Havasu Christian Church
Series in I Samuel
September 8, 2024
I Samuel 18:1-30
“David; Wanted dead or alive. Preferably, dead!”
INTRO: Saul, even though David has done no wrong, has chosen to “make himself David’s enemy.” David has been doing his best to be a model citizen, a model soldier, a model member of Saul’s court, a model musician. But between the “Evil Spirit” that comes on Saul, and Saul’s own jealousy, we see David being considered “Enemy #1” with Saul!
Once again, we see here, the “big picture” from last week. Saul makes himself David’s enemy, and then we see the big picture broken down in chapter 19. What does it mean to David that Saul has chosen to be his enemy?
1 Samuel 19:1-6 Now Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David. So Jonathan told David saying, “Saul my father is seeking to put you to death. Now therefore, please be on guard in the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself. “I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you; if I find out anything, then I will tell you.”
Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you. “For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?” Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death.”
- Saul decides to Kill David, but Jonathan stands with him!
- Saul’s instruction to his son and his servants is very plain: “KILL DAVID!”
- Jonathan responds…
- By warning David to hide out.
- By explaining to his father why killing David is a bad idea.
- Killing him would be sinful.
- David has done nothing wrong to you.
- David has actually done much to benefit you and your Kingdom.
- Saul relents and makes a vow “before God” that he will not kill David.
- This promise will be easily broken.
7 Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as formerly.
- For the moment, David is restored to his place in the King’s family and court.
- He returns to his place as a leader and a warrior against the Philistine armies.
8 When there was war again, David went out and fought with the Philistines and defeated them with great slaughter, so that they fled before him.
- David does his duty with distinction.
- The Philistines are SLAUGHTERED!
- Saul SHOULD be THRILLED!
- But that’s not the case!
- Saul tries to kill David again. This time it is Michel who intervenes.
9 Now there was an evil spirit from the LORD on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand.
10 Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
- David, Mighty warrior of Israel, is still doing his duty, trying to soothe the evil spirit in Saul.
- He could have said, “I’m a warrior! This task is beneath my dignity!”
- David had a Servant’s heart!
- Michal has some good advice for David.
- Make a run for it before my Dad has you killed!
11 Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death.”
12 So Michal let David down through a window, and he went out and fled and escaped.
- I doubt David took much convincing after having a spear tossed at him!
- Saul has sent men to watch and make sure he doesn’t leave.
- They are to kill him in the morning.
- He goes out the window in the middle of the night.
- Michal makes it look like David is still in bed.
13-16 Michal took the household idol and laid it on the bed, and put a quilt of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with clothes. When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” Then Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed, that I may put him to death.” When the messengers entered, behold, the household idol was on the bed with the quilt of goats’ hair at its head.
- Michal uses the “household idol” to make it look convincing.
- When they come for David in the morning, she tells them he’s sick in bed.
- Saul says to bring him anyway.
- They find that he isn’t there after all!
- Saul is pretty upset with his daughter.
17 So Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I put you to death?’ ”
- She puts the blame on David.
- He said he would kill me if I didn’t help him escape!
- This seems to “set well” with Saul.
- Perhaps it made him feel more justified in how he was treating David.
- David makes a clean getaway!
18 Now David fled and escaped and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.
- David goes straight to Samuel.
- Even though Israel has a king, Samuel is still the High Priest!
- He has the authority of God behind him.
- If Saul will respect anyone, it’s him.
- Samuel is also the one who anointed Saul King.
- Saul leaned on him in the early days of his reign over Israel.
- He didn’t really listen to Samuel very well, but there was a connection there.
- Samuel had also anointed David.
- Perhaps David wants to ask him how he can become King if he’s dead?
- Saul gets word about where David has gone.
19 It was told Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.”
- He sends “messengers” to bring David to him!
20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David, but when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and they also prophesied.
21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.
- He sends 3 groups!
- None of them return.
- The Spirit of God has come upon all of them!
- They are prophesying.
- This may mean that God is giving them a vision of the future.
- It could be that God has given them a message that is from him.
- Several things I read suggested that the Holy Spirit caused them to be in a trance-like state.
- Whichever of these things are what happened, they back away from the evil that they have planned to do.
From the enduring Word commentary: “Saul sent messengers to take David: Saul is wicked, but persistent. We never admire the devil’s work, but we can admire the devil’s work ethic.”
- Saul gets tired of waiting and decides to take matters into his own hands.
- The Spirit of God comes on Saul and he begins to prophecy.
22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came as far as the large well that is in Secu; and he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.”
23 He proceeded there to Naioth in Ramah; and the Spirit of God came upon him also, so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
- Again, we have some possibilities about what that means.
- But the fact that Saul laid down for a day and a night would suggest that the Spirit has put Saul in some kind of trance.
- Saul “strips off his clothes and prophecied.”
- This brings to mind an event that happened after David had become King.
- The Ark of the Covenant is being moved to Jerusalem, and David is “Dancing before the Lord” in celebration.
2 Samuel 6:14–15 And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.
- David has taken off his royal robes and is essentially “dancing in his underwear.”
- His wife sees him, and she lets him have it when he gets home.
2 Samuel 6:20–21 But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!” So David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before the LORD.
- While Saul is incapacitated, David makes his escape!
Conclusion: There are lots of lessons to learn from this event in the Bible.
- From Michal, I guess we should learn that a man would do well to listen to his wife!?!?
- From Saul, I guess we can learn to be tenacious!
Revelation 2:10 ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
(from the letter to the church in Smyrna)
- From Jonathan, we learn something about faithfulness!
- Even though it cost him the kingdom, Jonathan was not going to walk away from his friend.
1 John 4:7–8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
But the biggest lesson for today, comes again from Saul. MY HEART IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT!
- “Listen to your heart?”
Debbie Boone: It can't be wrong, When it feels so right. 'Cause you, You light up my life.
Kevin A Thompson, Leadership magazine 2010
“Every decision starts with the heart.” It sounds sentimental and beautiful. “Listen to your heart,” Roxette sings, “there’s nothing else you can do.”
The thought is that we are being bombarded by shouts of lies from every angle while our hearts are whispering truth. Yet is it that simple?
Is every bad decision I’ve ever made a result of me ignoring my heart and being misled by others?
Some clearly have been.
At times I’ve followed the advice of others only to regret it. At other times I’ve blindly done what everyone else around me was doing only to find out it was a bad choice.
Yet many times I’ve ignored the wisdom of others, walked against the grain, and still ended up regretting my choices.
The truth is my heart lies to me as much as it tells me the truth.
Listening to it might have the same odds of making decisions based on a coin flip.
Every decision starts with the heart, but it doesn’t start with us listening to it.
It starts with us guarding our heart and guiding it.
Guard Your Heart
An unguarded heart is the most untrustworthy of advisors. We listen to it at our own peril. It is the one telling us to buy the penny stock, not study for the test, or to eat the extra helping which puts us over our calorie count.
Unguarded hearts aren’t full of wisdom; they overflow with foolishness driven from the emotion of the moment.”
Proverbs 19:21 Many plans are in a man’s heart,
But the counsel of the LORD will stand.
Matthew 12:34 “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
Matthew 15:18–19 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.
- Listen to your heart, but listen to God much, much more!
- Don’t mistake the yearnings in your mind for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
