1 Samuel 18:5 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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1 Samuel 18:5

Comments

‘David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely.’ He would act as a servant loyal to the king; he would await God's timing with regard to the change of rule, however that might be accomplished. ‘He behaved himself wisely’, circumspectly, with his eyes open, the original hints. The fact that it is noted that he behaved himself wisely, rather indicates to us that Saul was already trying to get David killed, and employing him at the head of the parties that went out to combat marauding Philistines. Why does his behaving himself wisely belong so closely with this being commissioned to go wherever Saul sent him? Because there was danger in those commissions, and David knew it. ‘And Saul set him over the men of war’, not yet the whole army, because that comes a little later, but over marauding units for defence. Why did Saul trust him so? Might he not fear that this young man would mount a coup against him? ‘And he was accepted in the sight of all people.’ It would appear, as we go on, that Saul's plan was that if he were made a commander of a thousand men, which in due course was to happen – making him in olden times something akin to a colonel or a brigadier – then he would be at risk, and it would be quite likely that he would be severely injured, or hopefully, in Saul's estimation, killed by the Philistines. But actually the behaviour of David was such that he became accepted in the sight of all people, and also – and this would alarm Saul – in the sight of Saul's servants. So the people who are going to be ordered to kill David, the people who should be completely loyal to Saul to defend him and fight for him at all costs, are becoming very favourable to David. That is tremendous. Saul's servants were those who thought as he thought, served him, and looked after his interests, were jealous for him. Yet even they, who like their king would have been very suspicious of David, were won over to him, and they admired him, and thought highly of him. We considered the humility of Jonathan; what about the humility of David, that he could have such a reputation? That would have added to Saul's anguish and fury. David was in a very delicate position. Saul would be intensely jealous of him. He would seek to destroy him, and he made precisely that his aim. David therefore had to be so careful, he had to walk circumspectly, looking all around him.

Application

To walk circumspectly is a good definition of Christian wisdom. David never underestimated the task, as we might be inclined to do. When we are going to preach or teach Sunday School, or visit, or witness, or shepherd, or help, or counsel others – whatever we do – never underestimate the task. To live as a witness week after week, year after year in an office setting is not easy: never underestimate the task. Never overestimate yourself. These are really components of wisdom. Take it carefully. Consider the implications of everything you do, how it would affect other people. Behave wisely. Put a careful check on pride. You are going to have many successes, many advances, and immediately you are likely to succumb to the temptation to be proud. Don't do the things which cause pride to sore, living expensively, over-pampering yourself. You see it among people worldwide, and Christian casualties in the pilgrimage of the Christian life. People aim too high, and it goes to their heads, and affects their whole deportment and spirit. David behaved himself wisely. He put a check on his habits and his possessions. Nobody could say, ‘Look at that; he thinks he is the crown prince; look at the way he leaves the royal court. Now he has got himself a whole set of stallions and an entourage. It's gone to his head. Who does he think he is?’ They couldn't speak like that of David. He didn't take advantage of his privileges and his positions. He behaved himself circumspectly, wisely.

Questions

The word translated ‘behaved wisely’ is rendered ‘was successful’ by some versions. The lexicons say that it can have this meaning in the hiphil form. It occurs four times in this chapter (verses 5, 14, 15, and 30), and in the first three occurrences the form is hiphil, and to say that David was successful gives a reasonable sense, and could explain why he was accepted in the sight of the people. However the last occurrence in verse 30 is in the qal form which more often means to be prudent, to behave wisely. Since all the uses of the word must in context have the same meaning, it seems better to go with the KJV rendering ‘behaved wisely’. This gives a stronger reason for the acceptance of the people than simply being successful, and the comparative form in verse 30 – ‘… than all the servants of Saul’ – makes better sense with the idea of behaving wisely than it does with the idea of being successful.

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1 Samuel 18:5 Commentary and Bible Study