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This morning, we are in week three of our look at The Life of David. As of last week, David, has been anointed by Samuel as the next king of Israel, and he has slain the giant, but he has not yet become the king. The king is still Saul, even though God’s Spirit has left him. Saul is a hard person to understand. He seems like a good guy at first, but over the course of his life he descends into a man bent on murdering David. What could cause this man to become so evil?

Let’s begin by reading 1 Samuel 18:1-15, which takes place after David has slain Goliath.

1 Samuel 18:1-15 - After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. ² From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father's house. ³ And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. ⁴ Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt. ⁵ Whatever Saul sent him to do, David did it so successfully that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the people, and Saul's officers as well. ⁶ When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. ⁷ As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands." ⁸ Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" ⁹ And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. ¹⁰ The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand ¹¹ and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice. ¹² Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had left Saul. ¹³ So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. ¹⁴ In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. ¹⁵ When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him.

The key turning point in this passage is in v. 7-9: ⁷ As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands." ⁸Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" ⁹ And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

According to this passage, Saul comes undone as a result of his jealousy of David, his envy of David. Although Saul is the king, he is clearly threatened by this younger man who has won the hearts of the people and who seems to be more successful than him. So at first he keeps him close – in v. 5, he gives him a high rank in the army. And then he sends him away and gives him command over a thousand men. But as David grows more and more successful and wins the hearts of more and more people, Saul decides that he must kill David before he takes the throne away. Twice he tries to kill him by hurling spears at him. Later he offers his daughter in marriage to David in exchange for 100 Philistine foreskins, obviously intending for David to get killed in the process. But of course, David succeeds. In 1 Samuel 18:28-29, we read “ When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, ²⁹ Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.” By chapter 19, after another attempt by Saul on his life, David has fled out of fear for his life. Saul even tries to kill his son Jonathan because he helps David. And Saul will continue to unsuccessfully pursue David until the day that Saul is killed in battle.

Even though this is centuries ago, nothing has changed regarding the destructive power that envy and jealousy can have on a person. For some of you out here today, your lives are being torn apart by envy. And it is probably happening in a very subtle way, just as it did with Saul.

I want to answer four questions this morning as we look at the life of Saul - What is envy? What does it do to you? What is at the root of envy? And how do you deal with it?