This is 1 Samuel 16.
18 One of the young men answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a warrior, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” 19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” 20 Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a kid and sent them by his son David to Saul. 21 And David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22 Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 And whenever the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand, and Saul would be relieved and feel better, and the evil spirit would depart from him.
Here it says that Sauk greatly loved Jesse and that Jesse remained in his service as his armour bearer meaning he lived with Saul. Saul knew him and his father. He wrote to his father asking and letting him know David was to live with him. Saul knew exactly who David was.
It never says in 1 Samuel 17 that Saul forgot him. Or that Saul did not recognize him. Saul talked with him, and did not know who he was or who his father was.
Now I’m 1 Samuel 17 we are introduced to David again. It’s another intro. Why give us another intro if we just had one?
12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years. 13 The three eldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle; the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest; the three eldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
Then in 17 it continues to say this.
31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
Saul says David…. You’re just a boy…. Not a warrior. ( so if Saul already knew him not to much time could have went by since he’s still a boy.
Then we see this in 17.
38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I am not used to them.” So David removed them. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his
Here we read that Saul dressed David in his armour but that David could not wear it. Could not bear his armour. So he took it off.
Then we read in 17 this.
55 When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56 The king said, “Inquire whose son the young man is.” 57 On David’s return from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
Not only does Saul not know who David is but Saul also does not know who his father is.
So we have two different stories of David and Saul meeting for the first time. If you try to argue he just forgot him….. what verse indicates that?
