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 Lordworked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?”
1. Why would Saul seek to kill David?
The murderous design he had secretly cherished he now reveals to a few of his intimate friends. Jonathan was among the number. JFB
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Jer 17:9 (ESV)
Saul was, for a time, convinced of the unreasonableness of his enmity to David; but he continued his malice against David. So incurable is the hatred of the seed of the serpent against that of the woman; so deceitful and desperately wicked is the heart of man without the grace of God,—Matthew Henry Concise
When Saul’s scheming efforts failed, he brought Jonathan and all his servants into the plot. Apparently, Saul did not know about the friendship of David and Jonathan.
Saul no longer tried to disguise or cover his evil intent toward David, but ironically made known his intent to those who held David in the highest esteem. MSBN
Saul personally attempts to kill David, then he openly gives orders that David be slain.
In Chapters 18 and 19 Saul tries to kill David 12 times.
| 18:11 | Saul throws his spear at David twice |
| 18:13 | Saul makes David commander of 1,000, hoping he will be killed |
| 18:17 | Merab is offered to David, if he will“fight the Lord’s battles like a valiant man” |
| 18:20 | Michal is offered to David for 100 Philistine foreskins, and he presents 200 |
| 19:1 | Saul orders Jonathan and his servants to kill David |
| 19:10 | Saul slings his spear at David again |
| 19:11 | Saul sends messengers to David’s house to kill him |
| 19:18 | Saul sends three groups of men to Naioth to take David, then comes himself |
In chapter 20, Saul not only continues to try to put David to death, he throws his spear at Jonathan for defending David (20:33).
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2. Is it possible that there is a spiritual component to Saul’s jealousy that even he is not aware of?
The one thing Saul cannot stand in his servants is their success. Like Satan, Saul does not take well to being in second place (see Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28). And so when the Israelite commanders go out to battle, David is among them (see 18:13), and he does better than all of them (18:30). Without intending to do so, David continues to grow in fame. His wisdom (undoubtedly the product of the Spirit; see 16:13) sets him apart from all the other commanders. He is a man highly esteemed. RD
You said in your heart,‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ Isaiah 14:13-14 (ESV)
You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.Ezek 28:15 (ESV)
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Gen 3:15 (ESV)
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David,the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, …… and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam,………..…………………and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.Matt 1:1-17 (ESV)
23 Jesus,when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, ………………….the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed,………………….the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. Luke 3:23-38 (ESV)
So it appears that if Satan can use Saul to kill David, then the plan of salvation is defeated and you and I are on our way to Hell.
3. Is it possible that Satan is using geopolitical events of today much like he used Saul to thwart the second coming of Christ and the eventual defeat of the forces of darkness?
This hated of David made no sense and was not logical. Is this not the case with the attempts by Hitler and now the Muslim jihadist to destroy the Jews, the Nation of Israel, and the United States?
The Muslim Brotherhood Nazi Connection
In 2012 there have been 1700 rocket attacks and 600 mortars launched on Israel over 900 since Nov 14th of this month.
Fort Hood shooter, 911 World Trade Center attack, countless suicide bombings, Benghazi, the Taliban, and the list goes on and on.
“Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends.” (Surah 5:51)
Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and God’s religion shall reign supreme.” (Surah 8:36-)
“Fight against such as those to whom the Scriptures were given [Jews and Christians]…until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued.” (Surah 9:27-)
If you do not fight, He will punish you sternly, and replace you by other men.” (Surah 9:37-)
“Prophet make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home.” (Surah 9:73)
“Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal firmly with them.” (Surah 9:121-)
“Slay them wherever you find them…Idolatry is worse than carnage…Fight against them until idolatry is no more and God’s religion reigns supreme.” (Surah 2:190-)
“Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it.” (Surah 2:216)
1 The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. 4 On that day, declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.’ 6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem. 7 “And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. 8 On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them. 9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great. Zech. 12:1-11 (ESV)
If there is no Israel, none of this can happen. Is there a not so subtle agenda behind much of what we see going on around us in the world.
6 And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the Lordlives, 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.
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4. So Saul puts aside his plan to kill David?
For the moment, Saul is persuaded by Jonathan’s reasoning. He swears that “as the Lord lives” David will not be put to death (verse 6). It is not a promise that will last long, but it is a temporary and partial admission of guilt on Saul’s part and a confession of David’s innocence. Jonathan calls David, tells him about the meeting with his father and its outcome, and then brings him back into his father’s presence. For a short time, at least, things are like they used to be.
