The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 111: Saul Tries to Kill David (2025)
Mon, 21 Apr 2025
Fr. Mike contrasts Jonathan's brotherly friendship with David, and Saul's bitterness and envy towards David. We also learn from Psalm 59 that David still praised God in his distress as Saul tried to kill him. Today we read 1 Samuel 18-19 and Psalm 59. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.
Chapter 1: Who is Father Mike Schmitz and what is the Bible in a Year podcast about?
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
Chapter 2: What Bible passages are read on Day 111 of the Bible in a Year plan?
Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 111. It is day 111. And we are reading from 1 Samuel chapters 18 and 19. We're also praying Psalm 59.
Chapter 3: How does Father Mike encourage listeners who have reached Day 111?
One thing, maybe I say this too often, if you have reached today, 111, which is kind of a cool number, you know, three ones, kind of Trinitarian. If you've reached this far with us, this is incredible. I think a lot of people that have reached out to me have in the past said, yeah, you know, I've always wanted to read the Bible and I have not ever been successful at this.
I haven't been consistent at it. But if you have made it to today, it means that you have consistently. For 111 days, you've opened yourself to God's word and you've let him speak to your mind and shape the way you see the world and shape your heart. And so what a gift. I mean, just praise God for that.
Also, the translation that I am using for this Bible in a year is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.org. And if you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. Also, if you've not yet subscribed to this podcast, you are invited to consider that. Pray about it.
Let me know what you choose. Anyways, this is day 111, and we're reading 1 Samuel chapter 18 and 19, and we're praying Psalm 59. 1 Samuel 18, Jonathan's covenant with David. When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house.
Chapter 4: What is the significance of Jonathan's covenant with David in 1 Samuel 18?
Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to David and his armor and even his sword and his bow and his belt. And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war.
And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. As they were coming home, when David returned from slaying the Philistine, The women came out of all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul with timbrels, with songs of joy, and with instruments of music.
And the women sang to one another as they made merry, Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very angry. And this saying displeased him. He said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands. And what more can he have but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day on. Saul tries to kill David.
And the next day, an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the liar, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand, and Saul cast the spear, for he thought, I will pin David to the wall. But David evaded him twice. Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul.
Chapter 5: Why did Saul become angry and seek to kill David?
So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him. And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them. David marries Michal.
Then Saul said to David, Here is my elder daughter, Merab. I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me and fight the Lord's battles. For Saul thought, Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. And David said to Saul, Who am I? And who are my kinsfolk, my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?
But at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel, the Meholathite, for a wife. Now Saul's daughter Michal loved David, and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. Saul thought, Let me give her to him, that she may be a snare for him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.
Therefore Saul said to David a second time, You shall now be my son-in-law. And Saul commanded his servants, Speak to David in private and say, Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then, become the king's son-in-law. And Saul's servants spoke those words in the ears of David.
And David said, Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and of no repute? And the servants of Saul told him, Thus and so did David speak. Then Saul said, Thus shall you say to David, The king desires no marriage present except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines that he may be avenged of the king's enemies.
Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. Before the time had expired, David arose and went along with his men and killed 200 of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law.
And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. But when Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David and that all Israel loved him, Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually. Then the princes of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out, David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.
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Chapter 6: How did David marry Michal and what was Saul’s motive?
Chapter 19. Jonathan intercedes for David. And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. And Jonathan told David, Saul, my father, seeks to kill you. Therefore, take heed to yourself in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself.
And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are. And I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything, I will tell you. And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul, his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you.
For he took his life in his hand, and he slew the Philistine. And the Lord wrought a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause? And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death. And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all these things.
And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. Michal helps David escape from Saul. And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and made a great slaughter among them so that they fled before him. Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand and David was playing the liar.
And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul so that he struck the spear into the wall and David fled and escaped. That night, Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.
So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. Michal took an image and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goat's hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.
And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goat's hair at its head. Saul said to Michal, Why have you deceived me thus, and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said to me, Let me go, why should I kill you? David joins Samuel in Ramah. Now David fled and escaped.
And he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt at Naoth. And it was told Saul, behold, David is at Naoth in Ramah. Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as head over them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul and they also prophesied.
When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again a third time, and they also prophesied. Then he himself went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Sekhu, and he asked, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they are at Naoth in Ramah. And he went from there to Naoth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came upon him also.
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Chapter 7: How did Jonathan intervene to protect David from Saul’s attempts on his life?
And so here you have David and Jonathan who make a covenant with each other. Okay, we're going to get back to Saul in just a second, but here's David and Jonathan make covenant with each other. Now, remember what he mentioned before is that Jonathan sees something in David's being willing to fight against the Goliath that he has in himself.
And David could see something in Jonathan's willingness to do battle with the Philistines when no one else was going to do battle with the Philistines that he has in himself. And so they make this covenant, and this is one of the great examples of brotherhood in Scripture. This is one great example of friendship in Scripture.
We've talked about different kinds of friendship, and there are friendships of convenience, which are, they're all fine, they're all good. Friendships of convenience, you know, we happen to be in the same grade, you know, we're on the same sports team, we just kind of, and we get along.
Friendships of pleasure, those are friendships that, yeah, we just, good time buddies, you know, just, we enjoy hanging out with each other, and that's good too. There's friendships of utility. That, you know, we work well together. Let's start a business or whatever, you know, let's work on this group project. Friendships of utility.
There's all these different kinds of friendships and they all have benefit. They all have goodness to them. But there's also this highest form of friendship called virtuous friendship. And virtuous friendship is not necessarily, we're not bound to each other by necessarily personality similarities.
We're not necessarily bound to each other because we enjoy all of the same things or because we just happen to be in the same grade or the same sport or the same whatever. abound because we have the same goal. Virtuous friendship. C.S. Lewis sometimes, he's been known to point this out. He has a book called The Four Loves, which is just absolutely phenomenal.
When he talks about philia, which is the love of friendship, he describes it in terms of here's an individual and they're so captivated by something bigger than themselves that they're running after it, right?
So you have in the early church, you have a number of examples of these saints who basically they kind of are thrown together and they recognize that their whole life was dedicated to pursue the Lord Jesus. Their whole life was dedicated to the knowledge of God and the study of God and the service of God and the worship of God and to be an image of God on this planet.
And then they look next to them and they'd say, wait, you too. They'd see someone else running beside them. C.S. Lewis says it like that. He says, when you're pursuing this thing that's bigger than you and you look and you see that there's someone running next to you and you say, wait a second, you too? That someone else is captivated by the thing that has captivated you.
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Chapter 8: What does Psalm 59 reveal about David’s faith during Saul’s persecution?
And in fact, he's going to be on the run now. because he's in Ramah with Samuel, he's going to be on the run for a while off and on for the next number of years. And so what we pay attention to is the fact that here's David, even though he's on the run, he gives God praise. Yes, he does pray for protection. He prays for the downfall of his enemies.
But more than anything, even in the midst of distress, David gives God praise. Before the battle is over, he praises God. And there is something so powerful about that, that we can do as well. We petition the Lord, right? We pray for each other and we pray for ourselves. We pray for things that are important to us. We ask the Lord, we intercede on behalf of others.
And we bring ourselves before the Lord and ask him for gifts and blessings upon our lives. But also we praise him. And also we praise him before the battle is over. We praise him when we're in the midst of the struggle. We praise him even when we're on the run. And so let's praise him now. We can intercede for each other. And I know that you're praying for me. I'm so grateful. I'm praying for you.
Please pray for each other. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.