Bible Commentaries
1 Samuel 19

Verse 1

Chapter 19

Now in the nineteenth, we find Saul's third attempt to kill David.

Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, to all of his servants, and he told him that they should kill David. But Jonathan because of his love for David: said to his father, or he said to David, David my dad seeks to kill you: I pray, take heed to yourself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, hide: And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I'll commune with my father of thee; and what I see, I'll tell you. [In other words, "Hide yourself until I can find out really what my dad is thinking."] So Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said, Let not the king sin against his servant, and against David; because he hath not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good towards you: For he did put his life in his own hand, and he slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great salvation for all Israel: you saw it, and you did rejoice: why then will you sin against innocent blood, and slay David without a cause? So hearken to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swear, As the Lord liveth, he shall not be slain ( 1 Samuel 19:1-6 ).

So there was an apparent change of attitude for a moment. Now Saul does manifest almost a schizophrenia. I would imagine if a psychiatrist would read the case history on Saul here, he would probably be classified as a schizophrenic. He would have these periods of great depression. He would have periods of remorse and periods of change. "Oh David, my son. You're like a son to me." And he'd speak great words of love, and then next day try to ram him through with a javelin again. So he was very vacillating.

Now Jonathan speaking these kind words to his dad about David, Saul responded and he said, "As the Lord liveth he'll not be slain."

So Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all of those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in Saul's presence as in times past. 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. 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 on the harp. And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but David slipped out of Saul's presence, and the javelin went into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. So Saul sent out messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him saying, Now if you don't save your life tonight, tomorrow you're gonna be dead. So Michal let David down through a window: and he fled, and escaped. And then she took the bed and put pillows under the blankets, so it looked like someone was lying there. And so in the morning when the messengers were gonna kill David, she said, Oh he's sick. [They said, "We want to bring him to Saul." They said, He's sick he's in bed. So they went to Saul and they said, "We can't bring him, the guy's sick in bed."] He said, Bring him with the bed and all so we can slay him. So they went back to get David, and then they found out that it was just the pillows under the blankets, [David was gone.] So he got angry with his daughter Michal, he said, What are you doing turning against your own father, your own flesh and blood to protect David? So Michal said to her dad, he said, Let me go or I'm going to kill you. [So she lied her way out of it.] So David fled, and he came to Samuel there in Ramah, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. And Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel stand as appointed over them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they all prophesied ( 1 Samuel 19:7-20 ).

So here is an interesting thing Samuel was there at Naioth, and David was there, and so they sent these guys out to take David in, and God's Spirit just came on them. They just started prophesying.

So he sent out another group of messengers to get David, and as they came near where the spirit of God was working, the spirit of God came on them, they started prophesying. So he sent out a third company of messengers to get David, [and when they came into the scene, and all this going on] they began to prophesy. So Saul came down himself, and the spirit came on Saul, and he took off his clothes, and he lay there naked all night prophesying. So that they began to say, Is Saul among the prophets ( 1 Samuel 19:21-24 )?

Again that proverb that came out early in Saul's career.

Chapter 19

Now in the nineteenth, we find Saul's third attempt to kill David.

Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, to all of his servants, and he told him that they should kill David. But Jonathan because of his love for David: said to his father, or he said to David, David my dad seeks to kill you: I pray, take heed to yourself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, hide: And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I'll commune with my father of thee; and what I see, I'll tell you. [In other words, "Hide yourself until I can find out really what my dad is thinking."] So Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said, Let not the king sin against his servant, and against David; because he hath not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good towards you: For he did put his life in his own hand, and he slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great salvation for all Israel: you saw it, and you did rejoice: why then will you sin against innocent blood, and slay David without a cause? So hearken to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swear, As the Lord liveth, he shall not be slain ( 1 Samuel 19:1-6 ).

So there was an apparent change of attitude for a moment. Now Saul does manifest almost a schizophrenia. I would imagine if a psychiatrist would read the case history on Saul here, he would probably be classified as a schizophrenic. He would have these periods of great depression. He would have periods of remorse and periods of change. "Oh David, my son. You're like a son to me." And he'd speak great words of love, and then next day try to ram him through with a javelin again. So he was very vacillating.

Now Jonathan speaking these kind words to his dad about David, Saul responded and he said, "As the Lord liveth he'll not be slain."

So Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all of those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in Saul's presence as in times past. 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. 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 on the harp. And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but David slipped out of Saul's presence, and the javelin went into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. So Saul sent out messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him saying, Now if you don't save your life tonight, tomorrow you're gonna be dead. So Michal let David down through a window: and he fled, and escaped. And then she took the bed and put pillows under the blankets, so it looked like someone was lying there. And so in the morning when the messengers were gonna kill David, she said, Oh he's sick. [They said, "We want to bring him to Saul." They said, He's sick he's in bed. So they went to Saul and they said, "We can't bring him, the guy's sick in bed."] He said, Bring him with the bed and all so we can slay him. So they went back to get David, and then they found out that it was just the pillows under the blankets, [David was gone.] So he got angry with his daughter Michal, he said, What are you doing turning against your own father, your own flesh and blood to protect David? So Michal said to her dad, he said, Let me go or I'm going to kill you. [So she lied her way out of it.] So David fled, and he came to Samuel there in Ramah, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. And Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel stand as appointed over them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they all prophesied ( 1 Samuel 19:7-20 ).

So here is an interesting thing Samuel was there at Naioth, and David was there, and so they sent these guys out to take David in, and God's Spirit just came on them. They just started prophesying.

So he sent out another group of messengers to get David, and as they came near where the spirit of God was working, the spirit of God came on them, they started prophesying. So he sent out a third company of messengers to get David, [and when they came into the scene, and all this going on] they began to prophesy. So Saul came down himself, and the spirit came on Saul, and he took off his clothes, and he lay there naked all night prophesying. So that they began to say, Is Saul among the prophets ( 1 Samuel 19:21-24 )?

Again that proverb that came out early in Saul's career. "