Evil never gives up until it is utterly destroyed. It just takes a break.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Matt 24:7-8 (ESV)
When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Rev 8:1 (NKJV)
5. How is Jonathan now in a difficult position?
He now is caught in the position of having to warn and protect his friend from his father’s evil intentions yet must still remain obedient to his father the king.
Jonathan’s dealings with his father on behalf of David are a model for us in several regards. First, we find here an example of a friend who loves his neighbor as himself. Confronting (or should we say “crossing”) Saul is dangerous business (see 16:2, 4; 20:33; 22:11-19), yet Jonathan does it. Second,Jonathan subordinates himself and his own personal interests (e.g. in the throne) to those of David (see 23:17). Third, Jonathan is a faithful and submissive son to his father, Saul. Jonathan approaches his father directly and speaks to him with respect. He speaks well of David. He appeals for David’s life on the one hand, but on the other he appeals to his father to do that which is in his own best interest. He reminds Saul that David is his most faithful and devoted servant, whose actions have always benefited Saul. He also reminds his father that when David killed Goliath, he rejoiced in David’s victory, because it was Saul’s victory as well (19:5). To act in a hostile manner against David would not be just or wise, and even worse, it would be sin, for it would be shedding innocent blood (19:4-5).
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 image 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?’”
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6. Can we appreciate the irony here?
“Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife, only be a valiant man for me and fight the LORD’S battles.”
Saul reneges on his offer to give David his eldest daughter and David ends up with Michal who loves David and is willing to risk everything for him by deceiving her father. It would appear that Saul’s dishonesty ends up biting him in the butt.
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.
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7. What just happened?
David escapes into the night and flees to Ramah, where he meets Samuel and tells him all Saul has done to him. He and Samuel then leave Ramah and go to Naioth. Word reaches Saul that David and Samuel are at Naioth in Ramah, and so the king sends some of his men to arrest David. When these men arrive at Naioth, they encounter a group of prophets who are prophesying. Samuel is among them, presiding over the group. The Spirit of God then comes upon the men whom Saul has sent to capture David, and they also begin to prophesy. We are not told what these men do who are overcome by the Spirit, other than prophesy, but we can venture a guess that may not be too far off the mark. We know for certain that these men do not arrest David or harm Samuel. If these men prophesy, it is reasonable to suppose that their words include praising God. It is also possible that they prophesy concerning Israel’s next king. If these men, under the control of God’s Spirit, proclaim David as Israel’s next king, how can they possibly take part in Saul’s plan to kill him? From Saul’s point of view, this first group of men is a write off.
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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?”
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8. Isn’t the definition of insanity, doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome?
How natural it was for David to seek refuge with the faithful prophet Samuel who resided less than an hour’s walk from Saul’s headquarters. Naioth was evidently a compound within Ramah where Samuel headed a school of prophets. The Hebrew word literally means “habitations.” God here rescued David, not by any human intermediary but directly by the overpowering influence of His Spirit. Prophesying involved praising the Lord . Saul’s three groups of messengers, and even the king himself, ended up serving God rather than opposing Him. The Holy Spirit overrode the king’s authority. Saul’s disrobing probably symbolized the loss of his regal dignity and status as well as his personal dignity.
This is indeed a demonstration to Saul and everyone else of the power of God. In chapter 10 Saul is among the prophets and prophesied. This marks the beginning of Saul’s reign. Here in chapter 19 many years later this incident marks the end of Saul’s reign. These prophetic episodes are prophetic bookends to Saul as king. God shows all that He installed Saul as king and He can take him out.
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ACC …. Adam Clarke’s Commentary
· BBC………..Bridgeway Bible Commentary
· BDB………….. Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
· BKC……….Bible Knowledge Commentary, the
· BN …..Barnes Notes
· CMM………….Commentary on Matthew and Mark
· CN …… Constables Notes
· CSC…….Chuck Smith Commentary
· Darby………..John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT
· ESVN………….ESV Study Bible Notes
· Gill………..John Gill Exposition of the Bible
· IC……….Ironside Commentary
· JFB…………..Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary
· Johnson………Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament.
· JVM ….J Vernon McGee,
· MH………..Matthew Henry Commentary
· MSBN…….MacArthur NASB Study Notes
· NET………Net Bible Study Notes.
· NIVSN…..NIV Study Notes
· NTCMM……..The New Testament Commentary Matthew and Mark.
· RD………….Robert Deffinbaugh bible.org
· VWS……………..Vincent Word Studies
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