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You may turn in your Bibles to 
1 Samuel chapter 19. We will return to our studies 
in the Gospel of Matthew in just a few weeks. Just taking a bit 
of a break as we ended chapter 19 to look briefly at some of 
the snippets of the life of Saul and David. We have seen David 
in the Valley of Elah bring deliverance to Israel through the cutting 
off of Goliath's head. In chapter 18, Saul, in envy 
and in rage and in malice, tries covertly to try and destroy David. What was covert in chapter 18 
becomes overt in chapter 19. We have an illustration of state-sponsored 
terror in the rule of King Saul of Israel. I want to read chapter 
19 and then we'll look at the particulars. Now Saul spoke to 
Jonathan his son and to all his servants that they should kill 
David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted 
greatly in David. So Jonathan told David, saying, 
my father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore, please be on 
your guard until morning and stay in a secret place and hide. 
and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where 
you are, and I will speak with my father about you, and what 
I observe I will tell you.' Thus Jonathan spoke well of David 
to Saul, his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin 
against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, 
and because his works have been very good toward you. For he 
took his life in his hands and killed the Philistine, and the 
Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You sought and 
rejoiced. Why then will you sin against 
innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?' So Saul heeded 
the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, As the Lord lives, he 
shall not be killed. Then Jonathan called David, and 
Jonathan told him all these things. So Jonathan brought David to 
Saul, and he was in his presence as in times past. And there was 
war again, and David went out and fought with the Philistines 
and struck them with a mighty blow, and they fled from him. 
Now the distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he 
sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing 
music with his hand. Then Saul sought to pin David 
to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul's presence, 
and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped 
that night. Saul also sent messengers to 
David's house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And 
Michael, David's wife, told him, saying, If you do not save your 
life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed. So Michael let David 
down through a window and he went and he fled and escaped. And Michael took an image and 
laid it in the bed, put a cover of goat's hair for his head and 
covered it with clothes. So when Saul sent messengers 
to take David, she said, he is sick. Then Saul sent the messengers 
back to see David saying, bring him up to me in the bed that 
I may kill him. And when the messengers had come 
in, there was the image in the bed, with a cover of goat's hair 
for his head. Then Saul said to Michael, Why 
have you deceived me like this, and sent my enemy away, so that 
he has escaped? Michael answered Saul, He said 
to me, Let me go. Why should I kill you? So David 
fled and escaped, and went to Samuel at Ramah, and told him 
all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed 
in Naah, Now it was told Saul saying, take note, David is at 
Naoth and Ramah. Then Saul sent messengers to 
take David. And when they saw the group of 
prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as leader over them, 
the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul and they also 
prophesied. And when Saul was told, he sent 
other messengers and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers 
again the third time and they prophesied also. Then he also 
went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Sychiu. 
So he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And someone 
said, Indeed, they are at Naoth and Ramah. So he went there to 
Naoth and Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon 
him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naoth 
and Ramah. And he also stripped off his 
clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner and laid 
down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore, they say, 
is Saul also among the prophets? Well, let us pray. Our God, we 
thank you for the word of truth. We thank you for what it instructs 
us concerning in the first place you, as well the way that you 
deliver and uphold your servants. Give us grace now to receive 
these things. Fill us with the Holy Spirit 
that he may illumine us as we study scripture. And may this 
all be an act of worship to our great and our triune God. Forgive 
us again for our sin and uncleanness. And we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, if we were to look 
at the next three chapters and we were trying to sum up each 
of these chapters, under one word. In chapter 19, what we 
have is deliverance. God delivers David. In chapter 
20, we have covenant. It is based on this covenant 
transaction between David and Jonathan that God continues to 
preserve David. And in chapter 21, we have provision. When David officially flees from 
Saul and starts going from place to place, we see God's gracious 
provision to his servant in his time of need. Well, as we consider 
this theme of deliverance, the deliverance of David by God, 
in chapter 19, there are two broad categories we ought to 
appreciate when we come to chapter 19. In the first place, we'll 
notice the defense of David by Jonathan in verses 1 to 7. And 
then secondly, the deliverance of David by Yahweh in verses 
8 to 24. Note in the first place, as we 
consider the defense of David by Jonathan, the various responses 
to David. We pointed this out in our study 
in 1 Samuel that there are various responses to David that are in 
play in Israel at this particular time, just like with David's 
greater son. The Lord Jesus went about doing 
good. The Lord Jesus went about preaching 
the gospel of the kingdom. The Lord Jesus went about doing 
all manner of blessed things from a whole host of persons, 
and yet there were varying responses. We truly see the reality of sin, 
that everybody didn't bow down and worship the Lord Christ as 
an evidence or a proof of the Bible's doctrine of total depravity. 
