Gospel Reflections #948: For Christians it is a different story

1 Samuel 18:17 "Saul said to David, 'I will give you my eldest daughter Merab as your wife. Let her be your wife, and you be my warrior and fight the Lord's battles.'

For Saul was determined to put David to death by the hand of the Philistines rather than by his own hand."

This passage is interpreted as the moment when King Saul's "jealousy" and "desire to kill" David crystallised into a concrete scheme.

Saul outwardly proposed marriage to his daughter as a reward for David's feat in defeating Goliath.

Yet his true intent was to send David into the perilous battlefield and have him killed "by the hand of the Philistines".

Saul cloaked his self-serving ambition and murderous intent—aimed at preserving his own throne—in the religious rhetoric of "fight the Lord's battles."

David responds humbly: "I am not worthy to be the king's son-in-law."

Beyond human schemes (Saul's murderous intent), God protects David and elevates him to an even higher position.

We too, being humans affected by sin, may harbour thoughts like Saul's.

Yet as Christians, we inevitably experience conflict, and God leads us to opportunities to change our direction.

We desire to continually seek from God the flexibility, openness, and humility to choose to change course when we realise it.

What we must do is look into the mirror of God's law and acknowledge the flaws in our character.

Only through spiritual death can there be resurrection.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.