David And Michal Essay

Michal was the first wife of David. She is also one of the only women who is stated to have loved another man, and this indicates that this entire narrative will have a different tone and atmosphere to it. The fact that love plays a part within a marriage in the Old Testament should be noted. However, her love for David does not endure. Michal’s character transitions from 1 Samuel to 2 Samuel, highlighting her use in the story as one who stands firm in her actions, even against David, in order to make a point that David’s arrogance gets in the way much too often. Michal’s characterization in 1 Samuel shows her as a David sympathizer, and even saves his life from the wrath of her own father. Eventually, her character changes into a despising …show more content…
Rosenstock explains that David and Michal may have different ideas of what or how things should be celebrated. He states, “David and Michal are represented as possessing contrasting views of the nature of divine and royal glory and how they are respectively celebrated and achieved. And the difference between Michal and David, it is also clear, has something to do with the way that one's 'house' becomes 'blessed.” David and Michal are from different houses in Israel. Michal is from the tribe of Benjamin, and David is from the tribe of Judah. Benjamin was the smallest tribe of Israel, and Judah tended to be a tribe of higher prestige, and even though they were all from Israel and would have had similar traditions, “they kept distinct identities at a tribal level.” This may explain why David’s actions disgusted Michal. David’s celebration style may have been seen as extremely inappropriate to Michal and would have disgusted her. Saul did not seem to be the kind of king who would make a fool of himself the same way David would, so perhaps her view of Saul affects how she views David. Her standards of celebration are strictly Benjamite and very serious, whereas David’s are Judahite and full of freedom and letting