But what we have is that some do believe on Jesus. Some do 
follow Jesus. Some do want to take on His yoke 
and know that blessed peace. But there's that opposition to 
the Lord Jesus. And in the same way, that's what 
we find in this particular section. Note the desire of Saul in verse 
1. Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his 
son and to all his servants that they should kill David. So again, what was covert or 
secret in chapter 18 is now overt and public in chapter 19. That 
Saul is instructing his son and his servants to exterminate or 
liquidate David shows us yet again a further evidence of the 
depravity of Saul. He moves from simple defection 
to full-blown apostasy. We all ought to take a cue from 
Saul. If you ever want to be afraid, 
read the life of Saul. He starts off by neglect, and 
he ends up in this murderous rage. And this is the reality. 
For all of those who profess the saving faith, who begin to 
start paring off the rough edges, who begin to start skipping steps, 
who begin to start neglecting the things of God, absenting 
themselves from the places they ought to be. Defection leads 
to apostasy. You cannot miss this over and 
over again in the Scriptures. If you cut a little off here 
and you cut a little off there, there's going to be nothing left. 
Learn from Saul that defection leads to apostasy. Notice the 
overt statement that they should kill David. And it's intriguing 
because in chapter 16, or rather chapter 18, this distressing 
spirit from Yahweh comes upon Saul. We'll read later in chapter 
19 that this distressing spirit comes from Yahweh upon Saul. 
Remember, Saul is a man under judgment. God has departed from 
him. God has taken from him the Holy 
Spirit. Not in the sense of salvation, 
though Saul was not ever saved, but in the sense of his political 
rule in Israel. And now what God has substituted 
in its place is this distressing spirit that sends Saul into these 
frenzies. But here in 19.1, there's no 
mention of a distressing spirit. We might say that in this particular 
section Saul is in his right mind. We can't blame it upon 
this distressing spirit from Yahweh. We blame it upon Saul 
who is culpable, who has entered the realm from king of Israel 
to a tyrant over a people in bondage. and he wants to murder 
David, the one who is the heir apparent. Vannoy says, so the 
shocking thing at the opening of chapter 19 is that the reigning 
king of Israel, that is the highest ranking leader of God's covenant 
people, proposes aloud the murder of David, the person whom God 
had chosen to succeed him as king. You know, Saul is not only 
paradigmatic or a pattern for the professing people of God, 
he certainly functions as a pattern or a paradigm for political leaders 
who are subsequent to Saul. Lies, deceit. murder, malice, 
rage, chasing enemies rather than administering the kingdom. 
This is the folly of tyranny. And that God's people don't pray 
against such things and inform themselves of such things really 
does escape the mind. I'm not suggesting that we all 
need to be political junkies, but Jesus did teach us to pray 
that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God's will 
in heaven doesn't have lying tyrants. God's will in heaven 
doesn't have abortion clinics. God's will in heaven does not 
include same-sex or sodomite marriage. God's will in heaven 
done on earth. That's what we as the people 
of God are charged to pray. Now notice the delight of Jonathan. In chapter 18, David is loved 
by Jonathan, verses 1 and 3. He's loved by Israel and Judah, 
verse 16. He's loved by Michael, verses 
20 and 28. He's loved by the servants in 
verse 22. It's very intriguing. The tyrant 
wants to liquidate David, but everybody else loves him. Everybody 
else sees him as we ought to appreciate. He's a national hero. He kills Philistines. He destroyed 
the giant from Gath. He cut his head off. Something 
that was typical of the final and decisive judgment of David's 
greater son, when he crushes the head of the serpent. David 
gives us a down payment of that in the Valley of Ela, and rightly, 
People respond in love and in admiration, but not Saul. Saul 
is foaming with anger and rage and malice and ill intent. Now 
notice this discussion with David in verses 2 and 3. Essentially, 
Jonathan says, my father wants to kill you. Just imagine if 
you were David here for a moment. You've had a pretty sterling 
career up to this point. I'm never going to suggest that 
David was a perfect man. David certainly had his sins. 
No one is going to dispute that. But David was a man of integrity 
and a man of God. He was a man after God's own 
heart. And though he sinned, he nevertheless was submissive 
to the Lord God Most High. But up to this point, he's only 
been a sterling character. His first act is to play his 
harp to soothe the frenzied gang in 1 Samuel 16. In the next act, 
in chapter 17, what does he do? He's on a delivery mission with 
cheeses and to find out how his brothers are faring. And he says, 
why is this uncircumcised man taunting the armies of the living 
God. And David always knows and always realizes that he's going 
to kill this man. He goes into battle and he emerges 
victorious. Chapter 18, when he's proffered 
the deal to marry one of Saul's daughters. What does he say? 
