1 Samuel 18:1-18 ERV
Saul decided to take David with him. He would not let David go back home to his father. After David finished talking with Saul, Jonathan developed a strong friendship with David.
[3] Jonathan loved David as much as himself, so they made a special agreement.
[4] Jonathan took off the coat he was wearing and gave it to David. In fact, Jonathan gave David his whole uniform—including his sword, his bow, and even his belt.
[5] David went to fight wherever Saul sent him. He was very successful, so Saul put him in charge of the soldiers. This pleased everyone, even Saul’s officers.
[6] David would go out to fight against the Philistines. On the way home, after the battles, women in every town in Israel would come out to meet him. They sang and danced for joy as they played their tambourines and lyres. They did this right in front of Saul!
[7] The women sang, “Saul has killed his thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.”
[8] This song upset Saul and he became very angry. Saul thought, “The women give David credit for killing tens of thousands of the enemy, and they give me credit for only thousands. A little more of this and they will give him the kingdom itself! ”
[9] So from that time on, Saul watched David very closely.
[10] The next day, an evil spirit from God took control of Saul and he went wild in his house. David played the harp to calm him as he usually did,
[11] but Saul had a spear in his hand. He thought, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” Saul threw the spear twice, but David jumped out of the way both times.
[12] The LORD had left Saul and was now with David, so Saul was afraid of David.
[13] Saul sent David away and made him a commander over 1000 soldiers. This put David out among the men even more as they went into battle and returned.
[14] The LORD was with David, so he was successful in everything.
[15] Saul saw how successful David was and became even more afraid of him.
[16] But all the people in Israel and Judah loved David because he was out among them and led them into battle.
[17] One day Saul said to David, “Here is my oldest daughter, Merab. I will let you marry her. Then you will be like a son to me and you will be a real soldier. Then you will go and fight the LORD’s battles.” Saul was really thinking, “Now I won’t have to kill David. I will let the Philistines kill him for me.”
[18] But David said, “I am not an important man from an important family. I can’t marry the king’s daughter.”

A setup is a system or arrangement of situations, conditions, circumstances, and a relationship.
There are all kinds of setups in life, they range from positive-where it benefits everyone, negative-where someone is disadvantaged and of course spiritual or supernatural setup-where the Lord sets situations and people in the way that will best glorify His name and benefit the saints.
The Bible is literally filled with the supernatural power of God intervening in human affairs. Not only does God act supernaturally into the lives of His people but he does so through the lives of His people.
There are situations in which God will set us up supernaturally to meet a need, execute an event or prepare us for an assignment.
If it wasn’t a supernatural setup for David to be in Saul’s employment, then I don’t know what it could have been.
David got anointed as king in chapter 16 but instead of moving into the palace as a king, the Lord created a series of events that would land him in the palace for court duties and responsibilities that will afford him the necessary training for his future assignment.
Jonathan, who one would expect to be the next after his father, who should jealously guard his throne was now besties with the next king.
Jonathan recognised a connection with David, a similar spirit and there was born a brotherhood that spanned time.
The supernatural setup was complete! Who would expect the king’s son to be the biggest advocate, protector, and best friend of the incoming king?
God will set us up so that we don’t miss the ones whose influence we need to access the next level, the ones who have the word to push u, encourage us, deter, and motivate us to accomplish our God-given assignment.
David needed to be competent in so many areas to ascend the throne, who better to instruct and train him than the one who was already in it-Saul.
The story of Joseph in Genesis is one of supernatural setup, for the deliverance of Israel’s future generations and the glory of God.
Moses’s birth upbringing was a supernatural setup to allow God’s appointed savour the training required to deliver the Israelites when the time came.
Esther was supernaturally set up to be in the palace to receive the favour that would save the Jews under threat.
Wherever the Lord places us, it’s for a purpose, it’s always for the benefit of kingdom mandate, the people around and for our faith to be strengthened.
David’s wilderness training and bear wrestling prepared him mentally and spiritually to face Goliath, a setup that progressively took him into the battlefield and made him into a man of war, the most competent soldier and leader with skills that would make him an effective and successful king.
Saul dreaded David because he saw that the Lord was with him according to verse 15, yes, David didn’t doubt God’s call, he knew was a king waiting for a throne and the setup was to grow him in every way to fulfil that assignment otherwise, he would have left all, considering Saul’s persecution of him.
Wherever you are now, many just be your training ground, a job, family, ministry, wherever, the Lord has set it up that you’ll benefit from that experience and His name will be glorified.
Shalom