Saul wanted to kill David but Jonathan liked David In seeking David, Saul and servants "prophesy." |
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Saul wanted to kill David but Jonathan liked David In seeking David, Saul and servants "prophesy." |
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| 1 ¶ And Saul spake to
Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.
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: 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. .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: .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? |
1 -
Kill
David Literally "Cause David to die." This was the 5th attempt
on his life. (1) the javelin thrown at him 1sa1810,11,
(2) Fighting the Philistines 1817.
(3) Trying to get David to show anger when his bride was given to someone
else 1819,
(4) a dangerous mission 1825,
(5) Now a general call for killing David.
3 - Commune ... tell thee Jonathan took a dangerous mission. |
| 6 And Saul hearkened unto
the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not
be slain.
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. |
6 - Not be slain Without the help we have through the Holy Spirit, we cannot well keep good resolutions. |
| 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.
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. 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. |
Philistines ... David went out "A brilliant victory was gained over the public enemy. But these fresh laurels of David reawakened in the moody breast of Saul the former spirit of envy and melancholy. On David's return to court, the temper of Saul became more fiendish than ever; the melodious strains of the harp had lost all their power to charm; and in a paroxysm of uncontrollable frenzy he aimed a javelin at the person of David — the missile having been thrown with such force that it pierced the chamber wall. David providentially escaped; but the king, having now thrown off the mask and being bent on aggressive measures, made his son-in-law's situation everywhere perilous." (JFB). |
| .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.
12 So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped. 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. 14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. 15 And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him. 16 And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster. |
11
- Saul sent messengers "The fear of causing a commotion in
the town, or favoring his escape in the darkness, seemed to have influenced
the king in ordering them to patrol till the morning. This infatuation
was overruled by Providence to favor David's escape; for his wife, secretly
apprised by Jonathan, who was aware of the design, or by spying persons
in court livery watching the gate, let him down through a window." (JFB)
12 - Michal let David down The "window" may have been an opening into the courtyard or the roof. Other such escapes are seen in jos0204-14, ac0925. Compare the paralyzed one let down lu0519. |
| 17 And Saul said unto 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? | 17 - Why ... deceived? She lied to both David and Saul. |
| .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.
19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. 20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 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. |
18
- Naioth "The abode of Samuel, and his pupils in a 'school
of the prophets,'
.... It appears to have been a suburb of Ramah; and David, having sought refuge there with Samuel, was pursued by Saul." (ATS Dict.) See Jerusalem Area map. 20 - Prophesying Because no mention is made of what important messages they received, we may infer that they were not giving counsel from the Lord, the main purpose of prophets 2ch2419. They would likely have been praising the Lord. We remember that there is an unholy spirit ready to counterfeit the work of the Lord nu1206. The popularity of a preacher does not make him an agent of the true Holy Spirit. When in question, ask these questions: Is the preacher apparently controlling the Holy Spirit by his words or putting his hands on the person? Is the message preached totally biblical? Is the message based on only certain texts? |
| 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 Naioth in Ramah.
.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. 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? |
23
- Spirit ... upon him [Saul] also The point of the whole
episode is that the Lord is in control and Saul must have been deeply impressed.
Of course conviction does not mean repentance. Neither Saul nor anyone
else could say that David had an advantage because the Lord spoke to him.
Saul's sin had no excuse.
24 - Naked The Hebrew word may be translated as it appears or poorly clothed jb0121, jb2206, is5807. Likely his undergarment or tunic was not removed. Compare ge0307. |
| "Perhaps here the Holy Spirit pleaded with Saul personally for the last time. There may have come from his lips not only a confession of the justice of David's cause but also condemnation of his own willful acts. In the final judgment day the great adversary of souls will admit the justice of God's great plan of salvation and the error of his own ways ph0210,11. But Old jealousies and enmities will return and break forth in one great final expression of hatred and fury. Thus it was with Saul." SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 2, p. 548. | |
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