Who is your servant? He's just humble. He's lowly. 
He doesn't deserve such things. He's only done right by Saul. And when we come to this section 
in verses 2 and 3, Jonathan is now telling him, my father wants 
to kill you. Again, see the typical significance 
of David. Jesus only did right when he 
came into this world. Jesus only went about doing good. Jesus' career, if we can call 
it that, was marked by grace and mercy and kindness distributed 
far and wide. But you see, when that light 
meets up with the darkness, the darkness hates it. It rages against 
it. And here we have Saul, this man 
of darkness, being exposed by this man of light. Very similar 
to what we find with Jesus and the Pharisees in the New Covenant 
situation. So David was to hide while Jonathan 
spoke to his father and he would then be instructed on what the 
disposition was. Now notice Jonathan's appeal 
to Saul in verses four and five. This is masterful. Jonathan knows 
what he's doing. He doesn't need me to commend 
him on that, but he nevertheless does. Notice, first of all, he 
appeals to the king. Let not the king. This isn't 
an emotional plea. This isn't a daddy plea. This 
isn't a sentimental or mystical thing. David Samora says, Jonathan 
addresses his father formally as king. He makes his plea based 
not on his own feelings, but on the behavior appropriate to 
a king. You see, God's men are governed 
by God's law. Deuteronomy 17 provides principles 
for the governing king. And one of those principles is 
not go out and willy-nilly murder people that are a threat to you. 
That's simply inconceivable that an acting king in Israel would 
function that way. Again, he's paradigmatic because 
how many kings subsequent to him function in just that same 
sort of manner. You talk about state-sponsored 
terror, read the history of Israel. It really is in print before 
your eyes. Notice the rational argument 
that Jonathan presents to Saul. He says, "...for he has not sinned 
against you, and because his works have been very good toward 
you." That's a rational argument, isn't it? Why would you want 
to kill him? He hasn't done anything against 
you, and everything that he has done has been very positive toward 
you. Notice the moral argument, for he took his life in his hands 
and killed the Philistine. That's all. You don't want to 
murder a man that does such noble things. The morality of this 
situation ought to be evident even to a man that is in this 
position. Notice the theological argument, 
and the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. This 
should have stopped Saul in his tracks. Yahweh is using David. What has Saul now done? He has 
positioned himself against God's servant, and hence against God. This is a terrible position for 
a man to be in. And then notice the implication 
that Jonathan draws out of all this. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against 
innocent blood to kill David without a cause? You see, Jonathan 
argues very succinctly, very convincingly, and in a manner 
that is honoring to God and to David. So what does Saul do? He lies. Do we expect anything 
different from tyrants? Notice, Saul heeded the voice 
of Jonathan, verse 6, and Saul swore, as the Lord lives, he 
shall not be killed. The Geneva Bible comments, behold, 
how the tyrants, to accomplish their rage, neither regard oath 
nor friendship, God nor man. Now, I do suggest that you think 
about chapters like these, again, concerning the modern political 
climate. Now, when I say that, don't go 
hide yourself in your room and just study politics. But brethren, 
there ought to be a sense where we are taking every thought captive 
to the obedience of Christ. Where we are thinking in terms 
of the Bible when we look around us. And when we see the viciousness 
and the rage of man, we ought to realize in the first place, 
there's nothing new under the sun. I mean, the same sorts of 
things that we face are the same sorts of things that David was 
facing in this particular age. And in the second place, it gives 
us fuel and ammunition on how we ought to pray. How we ought to intercede in 
this generation. Notice in verse 7, then Jonathan 
called David and Jonathan told him all these things. So Jonathan 
brought David to Saul and he was in his presence as in times 
past. In chapters 16 and 18. Remember 
David, initially it was called to play the harp to soothe Saul. Chapter 18, Saul brings him into 
his presence and conveys on him honor, not honor because he honored 
him, but because he wanted to put him into battle and see him 
murdered and see him destroyed. So that's the defense of David 
by Jonathan. Notice in the second place the 
deliverance of David by God. There's two deliverances really, 
verse 8 and then the rest. Verse 8, God delivers David yet 
again from the Philistines. I mean, we just run through verse 
8, and verse 8 is just a small little section in this particular 
chapter. I think it functions similarly 
to what we see in 17 and 18. David is victorious in 17. Chapter 
18, how does Saul respond? with envy, with rage, with malice, 
and with a desire to murder David. Same thing here. David is victorious 
in verse 8. He is blessed of God to bring 
a decisive blow against the Philistines. Saul should rejoice. Saul should 
praise. Saul should delight. But that's 
not what Saul does. Saul responds with rage and envy 
and anger and malice. Same sort of a pattern here. 
