1 Samuel 19:1 – 24 “Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Jonathan delighted greatly in David, so he warned David, saying, “My father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning; find a secret place and hide there. I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, so I can ask about you. And if I find out anything, I will tell you.” Then Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David; he has not sinned against you. In fact, his actions have been highly beneficial to you. He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?” Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death.”
So, Jonathan summoned David and told him all these things. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul to serve him as he had before. When war broke out again, David went out and fought the Philistines and struck them with such a mighty blow that they fled before him. But as Saul was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, a spirit of distress from the LORD came upon him. While David was playing the harp, Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But the spear struck the wall and David eluded him, ran away, and escaped that night.
Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!” So, Michal lowered David from the window, and he ran away and escaped. Then Michal took a household idol and laid it in the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and covered it with a garment. When Saul sent the messengers to seize David, Michal said, “He is ill.” But Saul sent the messengers back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so I can kill him.” And when the messengers entered, there was the idol in the bed with the quilt of goats’ hair on its head.
And Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away and he has escaped!” Michal replied, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away, or I will kill you!’”
So, David ran away and escaped. And he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. When it was reported to Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, he sent messengers to capture him. But when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came upon them, and Saul’s messengers also began to prophesy. When this was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they began to prophesy as well. So, Saul tried again and sent messengers a third time, and even they began to prophesy. Finally, Saul himself left for Ramah and came to the large cistern at Secu, where he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” “At Naioth in Ramah,” he was told.
So, Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. But the Spirit of God came upon even Saul, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah. Then Saul stripped off his robes and also prophesied before Samuel. And he collapsed and lay naked all that day and night. That is why it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
King Saul is really losing his mind! First, Saul orders Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. Jonathan quickly informs David and advises David to hide himself out in the fields. Jonathan thinks he has convinced Saul to spare David’s life when Saul swears an oath to that effect; however, Saul’s oaths are really useless. The next time David is playing his harp to soothe Saul, Saul tries to pin David to the wall with his spear. David runs to his home; however, his wife Michal, who loves him, advises him to flee. Michal lets David down from an upstairs window, and David escapes. But what happens next is fascinating.
While David believes in the One True Living God, Michal obviously is still an idol worshiper. Michal takes a teraphim, a household god, wraps it in cloaks and places goat hair on its head. If Michal were worshiping the Lord of Israel, she wouldn’t tolerate a teraphim in her home. The existence of this household god in Michal’s possession strongly supports the idea that King Saul and his family never worshiped the God of Israel but rather worshiped the idols of the tribes surrounding them. Sadly, this idol worship will later lead to a tragedy for Michal.
At this point, David decides it’s time to report back to Samuel, who is still living in Ramah. When Samuel learns of Saul’s bizarre behavior, he and David relocate to Naioth, where there is a school of prophets over which Samuel is presiding. Saul sends three groups of messengers to seize David; however, as soon as these men come under the influence of the Holy Spirit, they begin prophesying and leave David alone. Finally, Saul figures that if he wants something done right, he should do it himself, so he too comes to Naioth. But as Saul is traveling to Naioth, he comes under the influence of the Holy Spirit and begins prophesying as he walks along. When Saul reaches Samuel at Naioth, Saul strips off his robes and lies naked, prophesying for a day and a night. This incident gives rise to a popular saying, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
Don’t mess with a real prophet if you don’t want to be totally humiliated! The world is full of self – styled prophets who will tell people what they want to hear. But a prophet who is speaking by the influence of the Holy Spirit will always tell the truth and may speak things that can completely embarrass you. Now at Naioth, there are Saul’s three groups of messengers as well as Saul. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, Saul has stripped off his royal robes and is lying naked. The Holy Spirit has moved on Saul’s messengers as a sign that the Lord God of Israel is in control and not King Saul. Now that same Holy Spirit has led Saul to remove his robes as a further sign that his kingship is coming to an end.
Why doesn’t David begin prophesying? David has been submitted to the Holy Spirit for years and has no need of any demonstrations of his obedience. But Saul and his men have never really submitted to the One True Living God until now.
APPLICATION: The One True Living God is not to be scorned! King Saul has become a legend in his own mind; however, he has never truly worshiped the Lord of Israel. Obedience is better than sacrifice, and Saul has never been fully obedient, despite slaughtering all kinds of animals for ritual sacrifices.
Psalm 95:6 – 11 tells us, “O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness, where your fathers tested and tried Me, though they had seen My work. For forty years I was angry with that generation, and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known My ways.” So, I swore on oath in My anger, “They shall never enter My rest.”
Saul has always settled for form over function, for preserving appearances while he does his own will. Even if we do our own wills in God’s Name, we will never succeed because we are already starting from a wrong basis. When David went to Samuel, he did not begin prophesying because he had been writing prophetic songs for much of his life. David’s heart was clean and he did not need to strip off any worldly trappings.
What is the state of your heart? Are you a David, following God whole – heartedly? Or are you a Saul, keeping up appearances and trying to do your own will, even if you claim to be doing things for God? When God had Samuel anoint David, God told Samuel that He sees the heart and is not impressed with outward appearances. Today, let us truly worship the One True Living God!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord Jesus, thank You for living as a man, dying for our sins, and for Your glorious resurrection. Holy Spirit, move in the hearts of all who read this devotional, that they will truly know You in Your fullness. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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