Theme: The God-Hearted find their protection in God, who will use friendships, spouses, spiritual leaders, and His own Spirit to watch over His flock.

• In the passage before us, Saul’s envy of David is going to lead to David’s banishment from the king’s court. God will protect David with Jonathan, Michal, Samuel, and His Spirit.
  • Ultimately, God protected David, and He longs to protect you on your journey to become God-hearted. But remember, David sought God. Here are some excerpts from the Psalm he wrote during events in this chapter:
    • Psalm 59:1–3 (ESV) — 1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; 2 deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. 3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD…
    • Psalm 59:9–10 (ESV) — 9 O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. 10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
    • Psalm 59:17 (ESV) — 17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

1 Protected By A Friend… (19:1-7)

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.

• 1 That they should kill David: He expects his servants to do the deed.
  • This is envy, but more than envy, resistance of God’s clear and determined will.
• 2 Jonathan told David: He denied his father to protect David.
• 4 Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul: He interceded for David, testifying of all David had done for Saul and Israel.
• 6 Saul swore: Typical Saul; this treaty was not worth the paper it was printed on, for it would not last.
• 7 Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before: All is well.

A] Jonathan told the truth at all costs (1-3).

• He endangered himself and denied his father in order to speak the truth to David. He then went further and spoke on David’s behalf to Saul.
• We need friends who will speak the truth to us.
  • Romans 12:9 (ESV) — 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
    • Disingenuous love: approving of evil.
  • 1 John 5:16 (ESV) — 16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.
    • Prayer for the wayward.
  • Galatians 6:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

B] Jonathan brought him back to the right place (4-7).

• Jonathan fought for restoration.
  • Good friends:
    • Don’t leave your spouse.
    • Get back to church.
    • Call them…

2 Protected By A Spouse… (19:8-17)

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 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?’ ”

• 8 Great blow: David’s victories begin to sound a warning, for his success invariably leads to Saul’s envy.
• 9-10 Spear / Lyre / Wall: Similar to 1 Samuel 16 and 18, Saul again attempts to kill David.
• 11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house / to watch / that he might kill him: Treacherous.
• 11 Michal, David’s wife, told him: She will intercede for David.
• 17 Saul had the audacity to refer to David as his ”enemy”.
• 12 Through it all, David fled away and escaped. The entire scene is so tragic that its comical. We should not, however, lose sight of the fact this hurt David deeply.
  • David penned Psalm 59, which I referenced earlier, here.
  • Michal, his new bride, was God’s instrument of protection during this episode.

A] Michal told David things only she could know (11).

• As the daughter of Saul, Michal had access to information.
  • Perhaps she had informants, or perhaps her father was foolish enough to tell her, never thinking she would side with David.
• Marriage in Eden:
  • Genesis 2:18 (ESV) — 18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
  • Genesis 2:23 (ESV) — 23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
  • Genesis 2:24 (ESV) — 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
    • As spouses, from the position of oneness, provide help in many ways, including the complementary side of things.

B] Michal provided a way of escape (12).

• She let David out the window.
• But a spouse can be God’s way of protecting you.
  • Spiritual escape: a check and balance to carnality.
  • Emotional escape: laughter, joy, and fun.
  • Sexual escape (1 Corinthians 7:1-7).

3 Protected By A Spiritual Leader (19:18)

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.

Samuel, as a prophet, could authoritatively declare God’s word to David (18-20).

• His history:

  • 1 Samuel 3:19 (ESV) — 19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
  • 1 Samuel 4:1 (ESV) — 1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek.

• God desires to protect you with authoritative Bible teaching.

  • Ephesians 4:11–12 (ESV) — 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
  • Galatians 6:6 (ESV) — 6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.
  • 1 Timothy 4:13 (ESV) — 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
  • 1 Timothy 5:17 (ESV) — 17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
  • Hebrews 13:7 (ESV) — 7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
  • Hebrews 13:17 (ESV) — 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

4 Protected By The Spirit… (19:19-24)

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?”

• 21 Third time: There times the Spirit drove these assassins into some sort of spiritual dimension or ecstasy.
  • Threefold witness, in the Old Testament era, was a way to confirm testimony (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15).
  • This threefold witness should have helped Saul see God had selected David.
• 24 Stripped off his clothes: Kingly garments. His nakedness meant he was still covered, but his kingly garments were gone.
• 24 Is Saul also among the prophets?: They had asked this question at a similar event when Saul was younger, after his coronation.
  • 1 Samuel 10:12 (ESV) — 12 And a man of the place answered, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
    • The meaning the first time (positive meaning): God can use anyone.
    • The meaning the second time (negative meaning): But that doesn’t mean he’s godly.

The Spirit intervened (20-24).

• Protecting.
• Confirming God’s plan.

Close

• Jesus:
  • The better friend.
  • The better spouse.
  • The better leader.
  • The giver of the Spirit.