1 Samuel 18:24-27
Verse 25 Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’” Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.
King Saul has finally decided on his idea of the perfect bride price for his daughter, Michal. It was not the normal price but we have to remember that Saul had been entertaining a troubling spirit for some time now. While this request may make us cringe it doesn’t seem to make David squirm even the least amount. This of course would not have been David’s first encounter with the Philistine army, nor would it be his last.
Next to his facing Goliath, this battle would have been a very memorable conflict. It isn’t every day he was asked to perform a religious based ceremonial surgery as part of a battle. Of course it is more likely that the procedure was performed after the battle was complete, but even then it would have taken some time to complete.
The king was sure that this would achieve his desire to remove David from the picture, but David was God’s man and God had plans for him. Michal also had plans to make. While Saul was waiting with baited breath for word from the warfront that David was dead, his daughter was dreaming of her hero coming back for her.
The significance of the act was not lost on David. Saul knew just how to get at the young man. David’s soft spot was for the things of the Lord and so to require David to circumcise the enemy, even after death, would have struck a nerve with David. Saul was pulling out all the stops to tempt David into a battle that could get him killed. And Saul probably thought that if it happened in war that his hands would be clean of David’s blood.
The price only required 100 pieces of skin but David’s was not taking any chances. After the battle he had killed enough men to gather double the price and so he collected them all to give to the king. That must have been some homecoming for the future king. The women were probably cheering as never before. David was getting married!
Making It Personal
Have you ever been asked to do something that you felt was too strange to do? To what lengths would you go to prove your love for God? Do you prove it through obeying in the ordinary times of life?
Making It Personal Kids
Does doing what you are told to do always make sense? Do you obey anyway? What do you feel like when you obey Jesus?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for reminding us that You went to great lengths to pay the bride price for Your bride the Church. Thank You for coming and giving Your life for us. Give us a heart to serve You no matter what comes our way. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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