Michal, the first wife of David and a daughter of King Saul, lived a complicated life, especially during the time her father repeatedly tried to kill her husband. In one close call, Michal helped David escape his assassins by lowering him down through a window, then covered for him as he escaped.

David wrote Psalm 59 in response to the incident. Notice his description of the men who pursued him, They return at evening, snarling like dogs and prowl about the city. They wander about for food and howl if not satisfied. These men killed without remorse. Michal placed herself between wolves and husband.

David wrote after his escape, You, Lord, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely. With no where to run, including his own home, The Lord remained David’s only hiding place.

David prayed the Lord would bring these evil men low, not just for his deliverance, but also that it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. No way would I have been thinking about the ends of the earth at that moment, except to escape there. But that’s how a man after God’s own heart prayed during this crisis.

David and Michal’s marriage faded. Poor Michal, torn between powerful men. But in this situation, she acted with calmness and bravery to save her husband, the future king of her nation.

1 Samuel 19 & Psalm 59 in week eighteen of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by TOGHRUL ISMAYILOV