1 Samuel 19:18-24

David With Samuel. 1 Samuel 19:18-24

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?

7.

What was Naioth of Ramah? 1 Samuel 19:19

Naioth was the communal dwelling place of the company of the prophets found in Ramah. It can hardly be taken as a town for there is no reference of Samuel's moving his residence to a smaller village which would be under the jurisdiction of Ramah. The Naioth would likely be located at the highest point in Ramah. This would make the ideal dwelling place of the prophet.

8.

What was Samuel's position with the prophets? 1 Samuel 19:20

Samuel was called the head of the prophets. He had jurisdiction over them and occupied the same place that Elijah evidently occupied at a later time. When Elijah was about to be taken into heaven, Elisha asked to be given a double portion of Elijah's spirit. Elisha was evidently asking to be recognized as Elijah's successor as head of the prophets (2 Kings 2:9).

9.

What caused the prophesying? 1 Samuel 19:20 b

The Spirit of God came upon the men. The prophets could not work up an ecstatic frame of mind. They were not whirling dervishes and even the use of the musical instruments does not account for the spirit of prophecy coming upon these men. It has well been said that no prophecy is of any private interpretation. Men of God did not speak as it pleased them, for no prophecy ever came by the will of man, but men spake from God being moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).

10.

Who were the company of the prophets? 1 Samuel 19:20

The company of the prophets are sometimes known as the band of the prophets. On other occasions they are known as the school of the prophets. Another designation is sons of the prophets. These were young men that are met in the Scripture all the way from the time of Samuel down to the time of Amos who said that he was not a son of a prophet (Amos 7:14). These men were allowed to marry, but they lived in a common dwelling place. They had an older prophet as their leader. On occasions they were sent on such important missions as anointing kings, even in a country like Syria. They were sent on special missions such as that fulfilled by the unnamed prophet who announced judgment on Jeroboam's idolatry (1 Kings 13:1).

11.

In what sense was Saul naked? 1 Samuel 19:24

Saul did not have on his usual regal costume. He was probably clad only in his undergarments. This truth is brought out in such instances as the occasion on which David danced before the Ark. On that occasion, he wore a linen ephod (2 Samuel 6:14). When David got to his house, Michal upbraided him because she thought he had shamelessly uncovered himself (2 Samuel 6:20). Evidently Michal was incensed that her husband, the king, would dance before the Ark in such an abbreviated costume as a priest's ephod. She must have thought that it was beneath his dignity to be among the common people and not to have on his robe and crown. On another occasion we learn that Peter put on his coat and jumped into the sea because he was naked (John 21:7). The American Standard Version contains a footnote indicating that Peter had on his undergarment only. This must have been the case with Saul's lying on the ground all night and prophesying.

12.

Why is the proverb given twice? 1 Samuel 19:24

When Saul first met a band of prophets after leaving Samuel, he fell in with them and began to prophesy (1 Samuel 10:12). People learned of this, and they started the proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? On this occasion at Naioth Saul once again fell among the prophets and prophesied. The occasion received a new exemplification. It also received a new basis and was therefore the cause of the proverb being revived and emphasized.