I Samuel 19
Thursday, 3rd August 2023
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
When David was interacting with different people, he received different outcomes. His life was being shaped through experiences and environment around him. David was not a saint, he was not God, and from the time he was called to the time he entered his destiny, it’s been a long an difficult process. We must not only see the glorious times of David, but also see the difficult times he experienced. Even Abraham, Moses, Paul… they all experienced dark times and difficult moments in life.
V1 ‘Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David; but Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted greatly in David.’ Human beings are weak, we can never show our best self in front of people, we like to perform and we want to hide our weaknesses, but God wants us to find Him in our own low points. So people can see God’s great work. In chapter 19, David was facing troubles and three people mentioned here that helped him along the way. First was Jonathan, he loved David and was willing to give up everything for him. Jonathan even chose David over his own father. But it was a love out of the flesh, he tried to help David to run away from Saul and he used his own strength to try restore David’s relationship with Saul.
V6-7 ‘So Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be killed.” Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. So Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as in times past.’ David listened to Jonathan and continued to serve Saul, but he forgot about how Saul wanted to kill him in the past. He relies on Jonathan more than relied on God.
V9-10 ‘Now the distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand. Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night.’ At the end, Saul still tried to kill David, and David had to run away. He listened to Jonathan and stay by Saul’s side, but after a while, Saul showed his true self and David still had to go.
V12-13 ‘So Michal let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped. And Michal took an image and laid it in the bed, put a cover of goats’ hair for his head, and covered it with clothes.’ Michal also loved David with her flesh, a worldly love, which made her betray her own father to help David. She saved David and helped him to run away from Saul. No matter if it was Jonathan or Michal, they helped David to escape, but at the end, David was only by himself. He was God’s chosen king, but he was running away and hiding from Saul.
When we follow God and serve God, we must not be proud. There are still many things in our hearts that are not dealt with. We thought we can come boldly before God, but when we really dig into our lives, there may still be many idols that we worship without us even realise it. We worship people, we worship the world, we see many things more important than God, and we don’t even recognise it and get rid of it. Even David had idols in his house, and when Michal was helping David to escape, she used the idol to pretend as David, and she lied to her father.
V17 ‘Then Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this, and sent my enemy away, so that he has escaped?”
And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’ ”’ Michal did not tell the truth to Saul, it’s just like how Jonathan was also lying to Saul. Their interactions were not honest. David relied on Jonathan and Michal to escape, but they couldn’t help David forever because he was in the life of running away for many years. Did David ask God? Did David ask Samuel? Was it really God’s Will for David to live a life of running away?
God may allow things to happen in our lives, but all that we experience are the consequences of our actions. When we examine ourselves, have we really asked God? Or are we just fulfilling our own flesh desires? David wanted to be Saul’s son-in-law, he wanted to be the mighty warrior in Saul’s house, and he wanted people’s praises… he received everything he wanted but it led him to a life of running away. In the first half of David’s life, he was relying on himself, relying on other people, and relying on the world.
V18 ‘So David fled and escaped, and went to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.’ Finally when David had nowhere to go, he woke up, and he went to Samuel. Because David knew that only God could help him. David came before God and told Samuel everything happened and everything he had done. He knew only Samuel was able to help him. Samuel recognised David and accepted him, even though David was a wanted person by the king.
V20 ‘Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.’ The prophets were speaking in tongues, they were praying in the spirit, and Saul’s men also spoke in tongues, and to speak the Word of God. Why do we speak in tongues? When we cannot speak, when we don’t know how to pray, and Holy Spirit will help us to pray.
V22-23 ‘Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Sechu. So he asked, and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Indeed they are at Naioth in Ramah.” So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. So the people who were sent to kill David were speaking prophecy, and even Saul was prophesying.’ Holy Spirit comes to convict ourselves for sin, for righteousness and for judgement, and when Saul was prophesying, the spirit of God also touched him. Saul had nowhere to hide in front of God, he took his clothes because he was no longer ashamed in front of God. We must let the Holy Spirit to fill us every day, God will talk to us Himself, and we will receive revelation from God. Then we will have nothing to fear and nothing to be ashamed of.
When David went to Samuel, he was not hiding and he was not running away. He was soaking in the presence of God, and his life was completely revealed in front of God. Even Saul was touched by the Spirit of God. When we seek God and not people, our lives will be different. God works in supernatural way, let us seek Him.