1 Samuel 19:11-17 - The Seventh Attempt To Kill David
Introduction
A. Family strife and division aroused by jealousy (v.11-17).
1. Saul sent some men to watch David's house and to kill him (v.11a).
a) Saul breaks his oath.
(1) Previously, Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be killed.” (1 Samuel 19:6). Now, for the second time, Saul goes back on that oath. He now sends “hit men” to David’s house to watch him and to kill him first thing in the morning.
2. Michal warned David and helped him escape (v.11b-14).
a) A conflict of loyalties.
(1) Michal being Saul’s daughter was now in conflict of whom she should be loyal to. Should she do something in her father’s interest or her husbands? She makes the right choice & supports her husband.
(2) Michal is acting according to the principle in (Genesis 2:24): “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
(3) Though the Genesis passage speaks specifically of the husband, it expresses a principle that applies to both partners in a marriage: that the former family loyalties and obligations take a back seat to the loyalty and obligation to the new family.
(4) That applies to us in our relationship with the Lord (Matthew 10:34-39 cf. Luke 12:49, 51-53):
(a) The gospel brings division & conflict (v.34), therefore, a disciple of Jesus must be willing to forsake everything including one’s own family if necessary, for Christ’s sake.
(b) Sometimes the division between believers and unbelieving relatives is lifelong and irreconcilable; however, a true disciple must be willing to pay the price.
(c) The gospels record two would-be followers who would not do this: One wanted to wait for his inheritance before following the Lord, and the other wanted to delay obedience until he had settled everything with his family.
Of such half-hearted, divided commitment Jesus said, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:57–62).
(d) The phrase “is not worthy of Me” identifies the person who will not come to Christ because of other intimate and meaningful relationships that might be affected.
Through Zacharias the Holy Spirit proclaimed John the Baptist as the forerunner of “the Sunrise from on high,” who would “guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78–79).
At Jesus’ birth the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” (2:14).
Shortly before His crucifixion Jesus assured the twelve, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; … Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27)
And again, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace” (16:33).
But He qualified both of those promises, explaining in the first instance, “not as the world gives, do I give [peace] to you” (14:27b), and in the second, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (16:33b).
(e) At Christ’s second coming there will be a perfect kingdom of peace, but for now, the gospel that brings inner peace to those who believe will also be the cause of their being misunderstood by those who do not believe-including those nearest and dearest to them. The most heart-rending divisions are always among those who are closest to us. Nowhere can feelings be hurt more deeply than in the home.
b) Let him down through a window (v.12).
(1) Psalm 59: During this night, when men watched his house and David escaped, he composed a song unto the LORD, found in Psalm 59. The introduction of that Psalm says, when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.
(2)
c) Put an idol under the bed coverings to deceive the assassins (v.13)
(1) “image” – The image was a teraphim, a figurine used as a household idol, or as a fertility and good luck charm.
(a) In ancient Israel, teraphim were intended as helps in worshipping the true God. They didn’t think of the teraphim as other gods, but as representing the LORD God of Israel.
(b) Rachel, the wife of Jacob, also had teraphim (called household idols in Genesis 31:19). The would-be priest Micah used household idols in his corrupt worship of God (Judges 17:5). In 1 Samuel 15:23, when Samuel said to Saul, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry,” the word idolatry is the word teraphim. In the godly reforms of Josiah, he prohibited the use of household idols (1 Kings 23:24).
(c) However, God’s people had no business having or using an image like this. No doubt is this David’s idol but Michal’s which shows that she didn’t have the kind of relationship with God that she should have.
(2) Remember Saul plotted to use his younger daughter's love for David as a snare (18:20-21) by having her seduce and corrupt David spiritually (v.21a).
(3) Saul hoped that Michal would corrupt David with her idolatrous worship and false gods (1 Samuel 19:13). This happened to David’s son Solomon (1King 11:1-14).
(4) The result: God's protection would be removed (v.21a). If David began to engage in idolatry and false worship, David would bring the judgment of God upon himself. David's success would begin to decline and he would begin to lose popularity with the people and perhaps even be killed in battle.
d) Satan wants to “snare us” as well:
(1) We must stand against all seduction and evil influence and associations that might corrupt us. God's Word is clear: we live in the world, but we must not be a part of the world. Spiritually, we are to be separated from the world and its evil influences and associations.
Jesus said "“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; " (Luke 21:34, NASB95)
Speaking of money, Paul said "But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10, NASB95)
Paul said to Timothy "The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:24-26, NASB95)
(2) Keep yourselves in the love of God (Jude 21). Keeping yourself in that place where God can do the things He wants to do because He loves you. How is this done (vs.20-21)?
e) Claimed that David was ill, unable to get up (v.14)
3. Saul sent the assassins back to arrest David, even if he was ill (v.15).
(1) When the assassins returned to Saul, he sent them right back to arrest David, even if they had to bring him in his bed. In Saul's mind, absolutely nothing was going to keep him from killing David.
4. Michal's deception was discovered by the men (v.16).
5. Saul questioned Michal about her deception (v.17).
a) Saul's question: Why had she deceived him & helped my enemy (v.17a)?
(1) Saul is now describing David as his enemy when David was really Saul’s friend & David had done more to help Saul than just about anyone.
(2) The only reason David was Saul’s enemy is because Saul wanted to see him that way.
b) Michal's response: David had threatened her, forced her to lie (v.17b)
(1) Michal was faithful to David with her actions, but not with her words. She told Saul that David had threatened to kill her, and that is why she let him escape.
(2) Michal said this to protect herself. Maybe she felt that she had to cover herself as the victim so that her father wouldn’t kill her also. If this is the case, it is hard to be judgmental towards Michal; she has just seen her husband escape as a fugitive, she doesn’t know if he will live or die or when she will see him again, and she may fear for her own life.
(3) At the same time, it is hard to honor Michal as she protects herself by lying about her husband, and painting him as a man who would cold-bloodedly murder his wife.
(4) Michal might have helped David because she wanted to do something against her father. If this is the case she appeared to have helped her husband but her motive was otherwise.
6. Strife, Division and Jealousy.
a) What causes Strife?
(1) Self-centeredness / Carnality (1Cor.3:1-3 cf. Luke 22:24). Because self–centeredness is at the heart of fleshly behavior, jealousy and strife are always found in an immature congregation.
(2) Jealousy is the attitude, and strife is the action that results from it. One is the inner emotional condition, the other the outward expression of selfishness.
(3) This is something that God hates (Prov.6:19) and will lead to division
b) What are the results?
(1) Confusion and evil works (James 3:16).
(2) Devouring each other (Galatians 5:15).
(3) Shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).
(4) And in the case of Saul, murder, wanting to kill David.
c) What are the answers?
(1) Avoid quarreling (2 Tim.2:24-26).
The writer of proverbs says that "The beginning of strife is like letting out water, So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out…" and that "Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, But any fool will quarrel.” (Proverbs 17:14; 20:3, NASB95)