Who am I?

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

WHO AM I?

1 Samuel 18:17-30

17 Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the LORD." For Saul said to himself, "I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!" 18 But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?" 19 So when the time came for Merab, Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah. 20 Now Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. 21 "I will give her to him," he thought, "so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So Saul said to David, "Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law." 22 Then Saul ordered his attendants: "Speak to David privately and say, 'Look, the king is pleased with you, and his attendants all like you; now become his son-in-law.'" 23 They repeated these words to David. But David said, "Do you think it is a small matter to become the king's son-in-law? I'm only a poor man and little known." 24 When Saul's servants told him what David had said, 25 Saul replied, "Say to David, 'The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.'" Saul's plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines. 26 When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, 27 David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage. 28 When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, 29 Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days. 30 The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul's officers, and his name became well known.

NIV

The whole idea of marriage in those days included the father of the groom paying a dowry to the bride’s father. When Saul offered his daughter in marriage to David, his response, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” can be seen in two ways. First, it might be the natural response, knowing his father could not pay the king enough for his daughter to marry David. The second possibility is that David is simply a humble man, aware of his place in the grand scheme of things and God's plan for his life. He had been anointed by Samuel as the new king over all Israel, so he knew who he was. Perhaps this Merab was not a particularly pleasing woman to look at, and David had no interest in marrying her. Of course, that is supposition, as we know nothing about Merab; yet David did marry the daughter who loved him. However, Saul made the payment easy for David. We do wonder if what David told Saul about who he was, and his family and clan, is truly how David felt compared to the lavish lifestyle of Saul as king of Israel. It is almost impossible to live comparing ourselves to anyone, for there is such a great diversity within our culture alone, without the rest of the world. We are far poorer and from the least of a family than many others in this country. Many have great wealth and position that we could not even consider being compared to. Then, we have the same diversity within the church, or the assembly of faith. Some are so superior in knowledge and have attained high positions in the governance and shepherding of the church. Who are we, who came from a poor family, with minimal knowledge, training, skills, or abilities, that we should lead anyone or guide anybody regarding the truths of God? Yet, with God, all things are possible. Then we take a look at the world stage and again, we see how small and underqualified we are to do anything of importance compared to others in the world. Yet, some would think we are rich and live far above their quality and position in life. So then, we are left with simply seeing ourselves as a child of God, and willing to do whatever our Father in Heaven wants for our lives. No matter who David’s father was, his household, family, or clan, the LORD was upon David, and he was successful or had wisdom in all he did. Let us realize the Lord is with us, within us, and he will empower us, giving us whatever we need to accomplish his purpose for our lives, yet remain humble, knowing who we are, asking, “Who am I?”