“Meanwhile, Sha’ul had given Mikhal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Layish, who came from Gallim.”-1 Samuel 25:44
Here’s one thing you should know about marriage in ancient times…
More often than not, it had nothing to do with love and a lot more to do with politics.
Ya feel me?
We’re told David married important women from two different families in different parts of Judah.
By doing this, David made sure he secured support from both families.
This was gonna help him consolidate his power as a leader.
Back then, it was normal and smart to marry for alliances.
Families wanted these connections with powerful leaders and were happy to make them.
The same goes for King Solomon who had 700 wives and 300 concubines by the way.
It wasn’t like he was a sex maniac or something.
It was all about consolidating his power by forming political alliances.
Let’s move on.
The last verse of this chapter tells us that Saul, out of malice, gave his daughter Michal, who was David’s wife, to another man.
This act utterly ruined any chance of peace between David and Saul (not that that was possible anyway).
The man Michal was given to is called Phalti or Phaltiel in the Bible.
Now the consequences of this rash behavior from a Torah perspective were devastating.
Michal was forced into adultery!
And Phaltiel was now guilty of stealing a wife from another man!
Keep in mind that adultery was one of those sins for which there is no atonement available.
This crime was unforgivable and had eternal consequences.
Since David had never divorced Michal, he had every right to ask for her to be returned to him, which he did.
By taking her back, he wasn’t doing anything wrong.
Instead, he restored her to her rightful place.
And that’s your takeaway for today.
There may be times we find ourselves in sinful or compromising situations due to no fault of ours…
Just as Michal was forced into adultery by being given to another man’s wife without any say in the matter.
Yet David restored her to her rightful place by taking her back…
That is what God will do with our sin-ridden and fallen lives.
Just as He rescued Joseph from slavery and prison in Egypt…
Just as He rescued Israel from bondage to Pharaoh…
Just as He restored the rebellious young man in the story of the Prodigal Son.
So too will He rescue you and restore you to a place where you will be the head and not the tail.
Done.
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