Sterling Von Strohe
Blog Essay #2
Within the text of 1 Samuel 18-20, two of
Saul’s children, Michal and Jonathan, both form two different types of
relationships with David. David and Michal are bound by marriage after Saul
gave Michal to be David’s wife (1 Samuel 18:27), while David and Jonathon have
more of a friendship relationship. Both Michal and Jonathon work to protect
David from their father, Saul, through words and or action. I believe that
Jonathan has a richer relationship with David than Michal. I believe that David and Jonathan’s
relationship was more valuable due to Jonathan interceding for David (1 Samuel
19:2), David coming before Jonathan when in trouble (1 Samuel 20:1), Jonathan
saying that he will do anything for David (1 Samuel 20:4), and Jonathan
swearing his love to David (1 Samuel 20:17). The relationship between David and
Michal is not shown with as much detail and description. Michal loves David and
also helps David escape by putting an idol on the bed and lying to her father,
but Michal does not show the passion, devotion, and emotion that Jonathan does
for David. One evident example of this is how David and Jonathan responded when
the two had to depart from each other in 1 Samuel 20:42.
Marriage within this comparison is shown
in a different light in the text of 1 Samuel. The reader does not know much
about Michal and David’s relationship, how she felt throughout the text, and who
Michal even was as a person. Saul offers Michal to David for “the foreskins of
one hundred Philistines (1 Samuel 18:20-29) (Hackett, 157). While at the same
time, David received the offer of Michal due to the previous arrangement to aid
in helping “bring him close[r] to the center of power” (Hackett, 157). In other
words, Michal has no say in all the wheeling and dealings between Saul and
David. Overall, marriage is used to advance authority and for political
reasons, rather than for finding love.
Sterling, we came to the same conclusions about Michal and Jonathan’s relationships with David. Though both were very similar in several aspects, as indicated by your post both Michal and Jonathan protect David from Saul, Jonathan and David’s relationship was portrayed as more fulfilling. I agree that the writing did not adequately represent Michal. It was made clear that she loved David, even though the text does not explain her feelings in as much detail. I think your point that David’s relationship with Jonathan was the richer of the two is well justified by your examples from the text. David never expresses any kind of love for Michal, while David and Jonathan actually express their love for one another. The only suggestion I have is that the argument could have been strengthened by a little more detail about David’s interactions with Jonathan in those specific situations. Overall, you made a good comparison between the relationships and you conclude very nicely with the point that marriages in this period were more about politics than love.
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