The Good Shepherd is the Lover of My Soul
Love Turned: A Look at Michal, the Daughter of King Saul
When I started my most recent read through the Bible, I decided that this time I would focus special attention on the women mentioned in the Scripture. Having reached mid-life, I find that my perspective has changed greatly from that of my youth, and I hoped to find some solace from the examples of ladies given in God’s Holy Book.
I searched diligently in order not to overlook lesserknown women. And, of course, bad examples can teach us important lessons just as well as good ones. When I reached the book of 1 Samuel, I couldn’t help but notice Michal, the daughter of Israel’s first king. As I read her story, I found that this woman has much in common with her father.
The Father’s Example
Michal’s father, Saul, came from a humble family in Israel, but he was physically built like a king—at least what mankind might look for in a king. And to Saul’s credit, he seemed to begin well in ruling this infant kingdom. Note his humility as he “hid himself among the stuff” (1 Sam. 10:22) when Samuel first declared him to be God’s appointed ruler. Note again how “he held his peace” (1 Sam. 10:27) when those who despised him brought him no gifts. Finally, reading about the “spirit of God [coming] upon Saul” (1 Sam. 11:6) would give the reader great hope for this newly crowned king.
Sadly, it was not long before Saul began to make unwise choices—decisions that led him to the edge of despair, for “the spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him” (1 Sam. 16:14). Saul sought for comfort and found David, youngest of the sons of Jesse, a lowly shepherd boy who was “cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD [was] with him” (1 Sam. 16:18). Saul’s heart was quickly knit to the young man as the Scripture tells us that Saul “loved [David] greatly” and that David “became his armourbearer” (1 Sam. 16:21).
Sadly, Saul is not remembered for his good beginning; nor is he famous as one who loved David. Why not? Because when the women of Israel proclaimed, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Sam. 18:7), Saul was “very wroth . . . and . . . eyed David from that day and forward” (1 Sam. 18:8, 9). Today, when we recall the first king in Israel, we picture a bitter and spiteful man whose ambition degenerated to one primary goal: to kill David.
A Daughter’s First Love
The Scripture tells us that “Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him” (1 Sam. 18:20). The news pleased Saul, not because he wanted David in the family, but “that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him” (1 Sam. 18:21; cf. 18:17).
So Michal loved David just as her father had once loved David. Even though she was the daughter of a king, she had turned her affections toward a common man from a humble family, a man who had once been a mere shepherd boy.
As a female in the culture of the times, Michal didn’t have much choice in picking a husband for herself. Saul could have chosen any leader in his army or any man of wealth and power to receive his younger daughter’s hand. Instead, Saul concocted a scheme that he hoped would destroy David—one way or another. By being wed to David, Michal should have been content—even exuberant— for few women in her day were married to men they loved before the marriage vows.
Michal certainly displayed her loyalty to David when she protected him from her own father (1 Sam. 19:11–17). But like her father, she began to make wrong choices. For instance, instead of trusting God to protect her husband, Michal resorted to human reasoning. Through lies and deceit she designed her own plan of protection.
It must have seemed an eternity to the young bride as her new husband raced through the countryside fleeing from the murderous hands of her father. When would he return? When would the struggle in her heart between love of father and love of husband end? Which one of them would have to die so that the other could come back to her?
The Plot Thickens
While David fled, he took three more wives: Abigail, Ahinoam, and Jezreel. Though marrying multiple wives was not uncommon in the culture, certainly the lonely first wife would not have been thrilled by the news. The amount of time David was away from home and the order of events are somewhat unclear; however, at some point while David was away, her father chose to give her as wife to another man.
Imagine Michal’s thoughts and emotions during this time. As a teenager she is married to her “high school sweetheart”— for her, a dream come true. But shortly thereafter, her husband is forced to leave as he struggles to stay alive— even as her father pursues him. Alone, she must have hoped that he would soon return. But days lengthened into weeks, and weeks stretched into months, and he was still missing from her side. Over time, perhaps her hope wanes and her thoughts simmer with anger and bitterness—anger at her father, anger at her husband, bitterness at God who permitted this to happen. Then, as she reaches the brink of despair, her father returns and forces her into another marriage. She learns of David’s marriage to three other women. How quickly hope can turn to hopelessness!
The next time we hear of Michal is when David makes a league with Abner. David requires Abner to bring Michal to him. By this time, David had six sons borne by his other wives, so certainly some years had passed. Perhaps by this time Michal had grown accustomed to her new home and her second husband. Or perhaps she rejoiced that David sent for her—we don’t know. But one has to wonder whether David sought Michal out of affection for her or merely as a means of strengthening his claim to Saul’s throne. Very likely, Michal asked herself this same question.
The bitterness that had taken root in Michal’s heart is revealed in 2 Samuel 6. As David, now the king of Israel, dances before the Lord with all his might, she looks out a window and sees him “leaping and dancing before the LORD.” It was then that “she despised him in her heart” (2 Sam. 6:16). Upon David’s return home, Michal greets her husband with sarcasm. She claims that she is embarrassed by his shameless display. How can a king stoop so low and in front of so many people?
Clearly, Michal does not appreciate David’s rejoicing before the Lord. Her eyes see only a king behaving as a “vain fellow” (2 Sam 6:20). As the first wife of this king and as the daughter of a previous king, she is humiliated and vents her bitterness in his face. Michal did not understand that God honors those who humble themselves. As a result, she is cursed with barrenness.
Just as Saul had once “loved David greatly,” so Michal had loved David. And just as Saul’s love turned to loathing, so Michal’s love turned to hostility and wrath. Both rejected an earlier love.
Applications for Today
In the second chapter of Revelation, John records these words from the Lord to the church of Ephesus: “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (v. 4).
Saul’s love turned to hatred when he no longer perceived David as a friend but rather as a threat. Michal’s love turned to hatred when she no longer perceived David as the husband of her dreams, but rather as a fool. When David served Saul as his personal musician, the king loved him. But when David left to go to battle and the fellowship was interrupted, it was easy for Saul’s love to decay. Likewise, when Michal was first married to David, it was easy to love him as they communed daily during the few days following their marriage. But when David fled and the communion was broken, it was easy for her love to give way to resentment.
Meditating on these passages, I can’t help but see food for thought. After all, mid-life is often a time of reflection and evaluation. Dreams that we held closely in our youth may not have come true. Goals that we pursued may have dissolved into failure. The “happily ever after” that we read about in our elementary reader may have turned to “hang in there and endure.” Have we left our first love? Have we allowed that love to deteriorate into frustration, aggravation, or hatred?
Perhaps it is natural to allow love to turn into resentment when trials come and threats are near and hope is waning. But we must constantly be on guard against falling into that trap. As believers, we must constantly renew our love and faithfulness to the God we serve. Daily communion with our Heavenly Father will help us to maintain (or return to) our first love. Long days of no communion with God leave us vulnerable to Satan’s attack and the root of bitterness.
Be careful, Christian friend. Guard your daily time with God, and cherish it. Without a doubt, some days will bring trials, threats, and frustrations with no apparent solutions. But fresh, daily fellowship with God and reliance on Him will strengthen the relationship with Him and keep your love burning brightly.
At the time of original publication, Carol Robbins was a freelance writer living in Greenville, South Carolina.
(Originally published in FrontLine • November/December 2003. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.)