1 Samuel 18:20-30
The Voice
20 Saul’s daughter Michal, however, loved David; and when Saul heard this, he was pleased.
Although Michal is the only woman in the Bible described as loving a man, this is not a beautiful love story between David and Michal. Michal, the daughter of a king, was born to be a political pawn, not to marry for love. First Saul offers her as a reward to David if he slays 100 Philistines, a task the king is certain will kill David. When David succeeds, Michal helps him build credibility as the future king among the Israelites who do not know that God has already anointed him king. But those Israelites also don’t know that God has condemned Saul’s lineage, declaring that none of his descendants will ascend the throne of Israel. That decry excludes any of Michal’s children, too, so her marriage to David is doomed to failure, no matter how much she loves him.
21 He thought that he would give her to David to trap him in a dangerous situation where the Philistines could still destroy David. So Saul spoke to David again.
Saul (to David): I want you to marry my other daughter.
22 (to his servants) Talk to David privately. Tell him, “The king is very happy with you, and you are loved by those who serve him. So why don’t you become the king’s son-in-law?”
23 So Saul’s servants spoke these words to David as requested, but again he replied modestly.
David: Does it seem to you such a simple thing that I should become the king’s son-in-law? What about the fact that I have no money to pay the brideprice and come from an unknown family with no political connections?
24 Saul’s servants reported David’s concerns back to the king.
Saul: 25 Tell David that in place of the traditional dowry, I want only the foreskins of 100 Philistines, so the king will be avenged against his enemies.
Saul thought David would be killed by the Philistines while attempting this task. 26 When the servants repeated Saul’s words, he agreed to Saul’s terms and decided to fulfill these conditions to be the king’s son-in-law. Before the allotted time elapsed to pay the dowry, 27 David went with his men, killed 200 Philistines, and presented their foreskins to the king so that he could become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave David his daughter Michal in marriage; 28 but when the king saw how David enjoyed the favor of the Eternal One, and that his daughter Michal loved him, 29 he felt even more threatened by David. After his plan failed, Saul considered David his constant enemy.
30 Whenever the commanders of the Philistine army came out to fight, David distinguished himself against them more than any of Saul’s other servants, so that everyone valued him.
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