blog #2

Essay/Blog #2

David’s relationship with Michal is very different from his relationship with Johnathan, and that is almost an understatement. In the beginning of Samuel chapter 18 the reader sees that David does work hard to marry Michal, he is doing as her father asked because Michal “is in love with David” (1 Sam 18:20). The verse never states that David was in love with Michal like she was in love with him but it does say that “they told Saul about it” which gave it a little more meaning to me (1 Sam 18:20). This was not just Michal telling her father that she wanted to marry David he was involved in telling him, probably because that was how badly he wanted to be the King’s son. Yes she does help him escape from Saul’s men when they are trying to kill David but there is really not a whole lot of interaction that we see between them.

            On the other hand David’s relationship with Johnathan is much richer than his relationship with Michal. Johnathan is always sure to tell David when his father is having doubts about him or plotting against him; Johnathan is a loyal friend. When Saul does reveal to his son that he is going to kill David Johnathan is very concerned and he does not hesitate to tell David. Johnathan does whatever he can to protect his friend. Chapter 20 even specifically states the love between the two men as it says “and Johnathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself” (1 Sam 20:15). Johnathan and David do love one another; their relationship is that of two best friends.

            This comparison definitely does give us an idea of how marriage relationships were treated within this book. The friendships of other men were more important to the husband’s than their wives were. Their wives were there to support them and do what they wanted but their friendships were the ones that really helped them and meant more than a marriage.