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<h2><a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,'all');">1Sa 19</a> - David Flees from Saul</h2>
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<p><i>Psa relevant to this chapter: <a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,'all');">Psa 59</a>.</i></p>
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<p>A. Jonathan defends David before his father Saul.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,1);">1a</a>) Saul plots the murder of David, attempting to enlist the help of Jonathan and his servants.</p>
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<p class="c2">Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. After David killed Goliath, and was honored among the people for this, everything changed in his relationship with Saul. <a onclick="return mV('1Sa',18,9);">1Sa 18:9</a> says, <i>So Saul eyed David from that day forward</i>. And since that time, Saul has repeatedly attacked David, with one persistent goal: to eliminate him.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Twice, Saul tried to kill David by pinning him to the wall with a spear as David played music for Saul (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',18,11);">1Sa 18:11</a>).</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. Saul offered his oldest daughter Merab to David as a trap, hoping the dowry he would arrange would result in David’s death (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',18,17);">1Sa 18:17</a>).</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. Saul tried to lead David into the sin of rebellion or treason by suddenly giving Merab to another man when she was promised to David (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',18,19);">1Sa 18:19</a>).</p>
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<p class="c5">iv. Saul tried to put David in a place where the Philistines would kill him, in demanding a dowry of 100 Philistine foreskins for marriage to his other daughter, Michal (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',18,'21-25');">1Sa 18:21-25</a>).</p>
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<p class="c5">v. None of this worked, but none of it changed Saul’s heart. <a onclick="return mV('1Sa',18,29);">1Sa 18:29</a> says, <i>Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy continually</i>.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. Now, Saul persists in his efforts to eliminate David. <b><span class="c3">Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David</span></b>. David was a marked man, and Saul’s staff was instructed to kill him. </p>
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<p class="c4">c. What a difficult place for <b><span class="c3">Jonathan his son</span></b>! Jonathan loved David, and God had made a wonderful bond of friendship between them, sealed by a covenant (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',18,'1-4');">1Sa 18:1-4</a>). Jonathan knew that David was destined to be the next king of Israel, even though Jonathan himself was officially the crown prince. At the same time, his father and king tells him to kill David!</p>
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<p class="c5">i. We can see Saul quoting Scripture to Jonathan: “Jonathan, the Bible says <i>Honor your father and mother</i> in <a onclick="return mV('Exd',20,12);">Exd 20:12</a>. I’m your father and your king. You must submit to me as father and king. Go kill David. You are in the perfect place to do it, because he trusts you. God has put you in that place so you can obey me now!” Was Jonathan supposed to submit?</p>
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<p class="c4">d. What a difficult place for the <b><span class="c3">servants</span></b> of Saul! They all loved David (<i>he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants</i>, <a onclick="return mV('1Sa',18,5);">1Sa 18:5</a>). Yet they are commanded by their king to kill David.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. What of Saul’s servants? Trapp says they were, “Great admirers of David, but now cold friends at best; not one of them speaks for him, and not a few of them are ready to act against him.”</p>
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<p class="c4">e. What a difficult place for <b><span class="c3">David</span></b>! Who can he trust? Even if he said, “I can trust Jonathan; I know he would never betray me.” Surely, he knows there is at least one sycophant on Saul’s staff who would do whatever Saul said, without regard to right or wrong.</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,'1-3');">1b-3</a>) In loyalty to David, Jonathan warns David.</p>
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<p class="c2">But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted greatly in David. So Jonathan told David, saying, “My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret <i>place</i> and hide. “And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you <i>are</i>, and I will speak with my father about you. Then what I observe, I will tell you.”</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David</span></b>: We can know that Saul, and at least some on Saul’s staff, had criticized David a lot. They looked for any chink in David’s armor they could find. They looked for anything they could to bring against him, and if they could find nothing, they would twist or exaggerate something to make it seem something. You know Jonathan got an earful of this, but it didn’t change his opinion of David. He still <b><span class="c3">delighted much in David</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">So Jonathan told David</span></b>: This would have made Saul furious, but Jonathan knew he was doing right.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. How could Jonathan justify disobeying his father? Because Saul, his father and king, commanded him to do something that was clearly disobedient to God. This was an easy one, because Jonathan knew the Bible said, <i>You shall not murder</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',20,13);">Exd 20:13</a>). Jonathan didn’t have to spiritualize the meaning of murder, or consider this just a matter of disagreement. The Bible was clear, and Saul was <i>on record</i> as saying <i>that they should kill David</i> (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,1);">1Sa 19:1</a>). </p>
