Saul Orders David’s Murder1 Samuel 19:1
Saul continued to degrade after the Spirit of God left him. Previously, he sent David into battle, hoping the Philistines will kill him. Having failed at that, he now orders his servants and his son, Jonathan, to murder David.
There is a parallel here to the life of Jesus. Saul plotted to kill David to preserve his political power. The Sanhedrin plotted to kill Jesus to preserve their political and religious power.
Jonathan Warns David 19:2-3
Instead of obeying his father, Jonathan warned Dvid to hide himself. He also promised to try and persuade his father not to kill David and to tell David if he was successful.
Jonathan “delighted” in David - he saw God working through David and it brought him joy. That is how we should be also, rejoicing to see God work in and through a fellow believer and not having any jealousy.
Jonathan Spoke To Saul19:4-7
Jonathan kept his word and spoke to his Father about David. He emphasized his innocence, that David not only never sinned against Saul, but also did good for Saul in defeating Goliath. He asked Saul to remember how he previously rejoiced in David’s victory.
In response, Saul swore that he would not have David killed. He invoked the name of the Lord (YHWH). Jonathan reported this to David and David returned to Saul’s court. Peace, however, would be short lived.
Saul’s Jealousy Returns19:8-17
As soon as David won another battle against the Philistines, the harmful spirit returned to Saul and he tried to kill David even while David was serving him by playing the lyre. This harmful spirit was a judgment of God and a sign of God’s rejection of Saul.
There is a play on words in verses 8 and 10 that the English Standard Version picks up. In verse 8, David struck the Philistines and they fled. In verse 10, Saul struck the wall with the spear, missing David, and David fled. Saul treated David as if he were a Philistine.
David managed to escape. But, this time Saul sent men to spy on David’s house to kill him the next morning. David’s wife, Michal, Saul’s daughter, persuaded David to escape through a window.
When the assassins came in the next morning, they found that Michal had put an idol in the bed, making it look like David was in bed asleep. When Saul confronted her about it, she claimed David threatened to kill her if she did not let him go.
You see that Saul also did not care about his daughter’s happiness or well being. He knew that she loved David. (18:20) Yet he demanded her loyalty.
It is troubling that Michal had idols in the house. Pagans kept household gods to protect the house. We saw this when Rachel stole her father’s household gods when she left with Jacob for Canaan. (Genesis 31:19) So, Saul had evidently adopted this custom and passed it on to his daughter. And, also troubling, David had tolerated it.
David wrote a psalm about this event. It is Psalm 59. We know this because the heading, or superscript, says it is a “miktam” of David, written when Saul sent men to kill David at his house.
In most Bible chapters, there are headings supplied by publishes and editors and are not scripture. Their purpose is to tell you what the chapter or passage is about (in the opinion of the editor). In the Psalms, the superscripts, which are usually instructions to the choirmaster, are included in the Hebrew manuscripts and are, therefore, part of the scripture.
Psalm 59 begins with David’s plea for God to deliver him from his enemies. In the 4th stanza, which begins with verse 8, David declares his faith in God to protect him and his ability to defeat David’s enemies. The Psalm ends with David praising God as his strength and fortress and who shows him steadfast love.
David Flees To Samuel For Protection19:18-24
David fled Saul’s house in Gibeah and went north to Samuel the Prophet in Ramah. When David told Samuel what Saul had done, Samuel took him to Naioth, a camp or village where a group of prophets were living.
But Saul did not respect even Samuel. He sent messengers to take David. But, each time, the Spirit of God came on them and made them testify. Finally, Saul went there himself. But the Spirit made him prophesy all day and night also.
Takeaways
God delivers in many ways, natural and supernatural. (Isaiah 46:4)
God’s will is not stymied by man’s will. He will always accomplish his purposes. (Isaiah 46:10)
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