In David’s Defense
Notes
Transcript
The story of 1 Samuel 19 is a masterclass in divine protection. It’s as if the curtain is pulled back to show us that while Saul schemes, God saves; while the enemy rages, the Lord still reigns.
In this single chapter we see four scenes of God’s preserving grace:
a Friendship that Fights for the righteous,
a Fury that Festers in the wicked,
a Favor that Frees the Lord’s servant,
and a Force of the Spirit that Foils the enemy.
Through it all, God proves that His purposes can’t be thwarted. Whether through people, providence, or power, He protects His anointed and accomplishes His will. The same God who stood by David stands by us today—faithful, sovereign, and strong to save.
Friendship that Fights for the Righteous (vv. 1–7)
Friendship that Fights for the Righteous (vv. 1–7)
Summary: Jonathan courageously risks his own future and family loyalty to warn David, defend his innocence, and broker peace, showing that God-given friendship sacrificially protects and points others toward righteousness.
Jonathan’s Courage: Warns David despite family ties and personal cost.
After multiple failed attempts on David’s life already (hurled spears and Philistine front lines come to mind), he convenes a secret council to try and get the job done. Among the ones there is Jonathan, David’s “down for whatever.”
Remember Jonathan’s response to David in Chapter 18? He gives David his sword, shield, armor and robe. Yet, he’s the one who stands to gain the most from David’s death. Still, he goes to David and reveals Saul’s plan to kill David. We often hear the phrase, “Blood is thicker than water.” However, God knits His people together in the deepest and longest-lasting relationships, especially in light of eternity. He tells David to go into hiding while he tries to hash things out with his father. Talk about the drama!
Jonathan’s Case:
David is Faultless – He is innocent (vs.4).
David is a Faithful Deliverer – God used him to save Israel (v.5a).
There would be a Fatal Consequence – Shedding innocent blood would condemn Saul, the culmination of killing innocent David (v.5b). (Consider Proverbs 6:16–17 “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,”).
Jonathan is able to broker peace between Saul and David, reminding Saul that David had served him faithfully and had been used of God for the deliverance of all of Israel.
Application: God knits believers together in loyal, sacrificial relationships that point us to righteousness and protects us from evil. Who is that person for you? Or people? The ones who are the “thick and thin people,” the ones you can call and count on no matter what? The ones who tell you hard truths in order to protect you from spiritual ruin? The ones who build you up when you feel it’s all falling apart? And, who can count on you for such a relationship? Remember that as believers, we are not called to run the race alone. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. We share in the very same body, the body of Christ. We have a unity that is knit by Christ Himself, even if it takes some intentionality to live it out. Find your few who push you to pursue Christ with vigor, lock arms with them, and run the race faithfully.
Fury that Festers in the Wicked (vv. 8–10)
Fury that Festers in the Wicked (vv. 8–10)
Summary: Saul, consumed by unchecked sin and tormented by God’s judgment, turns his spear on innocent David, proving that sin left unaddressed will always grow until it destroys.
Verse 8 marks a transition in the narrative timeline.
Harmful Spirit’s Return: A fresh wave of judgment exposes Saul’s heart. While David is away again fighting for Saul and Israel, striking the Philistines with “a great blow,” Saul’s at home and for a third time, he’s tormented by a “harmful spirit” from God. This spirit is a sign and agent of God’s judgment on Saul. Remember this spirit is in response to Saul’s sin.
Hostile Spear Thrown: Saul’s anger again erupts against David. Notice that Saul is prepared to do harm — he’s sitting around the “house with his spear in his hand.” David, as he would often do, is playing his lyre to calm Saul, but to no avail. The spear is hurled for the third time, and David is gone, fleeing and escaping that night.
“There is a sad irony,” Davis says about these verses. Verse 8 begins with David striking the Philistines and causing them to flee, and it ends with Saul trying to strike David, causing him to flee. Because of the sin in Saul’s heart, the victor over the Philistines is now treated like a Philistine.
Here’s the humbling truth we see at play in Saul:
Sin left unchecked only escalates.
Application: Sin left unchecked only escalates — what you harbor will eventually hunt you down. You see it in the Bible: Cain refused to listen to God’s warning and ends up killing Abel. David entertains lust in his heart until he possesses Bathsheba and has her husband killed. Judas’ quiet greed ended in the ultimate betrayal.
But, it happens in everyday life as well:
A person feels slighted, but refuses to forgive. The bitter pill of unforgiveness ends in a wake of ruined relationships.
Someone tries to deal with stress by turning to alcohol, but it ends up consuming them as their hidden vice destroys things like family relationships or job performance and status.
Or, it’s pornography for loneliness because the computer never says no. But, it ends up damaging you mentally as sex is no longer seen as something to bring fulfillment in the confines of a committed marriage, a blessing from God, but only a means to fulfill a fleshly desire. It’s separated from its intended purpose and, realize it or not, does great damage to your soul in the process. The same can be said for any sexual sin.
It’s unchecked pride that can never be wrong, that can never be corrected. It stunts our growth in Christlikeness because it isolates us from the fellowship we so desperately need.
You see, sin is like a seed — it never stays the same size. If you plant it and water it through neglect or justification, it grows roots and bears fruit you never wanted. What you harbor privately eventually hunts you down.
Favor that Frees the Lord’s Servant (vv. 11–17)
Favor that Frees the Lord’s Servant (vv. 11–17)
Summary: Through Michal’s warning and clever deception, God uses even imperfect means to deliver innocent David, showing that His providence can work through flawed people to accomplish His purposes.
