Perhaps someone reading this today has had a marriage that seemed to start very well. Then somewhere along the line, the relationship began to erode. Love became misplaced. Mistakes were made on both sides. A red flag shouted a warning that underlying problems needed to be addressed.
The Biblical story of David and Michal highlights the all too familiar story of what a marriage becomes when Christlike love is ultimately absent. I love how the Bible is as raw and real as it is. It doesn’t sugarcoat the mistakes that even Godly people make. It tells it like it is for us to learn from it.
Michal, the first wife of David and the daughter of King Saul, was part of a lesser-known romantic tragedy in the Bible. This family drama has enough intrigue, betrayal, conflicts, danger, and emotional peaks and valleys to put it on the New York Times best seller list. However, this red flag marriage lacked the happily-ever-after conclusion demanded for the curtain to come down to a standing ovation.
Young David was brought to the palace to play soothing harp music for the tormented King Saul who had stopped following God. National prominence came when David killed Goliath the Philistine giant, winning a huge victory over the enemy army. David became a great warrior that God blessed richly.
After King Saul, insanely jealous of David’s popularity, threw a spear to try to kill him, David ran away. Saul lured him back by offering his daughter in marriage if he killed a hundred Philistines. So, David killed two hundred, spoiling Saul’s plan for him to die in battle.
Saul sent men to kill David after he married Michal, who helped David escape. However, Michal—unlike her father Saul—loved David, but not David’s God. David had to flee again, and the Bible doesn’t tell us if he and Michal try to reach out to each other, only that King Saul annuls the marriage and has Michal marry another man. Their marriage had several red flags, which if heeded, might have saved it— physical and emotional distance, distraction, and destructive thinking. Like this marriage, all marriages have conflict. Healthy couples fight for resolution. Unhealthy couples fight for personal victory. If yours is a red flag marriage, you can save it with God’s help. When you see distance, work to re-connect. When you see distraction, work to re-focus. When you see destruction, work to re-build.
Start by reconnecting with God, maybe with us at LECC at 415987 Highway 9, Eufaula, where we have small group Bible studies at 10 a.m., worship at 11 a.m., and Wednesday night activities at 6:30 p.m. Our green flag for visitors always waves welcomingly.