But notice in verse 8, there was war again and David went 
out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a mighty 
blow and they fled from him. Isn't that beautiful? That's 
God's servant. That's God's man. That's the 
one who has the sanction of Yahweh. Philistines flee from him. Philistines 
run from him. Philistines are afraid of David. You see why David is the legitimate 
heir to the throne of Israel. He's not afraid. He's not cowering. He's not quaking in his boots. 
He's not joining Saul and Israel on the sidelines while the giant 
goes out into the Valley of Elah to taunt the armies of the living 
God. David will have no part of the threat posed by the enemies 
of God upon the Church of the Kingdom of God. Brethren, dare 
to be a David. We're not out killing Philistines 
to be sure. And I say, never take this in 
the literal sense. There's a difference between 
the old covenant theocracy and holy war to the new covenant 
application. But certainly we ought to be 
those people who aren't sitting on the sidelines, quavering in 
our boots, because everybody's advancing against the kingdom 
of Christ. We ought to stand behind the master who said, I 
will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail 
against it. How many times have you and I 
heard people say, well, the threat of Islam, the threat of secularism, 
the threat of this culture, the threat of this religion. The 
promise of Jesus trumps each and every one of those threats. 
The people of God must be like David. The people of God must 
be faithful. The people of God must know their 
God, and as a result, live in light of their God. It's too 
much retreat in the Christian church today. Let's have some 
advance. Propagate the gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Let's evangelize sinners. Let's 
not be afraid of what the government might do if they find out we 
denounce homosexuality. You know, that sort of increasing 
pressure is coming upon us in the West. Somebody recently asked 
me, what if you get thrown into prison as a result of preaching 
against homosexuality? What am I supposed to say? Well, 
I'm going to change the message. I'd rather get thrown into a 
prison in Vancouver than face my God for faithlessness. for 
treachery, for treason. Oh, because you hate homosexuals? No! Because I want them converted 
unto Christ. When we legitimize their lifestyle, 
we keep them from the only thing that will save them. Christ Jesus 
came sinners to save. When we identify it and every 
other abomination before God as sin, we offer them hope, we 
offer them a savior, we offer them reconciliation. It is barbarism 
to call it normal and to cut them off from the only means 
of salvation. That is destructive behavior. Brethren, we need to be Davids 
in our generation. Notice the response by Saul in 
verses 9 to 24. Again, David comes back from 
the battlefield victorious. Philistines fled from him. Now, 
probably people talked about this, just like when he comes 
back from the Valley of Elah. Remember what the lady is saying. 
For Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands. 
No doubt, when David is victorious in chapter 19 and verse 8, persons 
say something similar. Did you see that? David was awesome 
in battle. Did you see that? He had his 
sword, and he had his ruggedness, and he was killing people, and 
he got to the point where the Philistines were all running 
from him. They were the fraidy cats. And the Israelites, the 
faithful, would be rejoicing in the victory that God had wrought 
through David, their warrior. Saul hears this, and instead 
of bowing to God and thanking Him that He's given him a trusted 
servant in David who will help secure the border of Israel, 
he rages against Him. You see, we've pointed out that 
this sort of pride is diabolical. When God blesses brethren, brethren, 
we ought to rejoice with them. When God confers gift upon someone 
and He uses them, don't get mad at them. Don't let your eyeballs 
roll at them. Don't try to keep them out of 
the way. Don't engage in this Saul-like 
diabolical pride. It's wicked. It's horrific. This man, instead of praising 
and honoring and worshiping God, who gave Israel a David, wants 
to exterminate the very gift that God has given. It truly 
is madness. It truly does show what sin does 
in the heart of a man when we look at this particular Saul. 
Now notice the first attempt, the attempt with the spear. The 
attempt with the spear. I think I dealt a little bit 
with this last week, but we might ask the question, why in the 
world would David ever go back into the presence of Saul, especially 
while Saul was sitting there holding a spear? Just as I was 
reading this again, did anybody think to ever take the spear 
out of the king's hand? Pat him on the head and say, 
everything's gonna be okay Saul. Just try to remove that spear 
and hide it from him. This is Act 2 for David and the 
spear, isn't it? Why would David do this? Why 
does David go back into the court of Saul to play the harp for 
Saul when Saul has already, one time previously, tried to pin 
David to the wall? Well, in chapter 18, it's this 
distressing spirit from the Lord upon him. Probably, as I've suggested, 
it drove him mad. He raved inside of his house. 
He was full of madness and frenzy. Probably in chapter 18, no one 
interpreted it as a murderous intent specifically against David. 
