1 Samuel 19:1-24
1 And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.
2 But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:
3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee.
4 And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:
5 For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?
6 And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.
7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.
8 And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him.a
9 And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.
10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
11 Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.
12 So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.
13 And Michal took an image,b and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.
14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.
15 And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.
16 And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster.
17 And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?
18 So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.
22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah.
23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
1 Samuel 19:11. Saul sent messengers to slay him. The Vulgate, lictors, executioners. They could not approach the bed of a princess till the morning.
1 Samuel 19:13. Michal took an image, a statue, or a bust, and put it in the bed. Though the Hebrew be teraphim, it cannot be understood of any image used for devotion. David never lifted up his hand to an idol.
1 Samuel 19:19. Naioth; that is, the house of doctrine. From this name, it is apparent, that Samuel had established here a little college or school of the prophets; and in this he aimed at the good of his country. It was a school under divine influences; a school in which the young men became prepared to go about the country to pray and prophesy; it was a school which commanded great respect from the nation, having Samuel for the father of the prophets. And how can the sanctuary be honoured, unless the preachers have the spirit of prophesy, the spirit which seizes all that hear them preach? And how can they support their honour, unless they are acquainted with languages, and the elements of knowledge? Assuredly, pious young men so called are worthy of all the aids that science can give to man. See 2 Kings 1:45.
REFLECTIONS.
In Jonathan we have a pattern of true friendship, pure and noble, the same towards David in adversity as in prosperity; friendship which nearly cost Jonathan his life, to save the life of his friend and brother. He argued forcibly, for grief is eloquent, that a man who had put his life in his hand should not have it taken away.
The errors of Saul in seeking, under these circumstances, to kill David, though we may make proper allowances for the evil influence under which he fell, place his character in the darkest shades, and number him with those foul and black souls which never calculate on the consequences of crime to assuage a wicked passion.
In Michal we see a woman doing all that she could, and doing it with success, to save the life of her husband. How preferable is that to swooning, fainting, and howling in the crisis of danger. The sublime passion of high female duty should take the lead of all the softer passions of the heart.
David fled to Samuel for counsel, comfort, and prayer. Here is a model for us to carry our troubles to a throne of grace, and to seek the advice and succour of the church of God.
We must next notice the power of religion on the mind. Samuel drew all these lictors in succession, and Saul himself to prayer, to psalmody and devotion. This was a masterly stroke, prompted by the Spirit of God, to engage all those persons in the exercises of devotion, as the best preservation from shedding innocent blood. Let the troubled and the persecuted be comforted. Who is he that shall harm you, if ye are followers of that which is good? Jesus can still force the lictors to say, “Never man spake like this man.”