Bible Study - answer the questions and give the bible reference.

1. Who was David suppose to marry first?

King Saul promised in I Samuel 17:25 his daughter to any man who killed Goliath. In I Samuel 18:17 King Saul tells David, "Here is my older daughter Merab, I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight the Lord's battles. In verse 19 Merab is given to Adriel the Meholathite as his wife instead of becoming David's wife.

2. Why did he end up with Michal?

In I Samuel 18:19 King Saul has given Merab to another man to marry but Michal loved David and it was told to King Saul and he was please that his daughter Michal loved David. In verse 21 King Saul gives Michal to David hoping she would bring a snare to him in his life. In King Saul's heart he hoped the Philistines would end his life. So "King Saul tells David that he would be his son in law that day."

3. What was his payment for her suppose to be?

I Samuel 18:25 a dowry (which is the brides price for virgins.)

What did he end up paying?

I Samuel 18:25 King Saul sent this message to David: The king does not desire any dowry but 100 foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the kings enemies." What King Saul desired through this action was David to die at the hands of the Philistines. I Samuel 18:27 David ends up paying King Saul 200 foreskins for his daughter Michal. Double what the king had asked for in place of the dowry. King Saul gives David Michal to be his wife.

We have here a girl from a very rich royal family in love with a shepherd who is a successful warrior and a hero of the people, but with a father who is very jealous of her husband.

4. When her father orders David to be killed, what does she do?

I Samuel 19:11a that King Saul sends messengers to David's house to watch and to kill him in the morning. I Samuel 19:!!b Michal tells David this, "if you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed." Verse 12 So Michal lets David down through a window in which he flees and escapes. Verse 13 Michal takes an image and lays it in David's bed and covers it with goats hair for his head and covered it with clothes. Verse 14 When Saul sends for the messengers to take David she tells them he David is sick. Verses 15-17 King Saul sees that his daughter has deceived him.

5. When Saul finds out that they were tricked, what was her answer?

I Samuel 19:17 Michal tells King Saul: "He said to me, Let me go! Why should I kill you?"

6. What happened to Michal when David hid in the caves?

I Samuel 25:44 King Saul had given Michal his daughter to Palti the son of Laish who was from Gallim.

7. Who did David take as a wife at this same time?

I Samuel 25:39-42 David marries Abigail as his wife. He also took Ahinoam of Jezreel also as his wife.

So, here we have a man, David, who is in the Lord's good graces and a woman Michal who is his wife but is not allowed to live with him. Later we see David demanding that she be returned to him because he paid for her. Let's look at this time.

8. What were the divorce laws in effect at the time?

Deut.24:1-4 A man could write a certificate of divorce. But it was in this time in history men had many wives. Yes, they were given to people to see how serious a marriage commitment was. He could divorce her if she found no favor in his eyes.

Would David and Michal have been considered divorced?

No for David had not carried out and delivered her a certificate of divorce.

Michal had a household idol, would this be a sin or commonplace at the time?

It was a sin. God told us to not make any graven images in his laws.

Would this have been ok with the Lord?

No for our God is a jealous God. King Saul knew God's laws but he was disobediant in many instances in his life.

She lied to her father about David's whereabouts. Would this have been ok with God?

God tells us lying is a sin. Yet, he used Michal in David's lift to spare his life from King Saul's jealousy. God can make good out of our stupid decisions or sins. Example: Even though someone in my family became pregnant before marriage, God blessed us with this precious life. God made good out of this situation.

During this time of separation how many wives did David marry?

I Samuel 25:41-44 He married two women at this time. Abigail and Ahinoam.

The Bible says that Paltral followed her and cried when they took her to David but turned away when he was told to go home by the guards.

9. How do you think Michal felt?

I think she felt terrible. It doesn't say in this scripture now she responded in any way till II Samuel 6:16. She despised him in her heart. I think through time she began to hate him. Her love appears to have grown cold.

Would she still be "in love" with David, would she resent being removed from her new home, would she despise Paltiel for not fighting for her?

As I shared above, Michal felt loved by Paltiel and she knew he loved her dearly. I feel Michal felt loved by Paltiel and missed his caring for her. I don't think she would despise Paltiel because she knew he loved her. I think her negative feelings were against David.

When she sees David dancing and singing in the streets around the Covenant Box, she is disgusted and gives him heck for making a fool of himself in front of servants and peasants. David says that what he did was to glorify God so therefore, there was nothing wrong with his actions. As punishment, the Lord made her barren. 2 Samuel 6:23

10. What kind of punishment would this have been in those days?

I think it would be terrible to have this happen. People back then considered a barren woman useless. Sarah and Hagar are a fine example of what could happen.

Would it have been an important punishment or would people have shrugged it off?

I tend to think people might make fun of her.

Would it have affected Michal in any permanent way in society?

Michal wouldn't have lineage which is very important back in the OT days. It was God's blessing to men for their wives to bear a child or children or many sons. Hannah/Sarah were barren until the Lord Almighty opened their wombs.

Think very carefully, if you were Michal today, would you side with your husband or your father?

My husband of course. But this is difficult because my dad loves my husband. I think in reality I could be torn between them but I have never been put to such a test. In fact: I pray I never have to make such a hard choice in this life.

Do you consider women who can't have children as being punished by God?

Absolutely not at all. Luke 23:29 and Galatians 4:27 show me it can be a blessing to not bear children. When I think of the conditions of the world today, being barren could truly be a blessing. I shudder to think of my grandchildren raising children today. I know this for sure: I will pray for my great-grandchildren like I pray for my grand children.