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<p class="c5">ii. We <i>are</i> under authority, and commanded to submit to God’s order of authority in many different arenas. There is a Biblical, commanded submission from children to their parents, from citizens to their government, from employees to their employers, from Christians to their church leadership, and from wives to their husbands. Yet, even in all of those relationships, we are never excused from sin because we obeyed an authority that told us to sin. In this instance, it would have been wrong for Jonathan to obey his father and kill David.</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. This was a case where Jonathan could say what the apostles said when they were told to stop preaching the gospel: <i>We ought to obey God rather than men</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Act',5,29);">Act 5:29</a>). But Jonathan also had the heart of the apostles in <a onclick="return mV('Act',5,'all');">Act 5</a>; they were beaten severely, and were willing to take their lumps for what was right before God, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for His name (<a onclick="return mV('Act',5,'40-41');">Act 5:40-41</a>). Jonathan was willing to take his lumps for his obedience to God, and not whine about it.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret place and hide</span></b>: Jonathan did more than refuse to help Saul. He <i>helped</i> David. Jonathan could have said, “Look, I want no part of this. I’m not going to help my father do something I know is wrong. But I won’t try to stop it either. I’ll just be neutral and let God work it out.” But Jonathan didn’t take that attitude.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Certainly, that is right attitude to take sometimes. The Bible does say that we should <i>aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business</i> (<a onclick="return mV('1Th',4,11);">1Th 4:11</a>). It is easy to get mixed up in things that are none of our business. But it is also wrong to stay “neutral” when God doesn’t want you to. It took courage for Jonathan to take David’s side in this matter, but he did. We often let others down because we lack the kind of courage Jonathan had.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. What made Jonathan put himself on David’s side? He <b><span class="c3">delighted much in David</span></b>. He trusted David, and was behind him all the way. He knew God was with David, so he wanted to be supporting David also.</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. Do you wish someone would stick up for you like this, would love you, and be <b><span class="c3">delighted much</span></b> in you? Jesus Christ is <b><span class="c3">delighted much</span></b> in you. Not because of who you are or what you have done, but because He is full of grace and love and you have received it.</p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,'4-5');">4-5</a>) In loyalty to David, Jonathan speaks to Saul.</p>
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<p class="c2">Thus Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works <i>have been</i> very good toward you. For he took his life in his hands and killed the Philistine, and the <span class="c6">Lord</span> brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw <i>it</i> and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?”</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Now Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father</span></b>: Jonathan did more than secretly help David with information. He <b><span class="c3">spoke well of David to Saul his father</span></b>. Jonathan let Saul know, “Father you have a certain opinion of David. But I don’t share that opinion. I love and support David. You should also.” That took a lot of courage, but it was the right thing for Jonathan to do.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. It was wonderful for Jonathan to support David secretly, when it was just him and David. That itself was a gift. It was another thing for Jonathan to support David before others, and before those who were against David. But that is what supporting someone is really all about. You can’t measure a person’s support by what they say about you to your face. You measure their support by how they back you when you aren’t around.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. “<i>Jonathan spake good of David</i>, which he could not do without hazard to himself. Herein therefore he performed the duty of a true friend, and of a valiant man.” (Poole)</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Let not the king sin against his servant</span></b>: Jonathan was bold enough to tell his father that his anger and jealousy against David was <b><span class="c3">sin</span></b>, and to say, “<b><span class="c3">he has not sinned against you</span></b>.” Saul <i>felt</i> that David had sinned against him in some manner and he <i>felt</i> righteous in his cause. But Jonathan delivers a needed word of correction.