1 Samuel 19
-The double-minded saga of Saul’s relationship with David
continues to play out in this vigorous, intriguing, and threatening chapter of
Scripture. The pericope begins with Saul telling his son, Jonathan, and all his
servants to put David to death. However, as we have seen previously in the text
(1 Samuel 18:1-4), Jonathan was David’s comrade and delighted in their relationship.
He warned his chum and told him to be on guard, staying in a secret hiding
place until he could discern his father’s intentions better. After all, Saul at
this point was a very unstable man in all his ways, inconsistent and volatile.
He promised to divulge any pertinent information to his friend as soon as he
could. Jonathan spoke well of David before his father, “Do not let the king sin
against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his
deeds have been very beneficial to
you. For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the LORD
brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by
putting David to death without a cause?” This showed a lot of moxie in this patriarchal
culture. Saul did listen to the voice of his son and vowed at this time, “As
the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death (1 Samuel 19:1-6).”
-With cooler heads prevailing, Jonathan called back to David
and told him all the words of his father, and the young warrior returned into
his presence as before. When war came back to the nation, David went out and
fought valiantly with the Philistines and defeated them with another great
slaughter so that they fled before him. But, the evil spirit came rushing back
upon jealous Saul as he was sitting again in his house as David played the harp
before him one day. Once again, the king tried to pin the anointed next ruler
of the kingdom to the wall with his spear, but David slipped away out of Saul’s
presence so that the spear stuck only into the wall. David escaped that night,
but Saul was out to get him again sending messengers to keep watch of him so
that they might put him to death the next morning. However, Michal, the king’s
daughter and wife of David, informed her husband of her father’s shenanigans,
and David was let down through a window so that he could flee and get out of
the situation. Michal, on her part, put a decoy in his bed with the household
idol and a quilt of goat’s hair at its head covered in clothes. She lied and
told the messengers who came to get David that he was sick. Saul wanted him
brought up on his bed for the killing. He was intent on destruction this time.
When the messengers finally found out the trickery and deception, they reported
it to the king who said to his daughter, “Why have deceived me like this and
let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” She lied again and told him that
David had threatened her with her life if she didn’t let him go (1 Samuel 19:7-17).
-Now David ran for his life to the prophet Samuel at Ramah
and told him all that had transpired. Then he and Samuel stayed in the area at
Naioth of Ramah. Soon Saul found his enemy’s whereabouts, but the messengers he
sent to confiscate David had the Holy Spirit come upon them. Remarkably, they
started prophesying with Samuel standing and presiding over them as they came
to Ramah. Other messengers came, and they prophesied too. A third wave of
messengers were sent, and they also prophesied. Then, King Saul himself went to
Ramah and came as far as the large well that is in Secu. Upon asking the
whereabouts of Samuel and David and finding that they were in Naioth of Ramah,
he went and the Holy Spirit descended upon him also. Thus he too prophesied
continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah stripping off his clothes and
speaking the word of the LORD before Samuel. He lay there naked all that day
and night rendering those around to declare, “Is Saul also among the prophets (1
Samuel 19:18-24)?” The Spirit of God had immobilized him so that he was unable
to harm David in any way.
-*Application* When the LORD wants to consume a situation,
He has all the power and authority He needs to do it, even when the people He
is dealing with are wayward and sinister. God can overtake with His Spirit
anytime He desires. Would that we invite His presence with repentance and
righteousness, for that is much better and accomplishes His plans in
convergence rather than by force. I believe in miracles, do you?
Verse to Memorize:
1 Samuel 19:18
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