In fact, when David showed up with harp in hand on that day, 
they might have said to David, you know, he's having a particularly 
rough day today. And so David starts to harp away 
and he takes the spear and throws it at David. He escapes. David 
on the way out probably said, yes, you're right, he is having 
a rough day today. He just tried to make a pincushion 
out of me with his spear. You see, David at that point 
doesn't think in terms of murder. He's not thinking that Saul has 
an axe to grind against him specifically. He just thinks Saul is a bit 
loopy. And as a result, he's thrown 
this spear. So David, when this distressing 
spirit comes back on Saul in verse 9, goes to play the harp 
before him again. David has seen this behavior. 
He'll strum the harp, he'll soothe the man, and hopefully all will 
be well and calm. Now notice, verse 9. Now the 
distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his 
house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing music with 
his hand. Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the 
spear, but he, David, slipped away from Saul's presence, and 
he drove the spear into the wall, so David fled and escaped that 
night. So once again, Saul tries to 
spear David. Now, David has different information 
now. He can no longer write this off 
as a bit of madness or frenzy on the part of this king. Jonathan 
has told David that Saul is trying to kill him. Jonathan has instructed 
David concerning the situation. He said, well, even after that, 
why did he show up again this time? David's a servant to the 
king. He's not completely sure of all 
things at this particular point. I guarantee you from this point 
on, David knows what's happening. Vannoy makes this observation 
that's very good concerning Saul in his state here. The solemn 
message of this chapter is that repeated disobedience of the 
Lord may lead to a hardening from which there is no way back. See, we can't redeem Saul at 
this point. Try as you may to yell at Saul 
in chapter 19, he ain't coming back. Defection leads to apostasy. For those of you who do not understand 
the distinction that I am suggesting by those two terms, defection 
starts small. Defection starts with neglect. Defection starts with substitution. I know I should do this, I know 
I should serve God in this way, but I'm going to substitute this 
because it's more pleasing to me. It's because I want to do 
it this way. Enough times of defection from 
the Lord turns out to be apostasy. That is a falling away from. There's no redemption for an 
apostate. This is what is described in 
Hebrews 6 and Hebrews 10. Apostasy. There's no repentance 
in this state. Not because God isn't good or 
gracious, it's because the apostate will have nothing to do with 
it. You see, when sensitive souls hear Hebrews 6 and 10 preached, 
they start to ask questions. Am I an apostate? And they start 
to evidence concern. If you are an apostate, you don't 
evidence concern. You don't ask questions. You 
take your stand against Yahweh and against His Christ. You have 
hardened your heart. You have rejected His Gospel. 
You have turned your back upon the Holy One of Israel. That's 
apostasy, and that's where Saul is. Vannoy continues, in other 
words, no one can continually act in deliberate disobedience 
to God's clearly revealed will and expect to escape serious 
consequences. Brethren, take heed. Saul is 
in this section of scripture certainly to advise us about 
terrible political leaders. But Saul is in this section to 
inform us as believers in Jesus Christ that at one time Saul 
was doing quite well. At one time Saul was killing 
Ammonites until the heat of the day. At one time Saul was obedient 
to Yahweh. And now he's throwing spears 
trying to destroy the very servant whom Yahweh has sent to save 
Israel. Notice in the second place, another 
attempt, this time at David's home. We read Psalm 59 at the 
outset of worship this morning. You know when David wrote Psalm 
59? In conjunction with this occasion. 
It's fascinating and intriguing to me that through all these 
trials, all these dangers, all these difficulties, David is 
nevertheless praising God in the midst of it all. It's truly 
amazing. Note that in the narrative we 
have in 1 Samuel 18, 19, 20, 21, we don't get a lot from David 
in terms of his thoughts concerning his trials. But the Psalter fleshes 
it out for us. David in the Psalms tells us 
how we are to think concerning these trials that beset him. 
He tells us in the Psalms that this God who delivered him is 
the God who will deliver us as well. David comments very beautifully 
concerning the Lord's protection in the midst of all of these 
things. Note the plan by Saul. He wants to send persons there 
to make sure that David is liquidated. And note Saul's folly. Saul tries 
to get Jonathan to murder David. What does Jonathan do? He tips 
David off concerning Saul's plan. Saul gave David Michael, in chapter 
18, to be a snare to him. Remember, the snare specifically 
was, if he wants to marry her, he has to bring me 104 skins 
from Philistines. Before you say, ooh, that's icky, 
think about what the implications are. Saul says to David, you 
need to go out and kill, in battle, a hundred Philistines in order 
to bring me their foreskins. Remember, Philistines aren't 
going to give up those foreskins willingly. They're not going 
to stand at the clinic and pick a number. so that their time 
is next. David would have to liquidate 
them to bring the four scans to show that indeed he had done 
the task. Saul's purpose is evident. Get 
David in the midst of Philistines so they can kill him. What does 
David do? He brings back 200 four scans. David is a man of faith. In this particular instance, 
he had given Michael to David to become a snare. Who is it 
that delivers David here? Michael. You see the folly of 
man? You see the idiocy of man? We 
try to manipulate and control events. We try to engage in total 
planning and control. The government tries to micromanage. We ourselves try to micromanage. We want cradle-to-grave, you 
know, sort of protection and security. We try to put our hands 
on everything. Saul is behind the scenes in 
all of his evil machinations, pulling strings to ensure that 
David meets his demise. And everything that Saul sets 
his hand to, God overrules it. Jonathan becomes the defender 
of David. Michael becomes the one who helps 
him escape. Brethren, all the tyrants of 
the earth cannot rage against God. He will silence them, as 
David says in Psalm 59. He will hold them in derision. 
