1 Samuel 19

1 Samuel 19 (Listen)

Saul Tries to Kill David

19:1 And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David. 2 And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.” 4 And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. 5 For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” 6 And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death.” 7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.

8 And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. 9 Then a harmful spirit from the LORD came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. 10 And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. 13 Michal took an image¹ and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. 14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” 15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16 And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’”

18 Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. 19 And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

(ESV)

1 Samuel 19 Commentary

In 1 Samuel 19, Saul commanded Jonathan and his servants to kill David, but Jonathan warned David to hide. Jonathan spoke to Saul on David’s behalf, reminding him of David’s loyalty and his victory over Goliath. Saul swore an oath not to kill David, and David returned to serve him (1 Samuel 19:1-7).

However, when war resumed, David once again defeated the Philistines. Enraged, Saul was overcome by an evil spirit and attempted to kill David with a spear, but David escaped that night (1 Samuel 19:8-10). Saul then sent men to David’s house to kill him in the morning, but Michal, David’s wife, helped him escape through a window. She deceived Saul’s men by placing an idol in his bed to make it seem like David was sick (1 Samuel 19:11-17).

David fled to Samuel in Ramah. When Saul sent men to capture him, they were overcome by the Spirit of God and began prophesying. This happened to three groups of men, and finally to Saul himself, who prophesied and lay exposed before Samuel all day and night. This led the people to once again ask, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Samuel 19:18-24).

Saul’s Rage

At this point, Saul has tried everything. He will not be satisfied until David is dead. Saul plotted. God protected. David escaped. Through all of this, Saul never changed. He believed he was fighting David, not God. This is evident when his son Jonathan comes to him and plainly explains the error of his ways. There was no conviction or second thought. Saul made it his goal to end David’s life.

Jonathan was put in a compromising situation. He had a tough choice to make. Biblically, you could make a case on both sides. The law said he must honor his father and obey him at all times. This meant he should help Saul kill David. However, he loved David and knew he was an innocent man. Killing David would have violated God’s commandment as well. It is beneficial for us to feel the tension of such a choice because we will face similar circumstances in life. There will be times when we feel we have to hurt or betray someone we love in order to follow God’s will.

How did Jonathan discern the right decision?

• Saul commanded Jonathan to do something that went against God’s character. Jonathan chose to obey God over man. It probably would have been easier for him to obey Saul. He would have the king on his side and earn his father’s approval. But in the end, he knew it violated God’s standard. It may seem like Jonathan chose a lesser sin (not honoring his father) over a greater sin (murder), but the key here is that Saul was not following God, which leads me to the second point.
• Jonathan evaluated the fruit. Just look at the ruin of Saul’s life. His willingness to sin has now evolved into a destructive force, consuming everything in its path. He is recruiting others to help him get what he wants. His decisions are causing division within his family, and let’s not forget, God has handed him over to this evil. David, on the other hand, demonstrated incredible integrity and grace throughout this process. The hatred of Saul’s heart becomes crystal clear against the backdrop of David’s integrity, and Jonathan knows it.

There will be times when obeying God means standing against the expectations of others, even those in authority over us. Like Jonathan, we may face situations where we are pressured to compromise our values, whether at work, in relationships, or even within our own families.

For example, imagine an employee who is asked by their boss to lie on a report to make the company look better. The employee knows that obeying their boss would secure their job and possibly even earn a promotion, but it would also go against God’s standard of truth and integrity (Proverbs 12:22). Like Jonathan, they must discern what is right and choose obedience to God over human approval.

Jonathan’s story teaches us that obeying God is not always easy, but it is always right. Choosing God’s way may cost us something (relationships, approval, or even comfort), but in the end, it leads to blessing and eternal reward (Galatians 6:9). Like Jonathan, we must have the courage to stand for truth, even when it’s difficult.

David’s Courage

David didn’t fight back. He didn’t defend himself. He didn’t even run away until he was forced to (1 Samuel 19:10-12). When he did retreat, he went to Samuel, a man of God. In hindsight, it could be said that God allowed David to experience this incredible storm so that he would become the king he needed to be (Psa 66:10; Jas 1:2-4).

What Saul planned for evil, God used for good (Gen 50:20; Rom 8:28). As soldiers of Christ, the strengthening and arming of our spiritual armor is absolutely dependent upon God allowing trials to come our way (Eph 6:10-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7). For David, he would not only develop as a leader, but he would prove to all those around him that he was willing to abandon his desires and accept whatever the Lord had for him (Psa 37:5-6; Pro 3:5-6).

God promises us we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Gal 6:9; 2 Cor 4:16-18).

Saul’s Bizarre Prophesying

Saul’s plan to kill David failed miserably. It was almost as if God set up a force field of prophecy to protect David. After three sets of mercenaries fail to get to David due to being overcome by God’s Spirit, Saul takes the “if you want something done right, do it yourself” approach. Before he even entered Naioth (a 90-minute journey from Secu), Saul began prophesying himself. Then, he did the unthinkable. After arriving, he stripped down and prophesied before Samuel while lying in a spiritual trance all night. What is going on?

“Saul’s loss of royal attire in the presence of God’s Spirit presented a powerful image confirming the prophetic judgments Samuel made earlier (cf. 15:23, 28). God had rejected Saul as king, so in God’s presence Saul would not be permitted to wear the clothing of royalty. Saul had “rejected the word of the LORD” (15:23), so now in an ironic twist he would be condemned to be a mouthpiece for that word.”

The New American Commentary

In 1 Samuel 19:24, the phrase “Is Saul also among the prophets?” is used again, but with a different tone than before. Originally, this saying was used in surprise when Saul prophesied in 1 Sam 10:11, and it didn’t carry any negative connotation. At that time, the people were simply amazed. However, in 1 Samuel 19, the saying is now used ironically, because Saul is no longer in a positive spiritual state. He is under the influence of an evil spirit, and instead of showing the strength or power he had before, he’s acting in a strange and vulnerable way.

In 1 Samuel 10, Saul received the Spirit of God and was empowered for a great task. But in 1 Samuel 19, the same Spirit now works in the opposite way, making Saul powerless and leading him to a humiliating state, as exemplified by stripping off his royal clothes.

The saying “Is Saul also among the prophets?” now has a more negative tone, as Saul is no longer a respected leader but someone who’s spiraling into disgrace. David, on the other hand, is once again fleeing from Saul’s attempts to kill him, adding to the tragic picture of Saul’s decline.