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">For he took his life in his hands and killed the Philistine, and the <span class="c6">Lord</span> brought about a great salvation for all Israel</span></b>: Why did Jonathan remind Saul of these events? It wasn’t because Saul had forgotten them. It was because Saul “spun” these events with a meaning that justified his jealous desire to murder David.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Saul knew that David <b><span class="c3">killed the Philistine</span></b>. But Saul could not believe that David did it for a righteous reason. In his mind, he thought “David did it just to become famous and to take my throne. He’s a grasping traitor. I’m justified in killing him, because I have to kill him before he kills me!”</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. Jonathan is trying to bring Saul back to reality. He reminds his father: “<b><span class="c3">You saw it and rejoiced</span></b>.” “When David first killed Goliath, you <b><span class="c3">rejoiced</span></b> just like everyone. Now Satan has filled your mind with envy and jealousy. Go back to how it first was in your mind.”</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?</span></b> Again, in Saul’s mind, <i>there was a cause</i>. In Saul’s mind, David was not <i>innocent</i>. But the truth was that he was <b><span class="c3">innocent</span></b>, and there was no <b><span class="c3">cause</span></b> to kill him. Jonathan is calling Saul back to this reality.</p>
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<p class="c1">4. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,'6-7');">6-7</a>) The reconciliation between Saul and David.</p>
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<p class="c2">So Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, “<i>As</i> the <span class="c6">Lord</span> lives, he shall not be killed.” Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. So Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as in times past.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">So Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan</span></b>: This took real humility for Saul. It would have been easy to say, “I’m the king and I’m right. I don’t care what you say.” But in this case, Saul <b><span class="c3">heeded the voice of Jonathan</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Saul swore, “As the <span class="c6">Lord</span> lives, he shall not be killed.”</span></b> This shows that the <span class="c6">Lord</span> had genuinely touched Saul’s heart. God used Jonathan, but it wasn’t the work of Jonathan. It was the work of the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, and Saul recognized by declaring this oath.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Knowing the end of the story, this seems like a pretty hollow promise. But Saul was more accurate than he perhaps knew. It was totally true that <b><span class="c3">as the <span class="c6">Lord</span> lives, he shall not be killed</span></b>. But that was no credit to Saul, who kept trying to kill David!</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. “And it is very likely Saul now spake as he thought. But if good thoughts look at any time into a wicked heart, they stay not there, as those that like not their lodging. The flashes of lightning may be discerned in the darkest prisons, but they are soon gone thence again: so here.” (Trapp)</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">So Jonathan brought David to Saul and he was in his presence as in times past</span></b>: It seems to have all worked! The command to kill David is revoked. Saul and David are together again as in the “good old days.”</p>
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<p class="c1">5. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,'8-10');">8-10</a>) David escapes another attempt on His life.</p>
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<p class="c2">And there was war again; and David went out and fought with the Philistines, and struck them with a mighty blow, and they fled from him. Now the distressing spirit from the <span class="c6">Lord</span> came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing <i>music</i> with <i>his</i> hand. Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">And there was war again</span></b>: In context, this speaks of more war between Israel and the Philistines. But it was also true spiritually. At the end of <a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,7);">1Sa 19:7</a>, there was a truce in the spiritual war involving David and Saul. But whenever we are at a time of cease-fire in the spiritual war, we know the battle will begin again before long. It can always be said of our lives, <b><span class="c3">and there was war again</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">David went out and fought with the Philistines, and struck them with a mighty blow, and they fled from him</span></b>: Spiritually, these are warning clouds of a coming storm. It was David’s success that aroused Saul’s jealousy before. When David was successful again, surely Saul would be tempted to jealousy again. What would Saul do with that temptation?</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">Now the distressing spirit from the <span class="c6">Lord</span> came upon Saul</span></b>: Evil spirits were more than ready to attack Saul where he was most vulnerable. The attack was on the way; what would Saul do with this spiritual attack?</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">Saul . . . sat in his house with his spear in his hand</span></b>: Saul is in a bad place. He is tempted and spiritually attacked, and now he has put himself in a potentially sinful situation. David was <b><span class="c3">playing music with his hand</span></b>, but Saul knew spears much better than music that praised God.</p>
