁵² And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.

(David's actions affected the men of Israel and Judah. They were now courageous, their faith was built.)

⁵³ And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.
⁵⁴ And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.

(David brought Goliath's head to Jerusalem but he kept the armor.)

⁵⁵ And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.
⁵⁶ And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.

(Saul wanted to know who was David’s father. The previous chapter (verses 18-19) recorded Saul being told about David, including who David’s father was. Did Saul forget? Did "warrior" David look different to Saul than "musician" David?)

⁵⁷ And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
⁵⁸ And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite.




1 Samuel 18
¹ And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

(Jonathan's soul was "knit" with David's soul. The word knit meant "bind; league." As we have seen in other uses in the Old Testament, the word league meant "covenant.")

² And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.
³ Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
⁴ And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

(Saul prevented David from returning to his father's house, which may have been why Saul asked about David's father. Jonathan and David made a covenant together. When Jonathan gave David the robe and his armor, this was as if Jonathan was saying, "You will be the next king of Israel. You should be dressed and armed as the prince." This would have been very uncommon coming from the son of the king and would have been a great honor bestowed upon David.)

⁵ And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
⁶ And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with instruments of music.
⁷ And the women sang one to another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.

(How would Saul handle the people's acceptance and affirmation of David? This celebration could have been seen as a good thing by Saul. He could have thought, "yes, I did make a good decision in choosing David!")

⁸ And Saul was very wroth, and this saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

(David was wise: profitable actions in front of everyone. Remember, one could put one thousand to flight and two could put ten thousand to flight. David was in covenant with Jonathan. The saying "Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands" made Saul angry. Saul was jealous of David, which hardened his heart. David was officially seen as a threat to Saul's throne.)

⁹ And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
¹⁰ And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon 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;
¹¹ and Saul cast the spear; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David avoided out of his presence twice.

(It took one day for the evil spirit to come mightily on Saul after Saul got jealous. God responded to Saul through Justice. Saul threw a javelin at David twice but David dodged it both times.)

¹² And Saul was afraid of David, because Jehovah was with him, and was departed from Saul.

(Saul was afraid of David because he knew God was with David. How would he deal with this fear?)

¹³ Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
¹⁴ And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and Jehovah was with him.

(David behaved wisely, he made profitable decisions.)

¹⁵ And when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe of him.
¹⁶ But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came in before them.

(Saul realized that Israel's and Judah's love for David grew.)

¹⁷ And Saul said to David, Behold, my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight Jehovah's battles. For Saul said, Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.
¹⁸ And David said unto Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

(David remained humble and grateful to Saul.)

¹⁹ But it came to pass at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.
²⁰ And Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
²¹ And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son-in-law a second time.

(Saul was pleased to give Michal to David because he thought she would be a snare to him. Saul continued to do things for what he thought was his own best interest and at the expense of others.)

²² And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son-in-law.
²³ And Saul's servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?
²⁴ And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.
²⁵ And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

(Apparently, David was not anxious to be married: he had to be convinced. Saul told David to get 100 foreskins of the Philistines with hope that David would die.)

²⁶ And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. And the days were not expired;
²⁷ and David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.

(David was pleased to be the king's son-in-law. David got 200 foreskins, twice as much as Saul told him to get.)

²⁸ And Saul saw and knew that Jehovah was with David; and Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him.
²⁹ And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David's enemy continually.

(Saul was now more afraid of David. Saul became his enemy continually even though David had done nothing less than be excellent. Saul's heart hardened.)

³⁰ Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, as often as they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.

(It was little wonder that a man of faith who was a master of words would be the wisest person in the kingdom.)

(This post covered David's rise to popularity which involved his victory over Goliath and his acquiring 200 Philistine foreskins.)

Day 84