In Chapter 18 we saw as the thrust of the chapter the theme that God was with David. We also learned that the consequence of God being with David was that God gave David success in all endeavors. We saw last time that God’s Spirit had left Saul and God sent a spirit that brought chaos to Saul. We saw the consequence of that was everything Saul tried to do to kill David and everything he did to kill him only backfired and David became the hero and the people loved him even more.
Now in Chapter 19 we will see as the overarching theme continues, God is with David and God will now not just deliver David from say, the Philistines but He will deliver David out of the hands of Saul who is trying to kill him. So, this chapter is specific now. Saul wants to kill David and God will deliver David from Saul. God will deliver in the most mysterious ways.
Romans 11:33 (ESV)
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
1. God Delivers David Through Jonathan (19:1-7)
19 And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David. 2 And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.” 4 And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. 5 For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” 6 And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” 7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.
Saul calls a meeting and lets everyone there know his intentions. He makes them very plain; he wants to kill David.
Jonathan was in attendance. We remember that Jonathan and David were very close friends, the souls were knit together, they cut a covenant together. So, Jonathan wastes no time to go and warn David of Saul’s intentions to kill him.
Also, we remember that Jonathan had understood the bigger picture when he took his prince’s robe, sword and belt and gave them to David. Jonathan knew that David was God’s choice to be the next king. So, Jonathan is with God, agrees with God and will be working beside of God. In other words, Jonathan is in line and moving the same direction God is.
What’s even a deeper meaning here is that Jonathan, by working with God is also anticipating the end of David’s reign as King…the Lord Jesus.
Saul, on the other hand is fighting with great resistance God’s will. He hates God’s new King. He wants nothing more than to see David killed. Saul hates David because God is with David. Saul is so very jealous of David. Saul with his action also shows because he’s fighting God’s plan and hates David that he also hates the future King of Kings, Jesus Christ.
Jonathan takes the initiative to intercede for David with Saul, his father. He tries to talk sense into him. It seems like it worked too at least for a short time.
Jonathan’s reasoning is very sound…
“Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. 5 For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?”
Jonathan’s words are very true and accurate. He reminds Saul that David has never done anything but good to him and all of Israel even risking his own life.
6 And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.”
Do you see how loyal Jonathan was to David and to God? Godly loyalty is a very strong and virtuous attribute. There is not much godly loyalty in our world.
2. God Delivered David From the Philistines and Saul (19:8-10)
8 And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. 9 Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. 10 And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
There was more war with the Philistines and further victories for David, resulting in further jealousy in Saul. This seems to be the pattern.
Because Saul is under the judgement of God, the Lord sends a harmful spirit to Saul. God is in control of all things, and He even is the Sovereign over the evil realm. So, whenever this spirit is sent Saul is plagued by it.
During these times, he is somewhat comforted by David, as he plays the stringed instrument for Saul.
God delivered David from the Philistines and Saul’s plan again fails. He meant for David to be killed in battle but as usual, David has great success and Saul hates it.
For the second time, Saul takes his spear and throws it at David and again God is with David and Saul misses his intended target.
David flees and escapes…
There is parallel language used here and it’s meant to show us more of Saul’s attitude toward David.
8 And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him.
And David fled and escaped that night.
The same word is used to describe the Philistines fleeing before David being led by God and that David fled before Saul…the perspective is in Saul’s heart of jealousy, David was hated like a Philistine.
3. God Delivers David Through Michal, His Wife (19:11-17)
11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. 13 Michal took an image and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. 14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” 15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16 And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’ ”
Saul sends his assassins to David’s house. There, they were to watch the door for any sign of David.
David’s wife Michal also knew they were there and told David that if he wanted to live, he had better leave and leave now! She let him down through a window in the house so he could escape.
The Old Testament is shrouded in many mysteries. Here we see two things we might question.
The first, why did Michal have images in her house? They were foreign idols of worship. These were family deities that were carried from her house to where they were currently living.
Here the Bible is not making a judgement but simply relaying the facts. She took one placed it in bed as a decoy. This idol was appropriately used as a dummy– Davis
The second issue is the fact that Michal lied to Saul about David.
He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?
So, there you have it.
God delivered David through David’s idolatrous, lying wife.
Again, the Bible does not make judgements here but simply tells us what happened.
We must be careful not to make certain judgements about others. She lied and was at this point an idol worshipper. If she was converted, she was saved by grace just as we are. This story reminds us of Rahab the harlot who also lied to the authorities about the spies Joshua had sent. She is never condemned for her lie but with Rahab what is focused upon is her amazing faith. What’s more is that Rahab is listed in the genealogy of Jesus.
4. God Delivers David by Samuel, the Prophet (19:18-24)
18 Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. 19 And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
Saul’s secret police are everywhere. His Gestapo police and informants were stationed all through the kingdom of Saul. This is what it looks like when the paranoid and jealous are king.
In verse 20 Saul has sent his police to capture David.
One might think that Saul would see that God is in charge and everyone but him is for David. Most important God is with David. Does he really think he can capture and kill David?
Beloved we cannot thwart God’s will. He is sovereign over ALL things including us. Either we go the direction God is going, or we will discover we are going against God. This is the sad story of Saul. His pride and jealousy are driving him to destruction.
Saul’s police force all begins prophesying. Saul sends the day shift, and the Holy Spirit descends upon them and they preach. Saul sends the afternoon shift, and they are turned into preachers. Finally, the night shift also begins preaching.
Saul then goes himself. When he gets close to Ramah what is so odd and amazing is he begins prophesying as well.
This is an amazing and a little humorous tactic God uses to nullify Saul and his messengers who were to kill David.
The Bible calls Saul’s men messengers and the irony is that these men become God’s messengers and so does Saul.
Everything Saul does backfires.
The text goes from they too to he too very ironic.
As we examine these very strange ways of God delivering David we should note that God does the same for us. His ways do not make sense to us. They are not our ways and in this we should praise Him. David has not been forsaken, and we are not forsaken either.
David will still be in danger; Saul the preacher will try again to kill David and God will rescue David in more odd ways. I want to remind you today that David was never abandoned by God. God has not deserted you either.
We see the different ways God delivered David and for us we can be encouraged that God will also deliver us by means we do not yet know. They are varied and unexpected. If you are His, He will deliver you throughout your life and when your calling is complete, God will deliver you from this life to the life to come.
God’s ways are so different…we never would have thought of that. Praise Him for His wondrous acts of salvation in our lives.
Psalm 2:1–6 (ESV)
2 Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
Resources Used:
1 Samuel by Dale Ralph Davis
1 Samuel by Tsumura
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