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<p class="c4">e. <b><span class="c3">Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear</span></b>: Here we go again! What happened to Saul’s change of heart? What happened to his oath that David would not be killed? All of that was thrown away as easily as the spear was thrown. But it didn’t “just happen.” Saul was unprepared to handle temptation, unprepared to handle spiritual attack, and had the opportunity to sin close at hand. Most people will trip up under those circumstances!</p>
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<p class="c4">f. <b><span class="c3">But he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall</span></b>. David was gone, but the spear remained. The thing Saul <i>didn’t</i> need - the spear - was left. The one Saul really <i>did</i> need - David - was gone. Saul was a loser on both counts.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Remember <a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,8);">1Sa 19:8</a>: <b><span class="c3">And there was war again</span></b>. Saul lost the war, and lost it completely. But David won the war when <b><span class="c3">he slipped away from Saul’s presence</span></b>. Saul has just made another determined effort to kill him, and David could have returned the spear with fury. But David said what he said before: “<span class="c6">Lord</span>, you put that man on the throne. If he is going to be removed, You are going to have to do it, because I won’t.”</p>
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<p class="c4">h. <b><span class="c3">So David fled and escaped that night</span></b>: David never returned to the palace until he was king of Israel - some 20 years later! From now until the day Saul dies and David is crowned, David lives his life as a fugitive.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. David was probably scared, angry, and hurt when he left the palace. “<span class="c6">Lord</span>, I thought you would protect me. How could I have been so stupid? Where was Jonathan when I needed him? I should have killed Saul. I can’t believe I passed up the chance.” But if David thought any of those things, he did not cling to them.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. How could God allow this? It seems so unfair. It was unfair, from a human level. But God needed to make David into a man of God, so He allowed it. Saul meant it for evil, but the <span class="c6">Lord</span> meant it for good. God is big enough to work all things together for good in your life also. </p>
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<p>B. David flees from Saul.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,'11-12');">11-12</a>) David escapes with the help from his wife Michal.</p>
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<p class="c2">Saul also sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” So Michal let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. Previously, Saul <i>swore, “As the <span class="c6">Lord</span> lives, he shall not be killed.”</i> (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,6);">1Sa 19:6</a>). Now, for the second time, Saul goes back on that oath. He now sends “hit men” to <b><span class="c3">David’s house to watch him and to kill him</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. But <b><span class="c3">Michal, David’s wife</span></b> saves the day. Michal was Saul’s daughter, so this was a conflict of loyalties for Michal. Should she act in her father’s interests or in her husband’s interests? Here, she makes the right choice and supports her husband David.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Michal is acting according to the principle of <a onclick="return mV('Gen',2,24);">Gen 2:24</a>: <i>Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh</i>. Though the Genesis passage speaks specifically of the husband, it expresses a principle that applies to both partners in a marriage: that the former family loyalties and obligations take a back seat to the loyalty and obligation to the new family.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. Michal helped by <i>warning</i> David. She perhaps saw the “hit men” coming before he did, and she also knew the character of her father better than David did. Michal was probably less surprised than David was to find “hit men” from Saul against him.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. David did well to receive this warning from his wife. Sometimes men are so hard headed and so hard hearted that they never hear how God might warn them through their wives. If David would have ignored this warning because he didn’t like the source, he might have ended up dead.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. At the same time, Michal spoke to David wisely: <b><span class="c3">If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed</span></b>. She might have said, “David here’s the problem let me tell you what to do.” She might have said, “David I am here to save your life. Let me tell you what to do.” Instead, she simply told David, “This is what I see. Now it is up to you. I’m not going to try to save your life, but the way I see it, if <b><span class="c3">you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed</span></b>.” </p>
