The song of women: A song that exalted David more than King Saul
[1 Samuel 18:1-9]
What do you think of “jealousy”? When I think about “jealousy”, I remember the Korean drama “Jealousy” that was broadcast on MBC in June-July 1992. The drama includes actor Soo Jong Choi and actress Jin Sil Choi and it was about young people's fresh and heartfelt love stories. It is said to have been recognized as the epitome of the melodrama that the era demands by containing the pain, waiting, and beauty to realize mature love (Internet). I still remember dimly a part of the lyrics of the drama's title song “Jealousy”: ‘Who are you looking at even though I'm standing here right here … I don't want much. I just you’re your eyes of love. Even if I try to convey my heart, your eyes are saying different things’ (Internet). At that time, I was 24 years old and when I listened to that drama theme song, it stimulated my young heart. Haha. But now when I listen to that song, it is kind of insipid. However, one thing for sure is that "jealousy" can't be thought of simply. Why is that? This is because jealousy can kill a person. It is because jealousy is a terrible weapon of Satan.
What is jealousy? It is “a feeling of unhappiness and anger because someone has something or someone that you want” (Internet). When I read this definition again and again, I have nothing to say because I remembered having a feeling of unhappiness and anger about a formal church member in the Lord for no reason. Although that member didn’t do anything wrong to me, I just didn’t like that person. Even though I didn’t want to hate that person, I couldn’t help not hating that person. Of course I see myself still jealous. I see myself trying to be envious when others are praised and recognized more than me. Of course this is my inner person. After all, the jealousy in me is prideful. If I am humble before God, I am sure I won’t have earthly, natural and demonic jealousy (cf. Jam. 3:15). The reason is because I would empty myself like Jesus did (Phil. 2:5-8). If I am imitating the heart of Jesus, I will be humble and consider other members better than myself (v. 3) instead of being jealousy of others. Of course, the Bible is not just talking about earthly, natural and demonic jealousy. The Bible also talks about jealousy of God. For example, look at Numbers 25:11 – “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy.” Phinehas' jealousy was “from above” (Jam. 3:17), which was biblical and right in the sight of God. What we should pursue is God's jealousy that Phinehas had. But we should not be as jealous as Saul in 1 Samuel 18:9. The reason is because Saul's jealousy is earthly, natural, and demonic (Jam. 3:15).
In 1 Samuel 18:9 we see King Saul jealous. The Bible says that he saw David, who was a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22), with jealous eyes. Although 1 Samuel 18:9 NASB Bible says “Saul looked at David with suspicion …”, NIV Bible says “… Saul kept a jealous eye on David.” In Hebrew, it means ‘Saul watched David with jealousy eye’ (dictionary). Why did Saul watch David with jealous eyes? The answer is in “from that day on” (v. 9a). Here “the day” refers to the day when David killed the Philistine Goliath and the women came out of all the cities of Israel and sang “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands” (vv. 6-7). Those women sang that the number of people King Saul killed could be counted to thousands, and the number of people David killed could be counted to tens of thousands (Park). In other words, the women exalted David higher than King Saul. Therefore, from that time on, King Saul began to see David with jealous eyes. Look at 1 Samuel 18:8 – “Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” From that day on, King Saul began to look at David with jealous eyes.
Think about it. Imagine that King Saul who used be the hero of the drama but David, one of the additional production personnel, became the hero by killing Goliath and everybody loves David. Everybody looked up to David and they loved him. Not only that King Saul's son Jonathan loved David as himself (vv. 1, 3), but also Michal, a Saul's daughter (vv. 20, 28) and all Israel and Judah loved David as well (v. 16). So what was Saul's heart like? Saul, knowing that the Lord was departed from him and was with David (vv. 12, 14, 28), and the evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul (v. 10), he continued to look at David with jealous eyes. The terrible thing was that Saul, looking at David with jealous eyes, eventually tried to kill him. Saul threw a spear that was in his hand to David while David was playing the harp with his hand (vv. 10-11). Even though Saul failed to kill David, he continued to try to kill David from then on. Jealousy can make you guilty of murder. After all, Saul saw and knew that God was with David, so “Saul was even more afraid of David and was David’s enemy continually” (v. 29). King Saul tried to kill David all his life. But as we know, David became a king of Israel because God was with him, and Saul died in a war. Saul, who was jealous to kill David, was rather killed. This is the ending of sinful jealousy.
I thought of three lessons that we all should receive when we consider the songs of the women who exalted David higher than King Saul:
The first lesson we must receive is that we must exalt Jesus, the King of kings, who is truly “David”, more than any other kings or people in this world.