As David says in Psalm 2, when the mutiny of man rages against 
Yahweh and His anointed, how does the Lord respond? Is He 
biting His cosmic fingers saying, oh no, what am I going to do 
with my mutinous creatures? No, He is in settled, steady 
composure and He laughs at the wickedness of these men. He responds 
by setting His Holy King on His hill Zion. And it is that King 
who will ultimately swing the sword to destroy all those who 
rage against the enemies of God." It truly is beautiful. In what 
are very mundane events, in terms of, you know, escapes and spears 
and all these things, God overrules it all. God's involved in the 
details of life. Again, David's commentary on 
these events in this altar tells us this isn't just peculiar to 
David. I mean, the specifics might be, 
of course. We're not, hopefully, getting 
spears thrown at us. If you are, We'll pray for you. That's a pretty terrible situation. 
Hopefully you're not having to escape your home because guards 
are watching it and you are going to be liquidated in your sleep. 
Hopefully you don't have the sorts of things that David faced 
going on, but you certainly have trials, you certainly have afflictions, 
you certainly have sorrows, you certainly have issues, but God, 
the one who delivered David from all of these things, is the same 
God who delivers his people now. We ought to be encouraged. If 
the Lord God Most High can ensure that David escapes from the murderous 
rage of Saul, then the Lord God Most High can certainly see us 
through a difficult Monday. Can't he? Or a difficult trial 
that we are undergoing. Doesn't Paul use this logic in 
the 8th of Romans? He who did not spare his own 
son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with 
him also freely give us all things? If the Lord's Supper is true, 
as we eat this bread and we drink this cup and we rejoice in the 
reality that Christ has saved us from our sins, is it not the 
case that when we face a difficult situation on Monday, God's not 
going to help us? The Psalms are blessed commentary 
on the life and ministry of David. Read them. Be encouraged. Find 
hope. Find strength. Find the reality 
that this God who gave what John Gill calls David nimble moves. Right? To dodge that spear, Gill 
says, he moved nimbly. If God gave David nimbleness, 
certainly God is able to deliver us from our distress. This God 
is truly glorious and amazing. The Geneva Bible succinctly, 
I probably should have just read this seven minutes ago. Thus 
God moved both the son and daughter of this tyrant to favor David 
against their father. It's an interesting statement 
concerning Michael. She puts this image in the bed. 
The details are a bit difficult to try and figure out. I think 
the bulk of it is to create bulk. Put the idols there, cover it 
with blankets and say that David is in bed sick. Doesn't answer 
the question why Michael had idols. Doesn't answer a lot of 
things for us, but it was subterfuge. It was an act of deception calculated 
to afford protection to David. Dale Ralph Davis says concerning 
this, the details of the verse, of verse 13, are a bit elusive, 
however. What did Michael do with the 
teraphim, the images of household of family deities? Did she stash 
them in the bed to give bulk to sick David? I love what he 
says here. They really were appropriately 
used as dummies. Isn't that glorious? The idols 
here functioned as their purpose to function. They're dummies. or place them beside the bed 
as protectors of the ill. And what was Michael doing with 
such relics anyway? But the overall picture is clear. 
Something like a quilt rumpled up at the bed. Perhaps some used 
gods to give form to the body and a bedspread pulled up. Saul 
then sends men and Saul then confronts Michael. Now notice 
something about Michael. It was nice of her and kind of 
her to be sure to make sure David escaped with his life. She didn't 
honor him. She dishonored his reputation. 
Imagine you were Saul and you heard from your daughter, well, 
he threatened to kill me. He threatened to liquidate me. 
She didn't honor David. Again, let's think of the typical 
significance with reference to David. Even among his own friends, 
the Lord Jesus found resistance. Even among those who loved him, 
even among those who confessed him, even among those who followed 
him, what happens in accordance with the prophet Zechariah? Strike 
the shepherd and what happens to the sheep? They scatter. He's denied by Peter. It's not 
honored. His reputation isn't honored. 