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<p class="c4">d. Michal helped by letting <b><span class="c3">David down through a window</span></b>. As David decided on a course of action, she was there to support and help him put it into practice. Michal’s help was successful, because David <b><span class="c3">fled and escaped</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">e. During this night, when men watched his house and David escaped, he composed a song unto the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, found in <a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,'all');">Psa 59</a>. The introduction of that Psalm says, <i>when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him</i>.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. In <a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,'all');">Psa 59</a>, David takes his case before God: <i>Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; defend me from those rise up against me.</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,1);">Psa 59:1</a>)</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. In <a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,'all');">Psa 59</a>, David describes his attackers: <i>They lie in wait for my life . . . they growl like a dog . . . they belch out with their mouth; swords are their lips.</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,3);">Psa 59:3</a>, <a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,'6-7');">6-7</a>)</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. In <a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,'all');">Psa 59</a>, David declares his innocence: <i>Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O <span class="c6">Lord</span>. They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,'3-4');">Psa 59:3-4</a>)</p>
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<p class="c5">iv. In <a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,'all');">Psa 59</a>, David expresses his trust in God: <i>You, O <span class="c6">Lord</span>, shall laugh at them . . . my merciful God shall come to meet me.</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,8);">Psa 59:8</a>; <a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,10);">59:10</a>)</p>
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<p class="c5">v. In <a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,'all');">Psa 59</a>, David ends with triumphant confidence in God: <i>But I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, My God of mercy.</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Psa',59,'16-17');">Psa 59:16-17</a>)</p>
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<p class="c5">vi. It shows a man or a woman after God’s own heart to <i>sing</i> unto the <span class="c6">Lord</span> at a time like this time in David’s life!</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,'13-17');">13-17</a>) Michal deceives the men who came to kill David.</p>
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<p class="c2">And Michal took an image and laid <i>it</i> in the bed, put a cover of goats’ <i>hair</i> for his head, and covered <i>it</i> with clothes. So when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He <i>is</i> sick.” Then Saul sent the messengers <i>back</i> to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” And when the messengers had come in, there was the image in the bed, with a cover of goats’ <i>hair</i> for his head. Then Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this, and sent my enemy away, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’”</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Michal took an image</span></b>: The <b><span class="c3">image</span></b> was a <i>teraphim</i>, a figurine used as a household idol, or as a fertility and good luck charm. In ancient Israel, <i>teraphim</i> were intended as helps in worshipping the true God. They didn’t think of the <i>teraphim</i> as other gods, but as representing the <span class="c6">Lord</span> God of Israel.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Rachel, the wife of Jacob, also had <i>teraphim</i> (called <i>household idols</i> in <a onclick="return mV('Gen',31,19);">Gen 31:19</a>). The would-be priest Micah used <i>household idols</i> in his corrupt worship of God (<a onclick="return mV('Jdg',17,5);">Jdg 17:5</a>). In <a onclick="return mV('1Sa',15,23);">1Sa 15:23</a>, when Samuel said to Saul, “<i>For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry</i>,” the word <i>idolatry</i> is the word <i>teraphim</i>. In the godly reforms of Josiah, he prohibited the use of <i>household idols</i> (<a onclick="return mV('2Ki',23,24);">2Ki 23:24</a>).</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. Clearly, God’s people had no business having or using an <b><span class="c3">image</span></b> like this. We can’t imagine that this <b><span class="c3">image</span></b>, this <i>household idol</i>, belonged to David; so it shows that Michal’s didn’t have the kind of relationship with God she should have. And, this weak relationship with God will show up in Michal as the story of David’s life unfolds (<a onclick="return mV('2Sa',6,'16-23');">2Sa 6:16-23</a>). “When we read of these images we are not surprised by the defects of character which we see in Michal.” (Balikie)</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. Saul probably knew something of this character of his daughter Michal, and that is one reason why he gave her to David as wife: <i>I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him</i> (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',18,21);">1Sa 18:21</a>).</p>
