Commentary - 1 Samuel 19:18-24

Bird's-eye view

In this remarkable passage, we see the stark contrast between God's anointed and God's rejected. David, the hunted king, finds refuge not in a fortress of stone but in the company of God's prophet, Samuel. Saul, the hunter king, finds his authority utterly dismantled, not by swords and spears, but by the overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit. This is a story about the futility of fighting God. Every attempt Saul makes to seize David is supernaturally thwarted. God's protection of His chosen man is absolute, and He is not above using extraordinary, even embarrassing, means to accomplish it. The passage climaxes with the king of Israel stripped of his royal robes and dignity, lying naked and prophesying, a living object lesson in the folly of resisting the Almighty. The recurring question, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" which once signified God's surprising grace, now becomes a statement of ironic, pathetic judgment.

This is a story that demonstrates the sovereignty of God in a dramatic and frankly comical way. Saul sends three sets of messengers, and all three are spiritually hijacked. He then decides to go himself, the chief thug, and he too is overcome. God's Spirit is not a tame force; it cannot be managed or resisted when it decides to move. It protects the righteous and confounds the wicked, turning their murderous intentions into an involuntary worship service. This is a picture of the gospel. God's enemies, in their very attempts to stamp out His kingdom, are often overcome by it and made instruments of its proclamation, however unwillingly.

Outline

Commentary

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, having been delivered by Michal's quick thinking, does not run to the hills or to a foreign power. He runs to the man of God. This is a crucial point. When the powers of this world, represented by the demented King Saul, are set against you, the first and best refuge is the house of God and the company of His people. David goes to Samuel, the one who anointed him, to report what has happened. He is seeking counsel and sanctuary. He is not just hiding; he is realigning himself with the source of his calling. He and Samuel then go to Naioth, which appears to be a school or community of prophets under Samuel's authority. David is hiding in plain sight, sheltered not by walls, but by the manifest presence of God's Spirit.

19 And it was told to Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.”

Of course, it was told to Saul. The wicked have their informants everywhere. No secret is safe, and no hiding place is secure from the ears of a tyrant. Saul's intelligence network is still functioning. But what Saul fails to account for is that God's protection does not depend on secrecy. God is perfectly willing to have Saul know exactly where David is, because the lesson He is about to teach is not about evasion, but about divine intervention.

20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David, but they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them. And the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and they also prophesied.

Here the divine comedy begins. Saul sends his enforcers, his secret police, to arrest a fugitive. They arrive on the scene, fully intending to carry out the king's murderous command. But they walk into a worship service. They find a company of prophets prophesying, with the venerable Samuel presiding over the whole affair. And what happens? The Spirit of God, the very atmosphere of the place, overwhelms them. The Spirit is contagious. These hardened soldiers, sent to arrest a man, are arrested themselves by a power they cannot see or fight. Their mouths, which were ready to shout threats and commands, are filled with the praises of God. They are conscripted into the choir against their will. God neutralizes the threat not by striking them dead, but by making them worship.

21 This was told to Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.

Saul is a slow learner. He receives the report that his first detachment has been spiritually disarmed, and his response is not to consider the fear of the Lord, but rather to escalate. He thinks it must have been a fluke. So he sends another group. The same thing happens. He is like a man repeatedly touching an electric fence to see if it is still on. He sends a third group, and they too are overcome. The pattern of three is classic biblical narrative style, emphasizing the completeness of Saul's folly and the consistency of God's power. God is making a point, and He is making it so clearly that only a man completely blinded by his own rage could miss it.

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.”

If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Saul, exasperated by the failure of his underlings, decides to handle the matter personally. He is the king, after all. He will not be thwarted by some charismatic contagion. His will is absolute. He travels to Ramah, and on the way, he stops to ask for directions. There is no attempt to hide David's location. The whole episode has a public feel to it. God is not doing this in a corner. He is making a public spectacle of Saul's impotence.

23 So he went 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.

What happened to the servants now happens to the master, but in an even more dramatic fashion. The Spirit of God comes upon Saul, not when he arrives at Naioth, but while he is still on the way. He is seized by the Spirit from a distance. The king, marching with murderous intent, becomes a walking, talking prophet against his will. Imagine the scene: the fearsome king, striding toward his destination, but instead of plotting violence, he is speaking the words of God. God takes control of Saul's own mouth and turns him into a herald of the very power he is trying to defy.

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?”

The humiliation is now complete. When Saul finally arrives, the prophetic ecstasy intensifies. He strips off his clothes, likely his outer royal garments, the symbols of his authority and power. He is divested of his kingship in a profoundly visible way. He then lies down, exposed and powerless, before Samuel, the prophet who had once anointed him and then rejected him. He remains in this state for a full day and night. The man who came to capture David is himself captured, stripped, and laid low. This is not a private failure; it is a public disgrace. And it gives rise once again to the proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" The first time this was said, it was a sign of wonder at God's grace to a humble young man (1 Sam. 10:11-12). Now, it is a statement of mockery and judgment. It means something like, "Look how the mighty has fallen. Look at this madman who thinks he can fight God." It is a picture of utter spiritual collapse. Saul is among the prophets, not as a participant, but as a prisoner of war.

Application

This passage is a tremendous encouragement for the believer who feels hunted and cornered by the world. David's security was not in his own strength or cleverness, but in the presence of God's Spirit. Our ultimate safety is found in the same place. When we are in fellowship with God and His people, we are in the safest place on earth, even if our enemies know our exact address. God has ways of protecting His own that defy all human calculation. He can turn the weapons of our enemies into instruments of praise. He can disarm the most formidable opponent by simply overwhelming them with His presence.

Secondly, we see the terrifying folly of resisting God. Saul is a picture of the man who will not take no for an answer from God. He doubles down on his rebellion, and with each step, his humiliation becomes greater. When God puts a check in your spirit, when He thwarts your plans, the wise response is to stop and inquire of the Lord. The foolish response is to try harder in your own strength. Saul's nakedness is a symbol of every proud man who is ultimately stripped of his self-made dignity before a holy God. Let us learn to yield to the Spirit's power, not to fight it. For the same Spirit that protects the humble will bring down the proud.

Finally, we should marvel at the wild sovereignty of the Holy Spirit. He is not a polite, manageable force. He goes where He wills, and He does what He wills. He can fall upon anyone, believer or unbeliever, to accomplish God's purposes. This should make us bold in our witness and confident in our worship. The same Spirit who filled that prophetic company at Naioth is the Spirit who indwells the Church today. When we gather for worship, we are not just meeting in a building; we are entering a spiritual reality where the powers of heaven are present, able to defend the faithful and confound the proud.