“When Saul’s servants told him what David had said,25 Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’” Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines. 26 When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, 27 David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.” ! Samuel 18.24-27
Times have certainly changed. When I asked for my wife’s hand in marriage, it required a serious conversation with her father. But when David was offered the hand of King Saul’s daughter, Michal, the price was far greater—it cost the lives of hundreds of Philistines.
Saul was determined to bring David down. He saw David’s success and was consumed with jealousy. The young shepherd had already defeated Goliath and proven himself victorious in battle. For a king, nothing is more threatening than being outshined by his own servant. So Saul devised a plan.
He offered Michal to David in marriage, but with a dangerous bride price—the foreskins of one hundred Philistines. Now, let’s not dwell too long on what that means. Simply put, the only way to collect them was if the men were dead. Saul’s true intention was clear—he hoped David would fall in battle trying to meet this gruesome demand.
But David saw the challenge and accepted. Not only did he succeed, but he exceeded the demand. Instead of one hundred, he and his men returned with two hundred. The price to become the king’s son-in-law was steep—one that no ordinary man could pay. But David was no ordinary man. God’s favor was upon him, and Saul was beginning to realize it.
The cost of becoming the son of a king was great. Now, consider the cost of becoming a son or daughter of the King of the Universe. The invitation is open to all, but the price was beyond anything we could ever pay. It required the life of Jesus Christ himself.
1 John 3:1 declares, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” We are welcomed into God’s family not by our own merit, but by the blood of the Lamb. Jesus paid the ultimate price so that we might be adopted as sons and daughters of God.
Unlike David, we are not asked to prove ourselves in battle. The cost for us is simple—faith and surrender. When we believe, receive, and follow Jesus, we are instantly adopted into the family of God. And in response, we offer Him our lives, walking with Him for eternity.
David paid a high price to become Saul’s son-in-law. But the price for our adoption into God’s family was infinitely greater—and the reward beyond comparison.
Have you accepted His invitation? Have you welcomed Christ into your life? The price has already been paid, and the reward is beyond measure.
“O Lord God, thank You for loving me. Thank You for providing a way for me to be adopted into Your family. I stand in awe that I did not have to pay the price for my sins—Jesus, You paid it for me. Even before I was born, You knew me, created me, and made a way for me to have abundant life today and eternal life to come. I praise You, Lord, for Your goodness and unfailing love. Amen.”