Revealing the Covetous Heart

Scripture: Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan. He said to him, "You son of a rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die." 1 Samuel 20:30-31

Observation: Throughout the narrative of Saul's desire to kill David, the reasons for such hostility are tough to discern. In just the previous chapter, Saul has even sworn that will not kill David, but then immediately flips and decides to kill him again, and the intervening action is ... David successfully leading Saul's troops in the defeat of Saul's enemies.

But here it is, for once laid out. Saul hates David because David will be the next king - not his son Jonathan - and he is the only one who cannot accept this. Saul wants to control his succession. This isn't even about bloodline, for David is married to Saul's daughter. This isn't about Jonathan, for Saul is angry that Jonathan himself has agreed and 'chosen' David as the next king. This is about how Saul wants to control the historical narrative of his kingship.

Saul has everything. He has a good family aligned for long-term success. He has power emanating from a strong army that wins battles, and in return provides him physical wealth. He has peace of mind provided by soothing entertainment in the palace. And all these things are actually provided by the courage, kindness, faith, and skill of ... David. Yet Saul hates David because he covets the one thing that David cannot provide, which is his own obedience to the Lord, and the resulting will of God to make David the next king.

By David, Saul has 99 of the 100 things he could want in life, and his covetous heart burns with hate over that 1 thing, which itself is insignificant within the context of Saul's own life for it will not even matter until after his death.

Application: Easily, the "10th commandment" is the one most overlooked ... thou shalt not covet. Desiring the things of the world is effectively the source of all (or most) other sin. It is all the worse when in the context of every great thing we do have in our lives, but then generate negative feelings because we dwell on insignificant things we don't have.

Yes, I am overwhelmingly blessed, and yet I dwell on a great many things. There are so many things I desire to have, but the truth is they are SO pointless. Most are just more/bigger things than the ones I already have, when what I have is even more than I can use ... and certainly far more than I deserve. And of course, dwelling on such things only destroys the joy found in the blessing we do have, and in the presence of the Lord within those blessings.

Saul is a great example. He had everything, but David was the source of it. When he turned on David by coveting just one more thing, he lost literally every other good thing.

I should not live life by coveting more in my heart, and thus losing the joy of the great life I have.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for your great blessings in my life. You have given me so much. Please forgive me when I covet more, for this is not only a sin, but is a sin within which I am the greatest victim. You have given me this lesson so that I may truly have a wonderful life, a life full of joy. You are all sufficient. Amen.