What is the reason? The reason is because only the Lord Jesus is worthy to be exalted. Last Thursday, during the early Morning Prayer meeting, I meditated on the book of Esther as a drama, and thought about the person named “Haman.” One of the enlightenments given in that meditation is that it is dangerous for people to exalt us. The reason is because when people exalt us, we are at great risk to become arrogant like Haman. When King Ahasuerus promoted Haman and advanced him and established his authority (Esth. 3:1), he became proud and knew only himself (5:12; 6:6). What happened to Haman as a result? As Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling,” Haman was ruined. He was hung on the gallows standing at his own house 50 cubits high which he prepared for Mordecai and was killed (Esth. 7:9-10).
We should yearn for the grace that God exalts us rather than the people exalt us. In order to do this, we must keep in mind that God has exalted Jesus who was obedient to the point of death on a cross (Phil. 2:8). Look at Philippians 2:9-11: “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” God has exalted His begotten Son, Jesus, who obeyed and died for salvation of us who were like arrogant like Haman. Therefore, we must live a life that humbly exalts Jesus. How can we live a life that exalts Jesus? We can live a life that exalts Jesus by boasting and praising Him and giving Him glory.
Second, the lesson we must receive is that when we are exalted by people we must be lowered and humbled.
King Saul wanted to be exalted by the Israelites. But when the women exalted David above him, he became angry and this saying displeased him (1 Sam. 18:8). So Saul kept a jealous eye on David (v. 9). If Saul obeyed God as Jesus did, obeying God's will until death, God would have exalted King Saul in God's time. But as we know, when he had war with the Amalekites, he disobeyed God's command and didn’t utterly destroy all the Amalekites and spared the best of all that was good (1 Sam. 15:9). And he told Samuel that the reason for leaving the good animal was to use it to sacrifice to God (v. 15). Why should God exalt Saul who disobeyed God's command? Rather, Saul had to humble himself. And he should have humbly confessed his sin of disobedience to God and repented. Then, if he humbly obeyed God's word, God would have exalted him in His time. But even though he had sinned, King Saul asked Samuel to go back with him and then exalt him before the elders of his people and before Israel (v. 30). How ridiculous this King Saul's word is? How could he ask Samuel to exalt him before the Israelites and the elders? On the other hand, when David returned from defeating Goliath, the women ran and sang “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” David was silent (18:7). The Bible says nothing about David's response. It seems that David passed through the trial of praise, as the Bible says in Proverbs 27:21b, “… And each is tested by the praise accorded him.” When he was well praised, he could have felt good and proud, proud of his accomplishments, but David didn’t. He was not proud because he knew that God had put Goliath over to him (17:46) when he went to Goliath in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel (v. 45) and fought. David wasn’t proud because he knew that the battle belonged to God and that God caused him to defeat Goliath. Rather, he was humble. In particular, when King Saul tried to kill him while looking at him with jealous eyes, David obeyed God's word and didn’t attack King Saul who was anointed by God. Although he had the opportunity to kill King Saul twice, he didn’t kill him. The reason was because David feared God.
A Christian who fears God hates pride because he fears Him. Rather, he loves humility. And he wants to be exalted by God rather than by people. Rather, he knows that “which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God” (Lk. 16:15). Therefore, the wise Christian who fears God humbles himself. Even if people lift him up, he humbles himself. The reason is because he knows that God will exalt him. I remember what I wrote before: ‘God will humble us if we exalt ourselves. But if we humble ourselves, God will exalt us.’ We must humble ourselves.
Third and last, the lesson we must receive is that we must overcome the sinful jealousy that Saul had.
How can we overcome sinful jealousy? I found the answer in Psalms 73. The psalmist Asaph saw the prosperity of the wicked and was envious of the arrogant and his steps had almost slipped (Ps. 73:2-3). In other words, Asaph was envious and jealous of the wicked. How did Asaph overcome this jealousy? In Psalm 73:17, when he entered the sanctuary of God, then he realized the end of the wicked, and he overcame sinful jealousy. In other words, when Asaph set his eyes on God, he realized how holy and just God would judge the wicked (vv. 17-20) and realized that there was no one but the Lord whom he desired on earth. By doing so, he could overcome sinful jealousy.
We must look to the Lord only with the eyes of God's jealousy, not with the eyes of sinful and murderous jealousy. We must love the Lord with His jealousy. Therefore, we should not have objects of love that we love more than the Lord. I hope and pray that we all love only the Lord more and more.
Desire to love the jealous God more and more,
Pastor James Kim