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<p class="c4">b. Saul doesn’t seem to be taken in by his daughter’s deception. She said David was sick, but Saul said <b><span class="c3">“Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.”</span></b> This also shows something of the depth of hatred Saul had for David, because he wanted to deliver the death-blow himself (<b><span class="c3">bring him up to me . . . that I may kill him</span></b>).</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">He said to me, “Let me go! Why should I kill you?”</span></b> Michal was faithful to David with her <i>actions</i>, but not with her <i>words</i>. She told Saul that David had threatened to kill her, and that is why she let him escape.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Michal said this to protect herself. Perhaps she felt that she had to paint herself as the victim so that her father wouldn’t kill her also. If this is the case, it is hard to be judgmental towards Michal; she has just seen her husband escape as a fugitive, she doesn’t know if he will live or die or when she will see him again, and she may fear for her own life. At the same time, it is hard to honor Michal as she protects herself by lying about her husband, and painting him as a man who would cold-bloodedly murder his wife.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. It may be that Michal, from beginning to end, acted in her self-interest. She helped David because she wanted to do something against her father. When Saul asked <b><span class="c3">“Why have you deceived me like this?”</span></b> she might have honestly replied, “Because I was looking for an occasion to stick it to you, Dad!” Knowing Saul’s weak character and relationship with the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, it wouldn’t surprise us to have such a messed-up family. But when it came down to it, she picked defending herself instead of supporting her husband. </p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">My enemy</span></b>: These are the saddest words in this passage. Saul, when describing David, calls him <b><span class="c3">my enemy</span></b>. David was really Saul’s friend, and David had done more to help Saul than just about anyone else. David was only the <b><span class="c3">enemy</span></b> of Saul because Saul <i>wanted</i> to see him that way.</p>
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<p>C. David, pursued by Saul, flees to Naioth.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,18);">18</a>) David visits Samuel at Ramah.</p>
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<p class="c2">So David fled and escaped, and went to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him</span></b>: David did the right thing when in a difficult and confusing situation. He spent some time with a godly man. We can imagine David pouring out his heart to the prophet: “Samuel, you anointed me king, and look at what is happening! I guess it isn’t time yet, but why is it so hard? Does God want me dead? Why is the <span class="c6">Lord</span> allowing this?”</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Stayed in Naioth</span></b>: The word <b><span class="c3">Naioth</span></b> comes from the Hebrew word for <i>residence</i>. This may be speaking of Samuel’s home (which may have had “<b><span class="c3">Naioth</span></b>” title itself), or it may have been some landmark or specific place in Ramah. Whenever <b><span class="c3">Naioth</span></b> is mentioned, it is associated with Ramah.</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,'19-21');">19-21</a>) Saul sends messengers to capture David, but they are touched by the Holy Spirit and prophesy in the presence of Samuel and other prophets.</p>
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<p class="c2">Now it was told Saul, saying, “Take note, David <i>is</i> at Naioth in Ramah!” Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing <i>as</i> leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Saul sent messengers to take David</span></b>: Saul is wicked, but persistent. We can never admire the devil’s work, but we can admire the devil’s work ethic.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">When they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them</span></b>: When the messengers of Saul came to capture David, they came in the middle of a worship meeting. Samuel and his “students” (<b><span class="c3">the group of prophets</span></b>) were waiting on the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, worshipping Him, speaking to the <span class="c6">Lord</span> and hearing from Him.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. When it says that they were all <b><span class="c3">prophesying</span></b>, it isn’t that they were all predicting the future. The Hebrew word simply has the idea of speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They were probably all giving spontaneous and inspired praise to God.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">The Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied</span></b>: They were caught up in the atmosphere of worship and devotion to God, and the <b><span class="c3">Spirit of God came upon</span></b> them. </p>
