The Art of Humility

By Alessandra Velsor

“When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.”—1 Samuel 18:28–29 (NIV)

“Humility is to make a right estimate of oneself.”—Charles Spurgeon

I’m not so sure if Saul’s motivation was to keep “his enemy closer” when he invited David into his family as his son-in-law, but it ends up working out that way in today’s passage. After the death of Goliath, David’s popularity kept rising as high as Saul’s disdain towards the young shepherd. It’s not like David was unaware of Saul’s desire to harm him, because at this point, Saul attempted to kill him by throwing spears, not once, but twice (1 Samuel 18:11)! However, because of David’s growing fan base, Saul knows he has to change his tactics and must stay subtle in his plotting.

Once again, David’s humility and pure heart keep him safe from Saul’s traps. First, the king offers his oldest daughter, Merab, to the victor of the battle against Goliath (1 Samuel 17:25). David must have thought this offer meant the two were on good terms and all was forgiven. However, in those days, a dowry was required for a man to marry a woman—and Saul requests David“to fight battles of the Lord” with the hope the Philistines would finish what he can’t do himself: kill David. Also, if the woman was the daughter of a king, the dowry was a high price to pay! This is why David responds humbly and asks, “Who am I, . . . that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” (1 Samuel 18:18). David’s sincere response leads to reluctancy on his part, and an impatient Saul gives Merab away to someone else to make David angry or jealous.

Next, Saul discovers his younger daughter Michal is in love with David, and he’s happy to offer her to him with the purpose of ensnaring him. David marries Michal after he delivers 200 foreskins from the Philistines when Saul only asked for 100! Talk about going the extra mile! This challenge could have killed David, but God protected him from the Philistines and also from Saul, who now understood he wasn’t just going after David, but after God and His anointed. Not only did David have to kill these men, but he had to desecrate their bodies, which would further infuriate the Philistines. Saul knew he was putting a target on David when he asked him to do this.

Ignorance is bliss, and one could say he was completely oblivious to Saul’s manipulative ways. David never once felt as though he deserved to marry one of the king’s daughters. He never once felt any privilege or perk was owed to him for all his brave conquers and victories. Even as God’s newly anointed, he never fell into the entrapment of entitlement and kept himself humble through God’s favor on his life.

So what’s David’s secret to humility? Contentment! In Psalm 131:2 (NIV), David proclaims: “But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.” It’s believed this was written when Saul hunted David or during the previously mentioned interaction between Michal and David in 2 Samuel. In both circumstances of torment and rejection, David found himself content because his humility was rooted in his faith and the desire to please God above anyone else.

Pause: Reflect on Psalm 131. What would make you content?

Practice: Do an inventory of your life and think of ways you’ve fallen into the trap of entitlement.

Pray: Father, my heart is burdened for the times I’ve expected to be treated better because of my accomplishments or simply because I’m your child. Guide me through the path of humility and remind me that all I have and all I do is because You have empowered me and allowed me to serve You. I’m sorry for the times I’ve failed to recognize that all the virtues I admire and aspire to follow are all rooted in humility and nothing will change unless I fully submit to Your authority. Humble my heart, Jesus. Amen.