In that instance, Peter, of course, repented. The disciples, of course, 
repent. The disciples are restored. I'm 
not suggesting otherwise. But we need to see with reference 
to David, even those who were close to him, even those who 
loved him, even those who were supposed to afford protection 
to him, nevertheless dishonored him. Now notice the third instance 
where Saul tries to kill David. David's had enough. Well, I don't 
know if he's had enough, because he continues on a long time being 
plagued by Saul and a fugitive from Saul. But in this instance, 
he goes to Ramah. He goes to tell Samuel what is 
happening. Samuel, Saul has turned his rage 
against me. It's no longer Philistines that 
Saul is embattled with. Saul is targeting me. So he tells 
Samuel this. He gets Samuel the prophet on 
board. He instructs him. Well, Saul 
gets wind of this. Again, state-sponsored terror. 
People are reporting to Saul every move of David. They have 
their own version of the NSA. They have their own version of 
all those things that would track movements. And they're reporting 
back to Saul so that he can target David. You see the folly? Why wasn't he concerned about 
Philistine troop movements? Why isn't he concerned about 
Ammonites? Why isn't he concerned about 
Moabites? Why isn't he concerned about genuine threats to the 
kingdom? Because he's a petty, proud, 
envious wretch. That's what pride creates. We 
see it in Saul beautifully, don't we? Do we ever see it in ourselves? Something happens, there's an 
event, there's an incident, there's a situation, and we ought to 
be happy for people, and instead we're upset, we're grumbling, 
we're whining, we're complaining, we make the whole thing about 
us. Probably one of the things that are very much akin to all 
of our hearts is a love for self. I think John, when he says, little 
children, keep yourselves from idols, probably means us. We 
like to see ourselves in the best possible way. And if somebody 
threatens that, we respond with pride, with pettiness, with envy, 
with rage and malice. It's easy to see it here with 
Saul. It's not so easy to see it with us when we're not rejoicing 
with those who rejoice. Like, what kind of diabolicalness 
is that? When somebody has a blessing 
in their life, somebody comes to prayer meeting and they offer 
a praise and they say, you know, I just got a raise at work. And 
somebody's upset because they didn't get a raise at work. Brethren, 
be happy for people that are blessed. It really evidences 
the pettiness and the pride of our hearts if we don't take to 
heart that simple injunction to rejoice with those who rejoice. So David flees, he escapes, he's 
with Saul, Samuel and Ramah. Now notice, the information is 
given to Saul. There are messengers then sent 
to take David and they are overcome by the Spirit. This is interesting 
because God has delivered David in a myriad of ways, and here, 
directly by the power of the Holy Spirit. So look at what 
then happens. Two other sets of messengers 
are likewise overcome by the Spirit, and they prophesy. The 
king then goes to Ramah. You can hear him saying something 
like, well, if you want a job done, you have to do it yourself. 
He sent messenger after messenger after messenger, and instead 
of killing David, they're prophesying. Saul says, we can't have this. 
They're not supposed to bust out in prophecy. They're supposed 
to be killing me some David. So Saul now ventures to Ramah. 
Saul goes to Naoth, which is probably a neighborhood in Ramah 
where prophets dwell. And the Spirit overpowers Saul. It's truly an amazing depiction, 
isn't it? We say, wait a minute, is Saul 
now like Isaiah or Jeremiah or Daniel or Hosea? Is Saul godly 
again? Is that what's happening in this 
particular instance? Let's look specifically at what's 
going on here. The nature of the prophesying 
is not explained to us. It's not told that they are singing 
hymns of praise or psalms of praise to God. We really don't 
know what the nature of this prophesying was. Gil points out 
that as the messengers have done, singing such like songs or foretelling 
such like things as they did, he and they speaking not of themselves 
but as they were moved by the Holy Spirit of prophecy. For 
such gifts have sometimes been bestowed on men that were destitute 
of the grace of God, as Balaam Caiaphas and others. So it's 
not uncommon for this to happen. I think it was Matthew Henry 
who said, I quite like to think that they were prophesying about 
who the next king would be in Israel. That would take a work of the 
Spirit upon Saul's wretched and hardened heart. But notice, when 
the Spirit comes upon them, guess what's not happening? They're 
not chasing David. They're not murdering David. They're not destroying David. This overpowering influence of 
the Holy Spirit, putting them in a position of prophesying, 
is restraining them and keeping them from this murderous deed 
of taking David out of the way. Now notice, it says that Saul 
stripped off his clothes, verse 24. He also stripped off his 
clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and laid 
down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore, they say, 
is Saul also among the prophets? A couple of things we need to 
understand here. The nakedness probably doesn't 
mean he was in his birthday suit. Probably doesn't mean he was 
in the buff. He wasn't absolutely naked. He stripped off his kingly 
garments. The Spirit is showing something 
forth here. Maybe they were prophesying about 
the next king. Because the reigning king has 
taken off his royal robes. The reigning king is now naked. 
