I Samuel Chapter 19 "Evil
spirits Incites Saul [1-8]." This Bible
Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription is provided with written permission by http://www.theseason.org I Samuel 19:1 "And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David." David and Jonathan were very close friends, for they fought battles together, and they understood the closeness of those that go through combat together. It is a matter of relying on another person and staking your very life on each other for protection. Remember that Jonathan was the next in line to inherit the throne after Saul's death. I Samuel 19:2 "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:" Jonathan let it be know to David that Saul his father intended to kill him that night. I Samuel 19:3 "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." Jonathan assured David that he would go out to the field and be with his father Saul, and he would warn David of Saul's movements through the night. I Samuel 19:4 "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:" Jonathan was reminding Saul as they were out in the field, of all the good deeds that David had done for him. David had killed Goliath, the enemy of Saul and the Israelites, and David defended the people when they needed to be protected. When the giant was walking out in the valley stalking the troops, Saul like the rest of the soldiers were back in camp shaking in their boots. I Samuel 19:5 "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?" This is Saul's oldest son talking to him, in defense of David. I Samuel 19:6 "And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, "As the Lord liveth, he shall not be slain." Saul listened to Jonathan and made an oath that David will not be slain. Friend, if the devil is present and the devil's evil spirits are working through a person, do not trust that person for one moment. Don't trust any person possessed of the devil no matter what they promise to you. Their oath is by Satan, the devil, and Satan has been a liar since the fall of Satan back in the first earth age. It simply means nothing for a person possessed of evil spirits to sware in the name of God, and the point made here is do not let your guard down in your dealing with liars. I Samuel 19:7 "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." One step back and two steps forward, that is the way of the devil. Jonathan believed his father, and David relied on his friend Jonathan. Saul is taking a step backward and it may seem that things are going well for David, but that was the time to wake up and pay attention to what is going on around you. I Samuel 19:8 "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." David went to battle and came home in victory. David had the victory, and Saul does not have the glory of his people. Now after the battle David came back home to the way that things were before the battle, and picked up his harp to play for the king. However, the evil spirits came over Saul again. I Samuel 19:9 "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." Good and evil can never abide together, and under no circumstances should we allow ourselves to be deceived by one that is filled with evil spirits, and a liar. Good and evil just can not walk hand in hand, for it is an impossibility. So never let your guard down even when love is involved, for when Satan has the upper hand in ones life, they simply can not be trusted. Know who your enemy is, for the enemy is Satan. The more you know of him, the less you will be deceived by him and his ways. It wasn't Saul that was attacking David, it was the evil spirit that possessed Saul, that was out to kill David and put an end to the plan of God. After all, remember that the Messiah would be born and come through the loins, and lineage of David, and Satan knew that. I Samuel 19:10 "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." The demon of jealousy is in Saul's heart and Saul was out to kill David again. While David was sitting there playing the harp, Saul was reaching for the Javelin to pin David to the wall with it. Even though promises are made, when Satan and his evil spirits are involved, we had better be wise, or evil could come upon us also I Samuel 19:11 "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." Michal is Saul's own daughter, and she was concerned for her husband David. Love is a beautiful thing and it creates loyalty between people. Any time an evil spirit is involved it is time to be cautious. I Samuel 19:12 "So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled and escaped." I Samuel 19:13 "And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth." This "image" in the Hebrew text is a "teraphim", a statute in the form of a man. She put the head on the pillow and stuffed pillows filled with goats' hair under the covers. She made it look like David was still in the bed. I Samuel 19:14 "And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said "he is sick." " Michal lied to save David. I Samuel 19:15 "And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, "Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him." " When the messengers told Saul that David was in bed sick, Saul told the messengers to bring both David and the bed, so he could slay David in the bed. I Samuel 19:16 "And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for the bolster." When the messengers returned to take David and the bed, they found out that Michal had tricked them and lied about where David was. Remember that Michal was the youngest daughter of Saul, only Michal was more loyal to David than to her father Saul. This act put Michal in danger for her life even before the king, who was her father. I Samuel 19:17 "And Saul said to 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?" Michal is lying to her father again, for she is telling Saul that it became a matter of saving her life, in helping David escape. This is called covert action, for she trusted in David and not her father. Saul accepted Michal's explanation of her keeping the secret, for the sake of saving her life. I Samuel 19:18 "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." Remember from a prior chapter that Ramah was the place that Samuel had for training prophets. This is where David fled for safety. Naioth is the college located at Ramah, so Samuel and David went to stay at Naioth [the school]. I Samuel 19:19 "And it was told Saul, saying, "Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah." I Samuel 19:20 "And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied." The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit, and this is given to show us how God can protect his own. God caused the Holy Spirit to come upon these messengers of Saul, and their words became just as the prophets were. God turned the enemies of David into witnesses and protectors of David. I Samuel 19:21 "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." When Saul heard what had happened at Ramah, he sent other messengers, and in these additional times the same thing had happened. Saul people were turning to David's side and the Spirit of God was filling all those that came against David. I Samuel 19:22 "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 Naaioth in Ramah." I Samuel 19:23 "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." When Saul went himself to do harm to David, God took over Saul, for when the Spirit of God is present, all evil spirits will flee. So now God has Saul prophesing again, just as he was doing prior to becoming king, when he was roaming the country side looking for his asses. God can protect us by changing the minds of people who would be our enemy, to make them speak words in our defense. I Samuel 19:24 "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?" What a change that came over Saul, for he stripped himself of his royal clothing and lay naked before God and all the prophets. It didn't take long for such a thing to get spread among the people. God changed Saul's mind to protect David, because David was the one that the Christ would be born through. It was in the plan of God to have David rise to the throne, and the produce the lineage that Jesus would come through. Luke 3:31 "Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David." In the Greek text, "Which was" is another way of saying, "by law". Even today we use this same expression in talking about our spouses relatives, they are called our "in laws", which means "by law". Luke 3:23-28 gives us the lineage of Joseph's in-laws, which would be the Virgin Mary's lineage. God had a purpose for David in his plan that was set far before it actually took place, and God was protecting His own.
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