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?
When Saul told Jonathan and all his servants to put David to death, no sensible servant would have approved of this. Jonathan however, positively loved David and warned him of Saul's intentions. Still, Jonathan thought He could reason with Saul and persuade him that David was not an enemy, but a true friend. He advised David to remain hidden from Saul, while Jonathan interceded for him with his father. Then Jonathan "spoke good of David to Saul his father" (v.4). How appropriate it is if we today will speak good of the Lord Jesus before others who oppose Him! He speaks of the negative fact that David had in no way harmed Saul, then of the positive fact that David's works had been very good, including venturing his life against Goliath, which had caused Saul and all Israel to rejoice.
Jonathan urges his father that, since he had himself rejoiced in David's victory over Goliath, he should surely not now change his mind and give orders for David's death. He tells him that this is sin against innocent blood, for there was no cause. Jonathan's reasoning is of course plain and right, and on this occasion has a good effect upon Saul. Not only does he give way but swears by the Lord that David would not be killed (v.6). Jonathan therefore brings David back again to his former position in Saul's company. We may be sure that David would be continually on his guard at this time, for experience would teach him to be cautious.
Another war takes place (v.8). David leads the armies of Israel, accomplishing a great victory, with many Philistines slaughtered, the rest retreating in confusion. Instead of this causing Saul to appreciate and honor David, it rather incurred his deeper jealousy. His real enemy was only his own pride which opened the door to the evil spirit to influence him hatefully toward David. Yet it is again made clear that the evil spirit could not do this without God's permission. God in His sovereign government allowed this because of Saul's stubbornness. Saul had refused God's Spirit, therefore he must learn by experience that he has actually chosen a spirit of evil. This experience ought to have awakened his conscience and driven him to the Lord, but he would not yield to God.
Again Saul threw his javelin at David, intending to kill him. What was the value of his sworn oath that David would not be killed (v.6)? This breaking of his oath shows Saul's painful incapacity for ruling over men. David was on guard, however, and again dodged the javelin and escaped from Saul's house (v.10).
Now he was not safe even in his own house. Michal knew that Saul had sent messengers to watch David's house through the night and she realized that Saul had given them orders to kill David in the morning. She warned him to escape during the night and let him down (perhaps with a rope) through a window. He was able to avoid being seen by Saul's servants and escaped for his life.
Michal, to gain time for David, had put a "teraphim" in David's bed (v.13). This was a image in human form, actually idolatrous yet too often used by Israelites alongside of the worship of God. Poor Michal! She did not know the power of God, nor did she have real faith in His faithfulness. She thought it necessary to at least partly trust in idols! but we all may too easily become adept at practicing deception.
Michal did not gain her desired end by telling Saul's messengers that David was sick. Saul was so determined to kill him quickly that he ordered his servants to bring David to Saul in his bed. Then of course they discovered the deception, and Saul was upset with his daughter because she had been helpful to her own husband! Instead of calling David HER HUSBAND, Saul calls him "my enemy," which was not true, for David had no enmity toward Saul. He demanded of her why she had let David escape.
Why did Michal not tell Saul frankly that she did not want her husband to be killed? Evidently her love for David took second place to her fear of Saul. For she lied to her father, telling him that David had threatened to kill her if she did not let him go. What pathetic weakness was this, in contrast to her brother Jonathan's bold defense of David before Saul (vs.4-5).
From this time David no longer served Saul in fighting his battles or in playing the harp for him. Mere jealousy had made Saul a cruel enemy of David, and David is practically driven away as a fugitive in the wilderness. He came to Samuel at Ramah and reported Saul's activities against him. Samuel does nothing about this, not even sending a reproof to Saul, nor interceding with him for David. He knew that Saul had committed himself to his senseless course, and nothing would stop him. For the time, David lived with Samuel at Naioth, in the vicinity of Ramah.
News of David's whereabouts reached Saul, who sent men to take him captive. However, they find Samuel in charge of a company of prophets, all of whom were prophesying. This was actually the work of the Spirit of God, who also influenced Saul's messengers to prophesy rather than to arrest David.
When Saul learned that his messengers had come under the power of God's prophetic Word, rather than having his conscience exercised to remember this had happened to him before (1 Samuel 10:10), he sent more messengers to apprehend David. But they too prophesied when they came to Samuel. Therefore Saul sent another group, who were also affected in the same way.
But even this did not reach Saul's hardened conscience. Consequently he must learn by a humiliating experience. He went himself to Ramah, and asking directions found his way to Naioth where Samuel was, but before reaching Samuel he was laid hold of by the Spirit of God to prophesy as the others had. His weapons here were useless. In fact, he stripped off his clothes, at least his outer garments, and laid down without defense of any kind all that day and all night. God was showing Saul His superior power, not in judgment, but in kindness. Yet this rendered Saul helpless to do harm to David, for it was spiritual power. This ought to have spoken deeply to Saul's conscience, and also ought to have encouraged David to realize that God's sovereign hand could always be depended upon to provide protection for him.