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dodge the spears

1 Samuel 18:5-16 (JDV)

1 Samuel 18:5 David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the fighting men, which pleased all the people and Saul’s servants as well.
1 Samuel 18:6 As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul, singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments.
1 Samuel 18:7 As they danced, the women sang: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands.
1 Samuel 18:8 Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?”
1 Samuel 18:9 So Saul spied on David from that day forward.
1 Samuel 18:10 The next day an evil breath sent from God came powerfully on Saul, and he began to rave inside the palace. David was playing the lyre as usual, but Saul was holding a spear,
1 Samuel 18:11 and he threw it, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David got away from him twice.
1 Samuel 18:12 Saul was afraid of David because Yahveh was with David but had left Saul.
1 Samuel 18:13 Therefore, Saul sent David away from him and made him commander over a thousand men. David led the troops
1 Samuel 18:14 and continued to be successful in all his undertakings because Yahveh was with him.
1 Samuel 18:15 When Saul noticed that David was very successful, he dreaded him.
1 Samuel 18:16 But all Israel and Judah cared for David because he was leading their troops.

dodge the spears

This was a curious time for David. On the one hand, he was enjoying success at what he did, and the love of all the people. On the other hand, he could not seem to do anything but infuriate king Saul. In today’s text, we see David dodging a spear thrown by Saul — twice.

Following Jesus might lead to fame, or it might lead to the threat of death — or both. Either way, we should keep following, and dodge the spears.