Read: 1 Samuel 19:4-18
Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” (v. 11)
The ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu is credited with saying, “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.” Unfortunately for David, both his friends and his enemy were from the same household! Once the king’s intentions against David were no longer hidden, two of Saul’s children worked to protect him. Their approaches to saving David, however, were completely different.
Saul’s son Jonathan was a righteous and forthright man. He spoke directly to the king and urged him not to kill David. Saul relented for a time, but after David’s victories in battle, Saul renewed his murderous intentions. When Saul’s daughter Michal realized their home was being watched, she urged David to escape through the window. She staged the room to look as if David was sleeping and told the assassins that he was ill. When the plot was uncovered, Michal again lied to her father. Meanwhile, David escaped safely and began his life on the run.
Jonathan’s forthrightness and Michal’s deception both came from a place of love for David, but ultimately God alone could deliver him from Saul. David would spend years on the run, and Michal would be separated from him during that time. How much would change before they saw each other again? What would the future hold for them both?
As you pray, look to God alone for deliverance and for direction for the future.
About the Author
Laura N. Sweet is a wife, mother, grandmother, and former Christian schoolteacher from Midland, Michigan. She writes devotional material for both adults and children, and her work has appeared in more than a dozen publications.
