I Samuel 18:9 “And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.”
Loyalty to Self
It is amazing how completely opposite David and Saul were. In your mind, what qualities define a young David? Humility. Bravery. Obedience. Loyalty. What qualities define King Saul? Pride. Cowardice. Disobedience. Loyalty. Wait, what? Saul was loyal? Yes, he was loyal to himself.
After the women sang, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands,” Saul had it out for David. The king feared a young man! Saul’s son, Jonathan, loved David. (verse 1) Saul’s daughter, Michal, loved David. (verse 20) Everyone in Israel loved David…except Saul. Ironically, everyone loved David because they were loyal to Saul. Saul wasn’t loyal to the kingdom, God, or his own family. Saul was only worried about one person: himself.
Saul was the smallest man in Israel (though he stood head and shoulders above everyone) because he was consumed with himself. As Matthew 23:12 declares, “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” Saul grasped at everything that promoted himself, and he sunk in the quicksand of his own soul.
History is full of people who spent their lives protecting their loyalty to themselves. A man is small who can stand no taller than his loyalty to himself. May God help us to have loyalty to things greater than ourselves. Live for something older than you, greater than you, and that will last longer than you.