(1 Samuel 14:49). 10th century
b.c.e. Michal was the youngest of the two daughters of
King Saul and his wife Ahinoam. Her older sister was
called Merab.
Saul, jealous of David’s victories
and popularity, devised a plan to get rid of his widely
admired army officer. He offered him Merab in marriage,
if David would fight against the Philistines, secretly
hoping that he would be killed in battle.
David
fought successfully against the Philistines, but Saul
didn’t honor his promise. Instead of giving Merab to
David, he married her to Adriel, the son of Barzilai the
Meholathite.
Saul was very pleased, when he found
that Michal, his youngest daughter, loved David, because
he saw a way to use her as a snare. The king sent a
message to David, offering him his daughter in marriage,
and asked for no dowry, except for the foreskins of a
hundred Philistines, still hoping that David would be
killed by them.
David went, fought against the
Philistines, and slew two hundred of them, twice as many
as Saul had demanded for his daughter’s hand. He brought
their foreskins to the king, who had no choice but to
allow him to marry Michal.
Saul grew more and
more distrustful and afraid of David, and he asked his
son Jonathan to kill David. Jonathan went to David and
advised him to hide, while he would try to convince his
father not to kill him.
Saul listened to
Jonathan’s good words about David and agreed not to kill
him. However, a short time later, while David was
playing music for him, Saul attempted to kill David with
his spear. It struck the wall, and David fled to his
house.
That same night, helped by his wife
Michal, David went out of his house, through a window,
and escaped. Michal placed a man-sized idol on David’s
bed, covered it with a cloth, and put a pillow, made of
goat’s hair, at its head.
When Saul’s guards came
to arrest David, she told them that her husband was sick
in bed. Saul sent his guards again with order to carry
David, in his bed if this was needed, to the palace. The
guards entered the bedroom and, finding that the figure
in the bed under the covers was an idol, took Michal
with them back to the palace, to Saul’s
presence.
Saul asked her, “Why did you deceive
me, and let my enemy escape?”
Michal answered, “I
had no choice. David threatened to kill me if I wouldn’t
help him”.
Saul didn’t punish his daughter, but
gave her to Paltiel, son of Laish, to be his
wife.
Many years went by, David, from first being
an outlaw, and then a mercenary at the service of the
Philistines, was now the king of the tribe of Judah,
with his capital in Hebron.
Ish-Bosheth, the son
of Saul, was now the figurehead king of Israel, with the
real power held by Abner, the general of his
army.
One day, Ish-Bosheth committed the fatal
mistake of accusing Abner of having made illicit love to
Rizpah, one of King Saul’s concubines. Abner became very
angry and decided to transfer his loyalties to
David.
David set as a condition for receiving
Abner that he should bring him back Michal, Saul’s
daughter, now happily married to Paltiel. David sent
messengers to Ish-Bosheth, requesting that Michal should
be delivered to him. Ish-Bosheth took her from her
husband, and Abner brought her to David. Paltiel
followed them, crying, until Abner abruptly ordered him
to turn back.
After David had conquered Jerusalem
and made it his capital, he decided to have the Ark
brought to the city. This was done with a great
celebration, with shouts of joy and sounds of trumpets.
David danced with all his might in front of the
procession.
Michal looked out of the window and
saw David dancing and jumping, and she was disgusted by
his behavior.
When the king returned to greet his
household, Michal came out to him and said with scorn,
“How glorious was the king of Israel today, showing off
himself in the sight of the slave girls of his servants,
as one of the rabble might do!”
David replied, “I
danced before the Lord who chose me, instead of your
father and all his family, and appointed me ruler over
his people Israel! I will again dance before God, and
disgrace myself even more, and be low in my own sight,
but among the slave girls that you mention I will be
honored!”
He never again came near Michal, and
she, the only woman reported by the Bible as being in
love with a man, died unloved, childless, and full of
hate and contempt toward David, the love of her
youth.
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