Love and Marriage, part 2

As mentioned in the previous entry, there were multiple instances where the Biblical narrative explicitly states a man loves his wife/woman. However, that same emotion, action, state of being is not explicitly stated on behalf of the women in the narrative. The first instance (correct me if I'm wrong) of "love" being expressed by a woman for a man is the story of Michal's love for a young David (1 Samuel 18-19).

Michal is a younger daughter of Saul "who was in love with David", and thus her father Saul tried to use her love to his advantage against David. Saul demanded that David bring back the foreskins of 100 Philistines, thinking that David would be killed during such a battle. However, David agrees to the bride price to marry Michal, fulfills the price, and Michal becomes David's first wife.

Now the text does not say how or what David felt for Michal, but he was willing to meet the bride price to have her. He could have ignored it like he did when Saul offered Michal's older sister Merab to David to marry. Thus, David must have had some reason for accepting and risking his life to meet the price, and I do not think it was because he was wanting to become Saul's son-in-law. However, neither am I willing to say that David did it because he returned the feelings and actions of Michal.

In fact, this marriage is one sided in the effort and feelings expressed. Michal loves David, risk's her life to help him get away from a murderous Saul, and defends David to Saul. Her payment for her effort, she is given to another man as a wife. What does David do for Michal? Leaves her behind to face her father alone, marries multiple women while away, does not seek her out when she was going to be given to another man, and then demands her back when he comes into power. Never does David do anything for the benefit of Michal. Even bringing her back should be seen as a good thing for her, but is it really? Paltiel, her "husband", "went with her, weeping behind her all the way...". Paltiel is willing to express more emotion and desire than David ever did.

Her story has a very depressing ending. David, in his celebration to "God", dances naked in the street in front of everyone. Michal, I can imagine, was jealous, embarrassed, frustrated, upset, disappointed, etc with David's actions and rebuked him for it. David's response was to rebuke Michal that his dance was for "God" (alright, so maybe I'm highly cynical about David doing it purely for the benefit of God), and if other women saw him, then so be it! The passage ends with the line that Michal was then childless until the day of her death.

Michal's story of love and commitment to David seems like it should be the plot of a Shakespearean tragedy. Young woman loves young man, young lovers are separated, and when they are reconciled, they are different individuals and they aren't able to come back together. It's unfortunate that the first instance of a woman stating her love for a man in the Bible ends in tragedy for her.