Michal’s Warning: David escapes through her intervention. Saul again wants to take David’s life. This time, Michal, David’s wife and Saul’s daughter, warns David of Saul’s plot to kill him. Then, as I read it, I picture something out of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (kids, ask your parents). After letting David down out through window, Michal gets a picture, really, it’s probably an idol — what it’s doing in David’s house, who knows?! — but she gets it and lays it on the bed with a pillow of goats’ hair and covers it with her clothes. I mean, I didn’t do a lot of sneaking out when I was younger…maybe a time or two…but maybe I would’ve tried it more if I thought stuff like this actually worked, which, it did, at least for a minute.
What’s interesting is that as this scene plays out, much like the previous one with Jonathan, David is portrayed as someone who is innocent in the matter, not even trying to usurp Saul’s reign. As a matter of fact, David is painted in such a light that even Saul’s own household does whatever is necessary to protect David.
Michal’s Words: First, we realize just how deep Saul’s fury is running at the moment. In essence, he says, “Well if David can’t walk down and meet his fate like a man, bring him to me on his bed…it’ll probably make it easier to kill him!” However, Saul realizes it’s a trick, so when he speaks to Michal, she lies to him and says that David threatened her. This is part distraction, part self-preservation. She doesn’t want to fall into the hands of her father, the madman. However, her deception still serves God’s plan of deliverance. Still, this was an opportunity to trust God, and Michal’s lack of trust in God — her dishonesty and the presence of the idol — will eventually betray her in 2 Samuel when David brings the ark back into Jerusalem.
Application: God’s providence may use unexpected people — even imperfect actions — to secure His purposes. For me, it was Josh Manning, a guy I used to play basketball with. I had left the party because we need more beer, and Josh was standing in line behind me. He’d been to pretty much every Monday night open gym basketball I could remember. He’d listened to share Bible studies. And, there he was, not with judgmental eyes, not with condemning words. He said hey and I said hey. But he was the unexpected person God used to bring the weight of my double life to bear on my conscience, the person God used to call me to Himself, the person God used to save me from a further life of ruin. Praise God that He uses unexpected people in our lives to preserve His purposes.
Force of the Spirit that Foils the Enemy (vv. 18–24)
Force of the Spirit that Foils the Enemy (vv. 18–24)
Summary: God’s Spirit overpowers Saul’s messengers and even Saul himself, stripping him of dignity and forcing him to prophesy, proving that no power can thwart God’s plan or prevent His protection of His anointed.
David’s flight didn’t take him far — about three miles, from Gibeah to Ramah where Samuel was. From there, they went to Naioth, though we’re not exactly sure where that is. The word itself means habitations or dwellings. In context, this could have been some type of compound or retreat center for prophets, maybe a sort of place of refuge. When Saul finds out, he sends “messengers to take David.”
Messengers Stopped: Each group sent to seize David ends up prophesying. Before they could even begin to search for David, “when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing head over them, the Spirit of God came upon” them “and they also prophesied” (v.20). This happened with all three groups that Saul sends. The NAC commentary makes a great observation: this was once again a mismatched clash between flesh and Spirit. The commentator notes:
“…those who had entered into Naioth under the influence of the ruler of Israel now found themselves under the infinitely greater influence of the Ruler of the Universe.”
Monarch Stopped: It’s as if Saul finally says, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” And, so that there is no doubt as to who is in charge, Saul himself is stripped, silenced, and made to speak God’s words instead. While Saul’s servants didn’t start to prophesy until they reached Naioth, Saul starts prophesying along the way. He even strips off his robe, a powerful picture that God’s Spirit had laid him bare and reminded him of who the true King, who the real sovereign Ruler was. God had already rejected Saul as king, and now in the presence of the Spirit of God, he was not even allowed to wear his kingly attire. The one who had “rejected the word of the Lord” (1 Sam.15:23) would now become the vessel to speak the word of the Lord.
What an irony as this passage concludes. Remember when Saul was anointed king, shortly thereafter the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him so that he prophesied? Do you remember the proverb we learned when this happened, what they said about Saul?
“What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
And now, fully rejected by God, but also fully under the sway of God’s Spirit, notice the final refrain of vs.24:
Thus it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
The way Saul was confirmed to the crown now also becomes the same way in which he is rejected.
Application: No one can overturn the plans of God — He can disarm even kings and use them to proclaim His truth. Therefore, trust the Lord’s protection in the face of opposition.
Conclusion / Big Idea
Conclusion / Big Idea
God’s Spirit persistently protects His anointed, using loyal friends, providential means, and even divine power to overrule the schemes of the wicked. This last point actually serves as a highlight over and above the others. Indeed, sometimes God will use human intervention to protect His servants and to accomplish His will. But just when we think that Samuel will be the one to deliver David, the Spirit of God bypasses human instruments altogether. It’s the Spirit of God who thwarts the plans of men. It’s a reminder of the truth we find tucked away in Jonah 2:9.
“…Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
And, as all of this unfolds, remember that David is not out of danger. He’s finally fled from Saul’s presence for good, and he’s protected for the moment, but it doesn’t mean the hunt is over. Saul will continue to pursue David. Yet, the reminder for David, as he expresses over and over in the Psalms, is that our God is a refuge, a strength, an ever-present help in trouble, our hope in the helpless times.
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.
In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;
he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
So as we close this morning, there are a couple of questions I have for you:
Where are your Jonathan/David relationships? We need brothers and sisters in our lives that we can absolutely trust, that we can absolutely go to battle with, that absolutely have our backs in the best way possible. While many of us don’t face physical enemies, every one of us battles for our soul each and every day. Who can you count on, and who can count on you?
Remember that God is our ultimate refuge and strength. Whatever you’re facing this morning, run to Jesus in prayer, trust, and hope. Worship in the midst of the battle, just like Paul and Silas in prison chains, knowing that God has a purpose and plan for everything.
