1 Samuel 18 Devotional

Envy and the Favor of God

“and he continued to prosper in all his ways, because the LORD was with him.”1 Samuel 18:14 (BSB)

After Goliath, everyone seems to love David. Jonathan binds himself to him in covenant and gives him his own robe, sword and bow (18:3-4). The army and the people delight in him (18:5, 18:16). But when the women sing that Saul has killed thousands and David tens of thousands, Saul burns with resentment and keeps a jealous eye on David from that day on (18:7-9).

What follows is Saul's slow unraveling. He hurls a spear, then tries a quieter route, offering his daughters in marriage while hoping the Philistines will kill David (18:17, 18:25). Each scheme fails. The chapter keeps returning to the reason: the LORD was with David (18:12, 18:14, 18:28). Saul's real struggle is not with David but with God, and the more clearly he sees God's favor resting on another, the more afraid he becomes (18:29). Envy grows wherever we treat God's gifts to others as losses to ourselves. But God's favor is not a limited supply, so you can rejoice when he blesses someone else.

To think about: Whose blessing have you been quietly resenting, and what would it look like to thank God for it instead?