1 Samuel 19:1-7 - David Flees From Saul
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Introduction:
Because of David's popularity with both the army and the citizens of the nation, Saul perceived David to be a serious threat to his throne and dynasty.
A. Saul’s Fifth Attempt To Kill David (v.1-5).
1. Saul uses his son and servants (v.1a).
a) Saul has repeatedly attacked David, with one persistent goal: to eliminate him.
(1) Twice, Saul tried to kill David by pinning him to the wall with a spear as David played music for Saul (1 Samuel 18:11).
(2) Saul made David captain over a thousand (18:13) hoping he would die in battle.
(3) Saul offered his oldest daughter Merab to David as a trap, hoping the dowry he would arrange would result in David’s death (1 Samuel 18:17).
(4) Saul tried to lead David into the sin of rebellion or treason by suddenly giving Merab to another man when she was promised to David (1 Samuel 18:19).
(5) Saul hoped that Michal would corrupt David with her idolatrous worship and false gods (1 Samuel 19:13). This happened to David’s son Solomon (1King 11:1-14). The result would be that God’s protection would be removed (v.21a). If David began to engage in idolatry and false worship, the judgment of God would fall upon him. David’s success would begin to decline and he would begin to lose popularity with the people and perhaps even be killed in battle.
(6) Saul tried to put David in a place where the Philistines would kill him, in demanding a dowry of 100 Philistine foreskins for marriage to his other daughter, Michal (1 Samuel 18:21-25).
(7) None of this worked, but none of it changed Saul’s heart. 1 Samuel 18:29 says, Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy continually.
2. The progression of evil.
(1) The sublteness of evil – These previous attempts that we just talked about, were sublte attempts by Saul to kill David.
(2) Now in this current passage, Saul is informing others about his evil intentions against David, and that shows us that Saul's evil is getting increasingly worse. He no longer conceals his murderous heart but reveals it.
b) A difficult place for Jonathan.
(1) Jonathan loved David, and God had made a wonderful bond of friendship between them, sealed by a covenant (1 Samuel 18:1-4). Jonathan knew that David was destined to be the next king of Israel, even though Jonathan himself was officially the crown prince. At the same time, his father and king tells him to kill David!
(2) We can see Saul quoting Scripture to Jonathan: “Jonathan, the Bible says Honor your father and mother in Exodus 20:12. I’m your father and your king. You must submit to me as father and king. Go kill David. You are in the perfect place to do it, because he trusts you. God has put you in that place so you can obey me now!” Was Jonathan supposed to submit?
c) A difficult place for the servants.
(1) They all loved David (he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants, 1 Samuel 18:5). Yet they are commanded by their king to kill David.
(2) They were great admirers of David, but none of them speak of for him.
B. The Loyalty of Jonathan (v.1b-3).
1. Jonathan warned David of the assignation (v.2).
a) How could Jonathan justify disobeying his father?
(1) This was is easy, Jonathan knew the Bible said, “Thou shall not murder”. His father commanded him to do something that was clearly disobedient to God.
(2) We are under authority and are commanded to submit to God’s order of authority:
(a) from children to their parents
(b) from citizens to their government
(c) from employees to their employers
(d) from Christians to their church leadership
(e) from wives to their husbands.
(3) However even in all of those relationships, we are never excused from sin because we obeyed an authority that told us to sin. In this instance, it would have been wrong for Jonathan to obey his father and kill David.
(4) This reminds me of the apostles in Acts 5 where they were told to stop preaching the gospel and their response was “We ought to obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29).
2. Jonathan would intervene on behalf of David (v.3).
a) Jonathan assured David that he would plead David’s case before his father.
(1) Remember, Jonathan and David had earlier made a covenant of friendship, a promise of loyalty and help in meeting each other’s needs and looking after each other’s welfare (18:3-4; 19:2-3; 20:8, 13-16, 41-42; 23:17-18).
(2) So Jonathan did more than just refuse to help Saul. He could have said “I want no part of this” I’ll just be neutral.
(3) Sometimes that is the right attitude, because it is very easy to get mixed up in things that are none of our business.
Paul said “To make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, NASB95)
They were wasting time, meddling in other peoples business. He goes on to say, “For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.” (2 Thessalonians 3:11-12, NKJV)
(4) It is also wrong to “stay neutral” when God doesn’t want you to. It took courage for Jonathan to stand up for David in this matter. Often times we let others down because we lack the courage that Jonathan had.
b) Jonathan delighted much in David (v.1a).
(1) Do you wish someone would stick up for you like this, would love you, and be delighted much in you? Jesus Christ is delighted much in you. Not because of who you are or what you have done, but because He is full of grace and love and you have received it
(2) You know how Jesus endured the cross? Hebrews says it was the “joy that was set before Him” (you and me).
3. Jonathan urged Saul to reverse his conspiracy to kill David (v.4-5).
a) Jonathan spoke well of David (v.4a).
(1) Jonathan let Saul know that I don’t share in the same opinion about David as you. I love and support David. That took a lot of courage, but it was the right thing for Jonathan to do.
(2) It was one thing for Jonathan to support David to his face, but another thing to support him before others who were against him. That is what supporting someone is really about.
(3) You can’t measure a person’s support by what they say about you to your face. You measure their support by how they back you when you aren’t around.
Later in chapter 20 "Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” (1 Samuel 20:32, NKJV)
The writer of Proverbs say "Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.” (Proverbs 31:8-9, NKJV)
b) Because David was innocent (v.4b)
(1) Jonathan was bold enough to tell his father that his anger against David was sin.
c) Because David had helped Saul by killing a feared enemy (v.4c-5a)
(1) Goliath and the Philistines (1 Samuel 17:55-58).
(2) Jonathan is trying to bring Saul back to reality. He reminds his father: “You saw it and rejoiced.” “When David first killed Goliath, you rejoiced just like everyone. Now Satan has filled your mind with envy and jealousy. Go back to how it first was in your mind.”
d) Because Saul would be sinning against innocent blood (v.5b)
(1) Saul was willing to shed innocent blood:
In Genesis 9, Capital Punishment was invoked "Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.” (Genesis 9:6, NKJV)
Proverbs says that "He who returns evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.” (Proverbs 17:13)