David escapes Saul’s plots

19:1 Then Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan liked David very much. 19:2 So Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you. So be careful tomorrow morning. Find a hiding place and stay in seclusion. 19:3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are. I will speak about you to my father. When I find out what the problem is, I will let you know.” 19:4 So Jonathan spoke on David’s behalf to his father Saul. He said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned against you. On the contrary, his actions have been very beneficial for you. 19:5 He risked his life when he struck down the Philistine and the Lord gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you were happy. So why would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death for no reason?” 19:6 Saul accepted Jonathan’s advice and took an oath, “As surely as the Lord lives, he will not be put to death.” 19:7 Then Jonathan called David and told him all these things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he had done formerly. 19:8 Now once again there was war. So David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them thoroughly and they ran away from him. 19:9 Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing the lyre. 19:10 Saul tried to nail David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul’s presence and the spear drove into the wall. David escaped quickly that night. 19:11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to guard it and to kill him in the morning. Then David’s wife Michal told him, “If you do not save yourself tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!” 19:12 So Michal lowered David through the window, and he ran away and escaped. 19:13 Then Michal took a household idol and put it on the bed. She put a quilt made of goat’s hair over its head and then covered the idol with a garment. 19:14 When Saul sent messengers to arrest David, she said, “He’s sick.” 19:15 Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed so I can kill him.” 19:16 When the messengers came, they found only the idol on the bed and the quilt made of goat’s hair at its head. 19:17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me this way by sending my enemy away? Now he has escaped!” Michal replied to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away or else I will kill you!’” 19:18 Now David had run away and escaped. He went to Samuel in Ramah and told him everything that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed at Naioth. 19:19 It was reported to Saul saying, “David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 19:20 So Saul sent messengers to capture David. When they saw a company of prophets prophesying with Samuel standing there as their leader, the spirit of God came upon Saul’s messengers, and they also prophesied. 19:21 When it was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they prophesied too. So Saul sent messengers a third time, but they also prophesied. 19:22 Finally Saul himself went to Ramah. When he arrived at the large cistern that is in Secu, he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” They said, “At Naioth in Ramah.” 19:23 So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. The Spirit of God came upon him as well, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 19:24 He even stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. He lay there naked all that day and night. (For that reason it is asked, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”)

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Saul again tries to kill David, but the Lord keeps David safe. Jonathan speaks for David and warns Saul not to sin. Michal helps David escape from the house. Then Saul’s men and Saul himself are stopped by the Spirit of God when they come after David at Naioth. The chapter shows Saul’s guilt and God’s control.

This chapter shows Saul growing more hostile toward David. Saul orders David’s death, but Jonathan warns David and then pleads with Saul not to sin against an innocent man. Jonathan reminds Saul that David has done him good and that the Lord gave Israel victory through David.

Saul seems to agree for a moment, but his change does not last. When war comes again, David wins over the Philistines. Then an evil spirit from the Lord troubles Saul, and Saul tries to pin David to the wall with a spear. David escapes.

Saul then sends men to David’s house to watch for him and kill him in the morning. Michal warns David, lowers him through a window, and helps him get away. She then uses a household idol to deceive Saul’s messengers. The text reports what she did, but it does not stop to praise it.

David flees to Samuel at Ramah. Saul sends men to seize him, but when they reach the prophets, the Spirit of God comes on them and they prophesy instead. Saul keeps sending more men, and they also prophesy. Finally Saul goes himself, and the Spirit of God comes on him too. He prophesies before Samuel and lies there all day and night. The story ends by showing that Saul cannot control events. The Lord protects David and brings Saul low.

• Saul’s hatred of David is sinful and unjust.
• Jonathan speaks truth and defends the innocent.
• David has done Saul no harm and has served him well.
• The Lord gives David victory and keeps him safe.
• An evil spirit from the Lord troubles Saul, yet Saul remains responsible for his murderous intent.
• Michal helps David escape, but the narrative does not explicitly commend her deception.
• The Spirit of God overrules Saul’s messengers and Saul himself at Naioth.
• Saul is humiliated, while David is preserved for the future.

• Warning: Do not sin against the innocent.
• Warning: Jealousy and unchecked power lead to violence.
• Warning: Religious words or oaths do not prove a right heart.
• Promise: The Lord can preserve his servant even when rulers oppose him.
• Command: Speak truth and defend the innocent, like Jonathan did.

This passage is part of the movement from Saul’s failed kingship to David’s preserved kingship. The Lord is protecting the one he has chosen, even before David is publicly enthroned. Saul’s downfall and David’s escape show that God’s purpose will stand. The prophetic scene at Naioth also shows that the Lord’s word stands over the throne, not under it.

Believers should trust God to guard his purposes when powerful people act unjustly. They should speak up for what is right and defend the innocent. They should also remember that suffering is not always proof that God has left them. At the same time, they should not copy every action in the story, such as Michal’s deception, as if it were a general command for all people.

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