Comments on 1 Samuel 19 v1-7 Saul attempts a secret combination against David to put him to death (v. 1). Jonathan warns David of the secret combination (v. 2-3). Jonathan persuades Saul otherwise by speaking in terms of his own interests, and Saul swears an oath that he will not seek to kill David (v. 4-5). So David is restored to Saul's good graces (v. 7). However, this change of heart doesn't last. v8-10 Saul's jealousy over David's great victory over the Philistines drives him mad and he follows through on his previous thoughts from 18:10-11. v11-17 Saul sends messengers to kill David, and Michal recognizes that if David doesn't flee immediately his life is in jeopardy (v. 11). So, David flees (v. 12). Michal sets up a roughly human shaped idol in David's bed complete with fake hair and all (v. 13) so as to deceive the messengers and informs them he is ill (v. 14). When they discover it is simply a fake and she has lied to them they question her actions and she replies in her own defense "David said to me, `Help me get away or I will kill you'" (v. 15-17). Michal's having to lie to cover us the situation and make it appear that David threatened her life simply indicate she was in fear for her own life at that point for assisting David. Saul was so eager to kill David, she feared he would have her killed for willfully helping him escape. v13 "image", the NAS and JPS both render this "household idol", it is simply a teraphim. It seems unlikely that David would permit such a thing in his own house given his zeal for the Lord. The text does not necessarily require or even suggest that the idol is theirs, so she may have borrowed it from another or went out and specifically purchased one that was the right size and shape. v18-24 David flees to Samuel for protection and stays with him (v. 18). Word gets back to Saul concerning David's location (v. 19). Saul sends messengers to kill him, but when they approach Samuel and his followers who are prophesying the Spirit of God falls on them and they too prophesy (v. 20). Saul then sends and second and third set of messengers to do the same ans they too end up falling under the influence of the Spirit (v. 21). Saul then goes down himself to find David and the same thing happens to him (v. 22-23). Saul is wrought upon so mightily by the Spirit that he strips himself of his robes and lays on the floor all night. And when the people hear about it, the old saying from 10:11-12 is resurrected once again ironically as it was well known among Israel that Saul was out to kill David. This entire episode is once again strange. We have messengers being sent to kill David and then Saul himself goes, and they all end up prophesying. We see this as impossible, as how could murderers prophesy? I suspect what is happening here is as the murderers and ultimately Saul come into the company of Samuel and the other prophets they are smitten and humbled by the Spirit such that they lose their murderous intent and are humbled before God. This seems to especially be the case with Saul as he strips off his robes and goes "naked" (the Hebrew here doesn't necessarily imply complete nudity, but rather stripping down to one's undergarments or stripping down to the waist), which I would take to be symbolic of his removing his kingly robes as symbol of his humility. He then lies on the floor all day and night, once again a symbol of his abject humiliation. Thus, I would have to assume that what is happening here is these murderers are being preached at by Samuel and the other prophets such that the Spirit falls on them and humiliates them to the point where they lose their gross pride and murderous intent. We have to remember that "prophecy" here isn't the same as the colloquial English usage of the term. The common English usage is that to "prophesy" means to predict the future. The Scriptural usage is much different, it means more "testifying" than anything else. In the case of a authorized prophet of God, the prophet is assumed to be authoritatively speaking vicariously for God. In this case, what is probably happening here is Samuel and the other prophets are preaching repentance and the word of God at the messengers and Saul and they are confessing they are sinners. Unfortunately for Saul, this change of heart, like the previous times, is only short-lived. v20 With regard to these messengers sent to kill David, there are two possibilities. First, the messengers are in fact good men who out of fear of disobeying the king and being executed themselves, they reluctantly obey the order. The second possibility is Saul has surrounded himself with unscrupulous men who will obey any order so as to promote themselves, cf. Mosiah 29:22. Copyright © 2002 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form or by any means for commercial gain without the express written consent of the author. Digital or printed copies may be freely made and distributed for personal and public non-commercial use.