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<p class="c5">i. Why did the Holy Spirit do this? These were not men who were seeking diligently after God, longing to be filled with the Spirit. Then why did the Holy Spirit come upon them? First, because God was protecting David, and this was His way of “disarming” those who came to capture David. We can just imagine the messengers coming, and seeing David with Samuel the prophet and all the other students of Samuel. They are having a worship meeting, and God’s Spirit is wonderfully poured out. The messengers thought, “This will be easy! Look at how defenseless David is! Look at how distracted he is! And none of these prophets can stop us!” But the Spirit of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> had other plans, and <i>protected</i> David. The Holy Spirit knows how to protect us! The <i>safest</i> place for us to be in the whole world is <i>walking in the Spirit</i>.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. Second, this was the Holy Spirit’s warning to these men and to Saul. It is as if the Spirit said “I don’t want David captured. I am sending these men home empty handed. Instead of seeking to kill David, you should seek to be filled with the <b><span class="c3">Spirit of God</span></b>.”</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">He sent other messengers</span></b>: When the first messengers returned home empty handed and reported to Saul what happened, Saul didn’t get the message. So, <b><span class="c3">he sent other messengers</span></b>, but the same thing happened: <b><span class="c3">they prophesied likewise</span></b>. Saul still didn’t get the message, so he <b><span class="c3">sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. How long until Saul listens to the Holy Spirit? Three sets of messengers come back, and God says the same thing each time through them. </p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('1Sa',19,'22-24');">22-24</a>) Saul pursues David himself, but he also prophesies in the presence of Samuel and the prophets.</p>
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<p class="c2">Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that <i>is</i> at Sechu. So he asked, and said, “Where <i>are</i> Samuel and David?” And <i>someone</i> said, “Indeed <i>they are</i> at Naioth in Ramah.” So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “<i>Is</i> Saul also among the prophets?”</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Then he also went to Ramah</span></b>: Three times, the Holy Spirit said to Saul, “Leave David alone. My Spirit is stronger than you are. You will never win this battle against Me and against David.” But Saul didn’t listen. Instead, to an even greater degree, Saul took matters into his own hands: <b><span class="c3">he also went to Ramah</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Then the Spirit of God was upon him also</span></b>: Why did the Holy Spirit come upon Saul? For the same reasons He came upon the messengers Saul sent to capture David. First, to prevent David’s capture. Second, to tell Saul, “Hands off My servant David. I am in charge here.”</p>
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<p class="c5">i. There may have been an additional message to Saul in this: “Saul, you are prophesying now, speaking beautiful words of praise and wonder to Me. This is how I could work in you all the time if you were humble and willing.”</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">He also stripped off his clothes and prophesied</span></b>: The Spirit prompted Saul to do this as an expression of deep humility. Saul would not humble himself before God, and so God <i>will</i> find a way to humble him.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. It is unlikely - though possible - that Saul stripped himself bare. The Hebrew word for <b><span class="c3">naked</span></b> can mean that a person has just stripped themselves down to their undergarments. Probably, Saul took off all of his royal robes that said “prestige” and “royalty,” and laid himself out before the <span class="c6">Lord</span> in his plain linen undergarments. It was a way for the <span class="c6">Lord</span> to say, “You really aren’t a king any more, Saul. I’ve stripped you of your royal glory.”</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. Does this seem extreme? It is always extreme when God humbles us. That’s why God counsels us to humble <i>ourselves</i> instead of “making” Him do it: <i>Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.</i> (<a onclick="return mV('1Pe',5,6);">1Pe 5:6</a>)</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. God showed much grace to Saul by putting him in a place where it would be easy to repent, easy to return to the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, and easy to stop his backsliding. He was right there! The <span class="c6">Lord</span> could not have made it any easier! Yet Saul still had to make a <i>choice</i> to surrender to the power of God.</p>
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<p class="c5">iv. A person can be <i>affected</i> by the power of God (resulting in amazing experiences), but not <i>surrendered</i> to the power of God, which results in a change of life.</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">Is Saul also among the prophets?</span></b> This phrase was first mentioned in <a onclick="return mV('1Sa',10,'10-12');">1Sa 10:10-12</a>, and it expressed astonishment that someone had become a religious fanatic. As some used to say of someone who was not a religious person who became very religious, “He got religion?” Saul was an unspiritual man who became very spiritual at the time when the Spirit of the <span class="c6">Lord</span> came upon him.</p>
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<p class="c4">e. The chapter ends with Saul’s plan completely frustrated. When David first came to Samuel, he probably thought he was really vulnerable there. “Samuel, Saul is after me! I need a sword! I need protection! I need soldiers! I need a guard!” The old prophet could have told David, “What you really need to do is worship the <span class="c6">Lord</span> and wait on Him. Let’s have a prayer meeting!” And David was indeed safe waiting on the <span class="c6">Lord</span> and worshipping Him.</p>
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