Unlikely Hero

Reflections on 1 Sam. 18:6-9

When I was young, a small university was playing in a national championship game. With only a few seconds left on the clock, one of their players fouled out of the game, and the opposing team hit free throws giving them a one-point lead. The coach was just about out of players. Reluctantly, he put his own son in the game. Although his son was a senior, he had played in only a few games. After the team inbounded the ball and called a time out, the coach drew up a play to get the ball to their best shooter on the court. When the team tried to inbound the ball again with only a couple of seconds left, no one could get open except the coach’s son near midcourt. He put up a desperate shot which hit the back of the rim and popped high above the basket as time ran off the clock. After what seemed an eternity, the ball came back down through the basket for the winning score, the only basket scored all year by the coach’s son. All season, others had carried the team. Others had put the team in the championship game, but on this night, a bench warmer came into the game, shot the winning basket, and became the player of the game!

MIGHTY WARRIOR. Saul was a mighty warrior who had led Israel to many victories. When Nahash the Ammonite had threatened to gouge out the right eyes of all the people in Jabesh Gilead, Saul had immediately gathered a force and marched to Jabesh where he routed the Ammonite army and saved the city. He had fought “valiantly” on many occasions and delivered Israel “out of the hands of those who plundered them.” Among the armies he had defeated were the Moabites, the Edomites, the kings of Zobah, the Philistines, and the Amalekites (1 Sam. 14:47-48). Undoubtedly, his name had been sung on many occasions when his victorious army returned home.

PLAYER OF THE GAME. On this occasion, however, David was the “player of the game.” He had killed Goliath and inspired the army. As the victorious army returned home, the women sang, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his tens thousands” (1 Sam. 18:7 ESV). Knowing that Samuel had told him that God was going to take the kingdom from him and give it to another, Saul felt insecure when he heard the song which credited David with slaying more enemies than he had. Although Saul had won more battles and killed more enemies, he feared his grasp on the kingdom was slipping. Consequently, he “eyed” David from that day on (1 Sam. 18:9). The word “eye” in Hebrew sounds like the word that means “transgress,” and suggests that Saul was watching David for an opportunity to harm him from this day on (Bergen, 1996, p. 201).