Fight the Good Fight

1 Samuel 18:17-30
    17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight the LORD'S battles.” For Saul thought, “Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”  18 So David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” 19 But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.
    20 Now Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21 So Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, “You shall be my son-in-law today.”  22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Communicate with David secretly, and say, ‘Look, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become the king's son-in-law.’ ”  23 So Saul's servants spoke those words in the hearing of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, seeing I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?” 24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, “In this manner David spoke.”
    25 Then Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king's enemies.’ ” But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king's son-in-law. Now the days had not expired; 27 therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.
    28 Thus Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him; 29 and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David's enemy continually. 30 Then the princes of the Philistines went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.

David behaved with godly wisdom towards the king, knowing God’s calling and anointing to be the true ruler chosen by God.  Since David was victorious in battle, Saul tried to get him killed by the Philistine enemies by giving one of his daughters and encouraging him to fight more.  Saul hoped that the enemy would kill David, for he feared him because the hand of the LORD was with him, and he did not want to be the one to kill David.  But Saul went back on his promise and gave that daughter to another.  There was a second daughter who loved David, however, but David pushed back by saying it was a big step to be the son-in-law of a king.  Saul gave him the right to earn her by a feat in battle with the enemy, one he really wished would end In David’s death.  David accepted the challenge and killed the two hundred uncircumcised Philistines whom he circumcised after killing them, not to make them accepted into God’s people if he did so when they were still alive.  He got the wife he wanted and was promised, but also gained a lifelong enemy of Saul who feared God in David, knowing his own reign was limited because of him.  But David continued with godly wisdom to avoid false accusations and won many victories to win the people’s hearts, honor, and respect.  He was working his way to the throne by the hand of the LORD.  We see again that godly wisdom and God’s choosing will provide the ability to fight the good fight, for we find our victory in Jesus Christ, the descendant of David by promise of the anointed one, the Messiah/Christ (John 1:41, 1 Corinthians 15:57, 1 Timothy 1:18, 2 Timothy 4:7, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5).  We therefore wage spiritual warfare for the souls of men by His calling and in His strength with God-given wisdom and ability for His glory and honor.