Saul said to David, Behold, my elder daughter Merab, her will I give you as wife: only be valiant for me, and fight Yahweh's battles. For Saul said, Don't let my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him.
Though he was just a very young fellow, he was set over a part of the army and these guys respected him so much, of course God's deliverance of the Philistine in his hand, that they just accepted him, but then trouble began to arise.