We see something akin in chapter 18 when David comes from the 
battle of the Valley of Elah. What happens when Jonathan meets 
him? Jonathan takes off his robes. Jonathan takes off his armor. 
Jonathan takes off his sword to defer the kingdom to David. 
Jonathan essentially says, take these because you are worthy 
of them. I want you to be the heir apparent to the throne. 
Well, here the stripping off of Saul's clothes indicates something. 
Probably the removal of the royal prerogative. It's interesting. In chapter 10, verse 11, a similar 
question is asked. Is Saul also among the prophets? 
There they're amazed. Saul is being equipped for battle. 
Saul goes in in chapter 11, he kills Ammonites until the heat 
of the day. That was a different vision or a different scene. 
Here it's incredulity. Is Saul also among the prophets? He's not acting like one. He's 
divested himself of his royal robes. He's taken off his kingly 
attire. He has shown forth in symbol 
that he is no longer the king. This is what two men had to say. Van Hoy says, just as the earlier 
occasion, Saul's prophesying with a company of prophets was 
a confirming sign of his investiture with the role of a king. So on 
this occasion, his prophesying combined with the stripping off 
of his clothes was a sign that he was divested of that same 
royal office. Is there a symbol going on in 
this, brethren? It's not just the madness of 
Saul. Wow, isn't that wacky? He takes off his clothes, he's 
got the Spirit, and he's prophesying. God the Lord is showing us here 
in vivid detail. Saul is done. Saul is done. His career is over. I mean, it makes what's going on 
in other parts of the world today look like child's play, in effect. One other man said, a reversal 
of what 10 1 to 9 says of Saul's endowment with the Spirit. In 
both cases, the Spirit is a divine manifestation. In chapter 10, 
he gives strength to Saul to carry out his feat of bravery. 
In chapter 19, he works in the reverse. He makes Saul helpless 
and drives him to strip off his clothes, the clothes of a king. He goes there to haunt David. 
The Spirit overpowers him such that he prophesies and he strips 
off the kingly robes. The prophesying is probably not 
good faithful exposition and preaching. We don't know particularly 
what it is, but the Spirit's evident power is manifested in 
the section. So that's exposition. Let's just 
conclude with a few thoughts and then we'll be done. The first 
place, I think we've tried to sufficiently point out the tyranny 
of Saul. The king sets his heart on the 
destruction of God's servant. Sounds just like the greater 
than David. The kings take their counsel together. They speak 
together against Yahweh and against his anointed. Saul is acting 
in typical fashion as well. If David is typical of the greater 
than David, Saul is typical of every wicked rejecter of the 
gospel that would ever follow suit. This rage and malice and 
anger targeted against one who is altogether lovely and chief 
among 10,000. If you're not a Christian here 
this morning, I want you to ponder this question. What is it about 
Jesus Christ that keeps you from Him? Doesn't the bride describe 
him that way in the song? He is altogether lovely and chief 
among 10,000. If we see something altogether 
lovely and chief among 10,000, aren't we drawn to it? If I were 
to say to you, hey, we listened to these young men today, they 
said, we went to Yolo, and it was beautiful, and the majestic 
beauty, and it was glorious, and if you're in fit shape and 
you can, you know, hobble your way up those mountains and see 
what we saw, it'd be tremendous. There's a draw there, isn't there? 
There's a longing that is developing there. You meet Christians, you 
hear people that say, you know what, I was this, or I was that, 
or I was this, or I was that, but the Lord has saved me, He 
has washed me, He has cleansed me, He has purified me, He has 
given me a righteousness such that I can stand before His Father. 
You hear that, your soul should be drawn to Him, should want 
the one who is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. Why is 
it you continue in Saul rage? Why is it that you continue to 
reject and resist? Why is it that you would rather 
choose the bondage of sin and the devil himself than to flee 
and to find grace and to find mercy and to find the Lord Jesus 
Christ? He is altogether lovely and chief 
among 10,000. You young people and you children, 
You're growing up in a day and age very much unlike what your 
parents have. We had all the same sins. We 
just didn't have as easy access to it as all. We didn't carry 
little factories of, you know, I'm not saying phones are necessarily 
bad. Do not take that from what I'm 
about to say. But what you can see through 
that phone in the space of two seconds is bad. We had to try 
a little harder to get at that sort of stuff. We still were 
successful, to our shame. But nevertheless, we had to do 
a few more things in terms of jumping hoops. You carry power 
in your pockets. And that stuff is prolific. It's all over the place. It's 
conspicuous. You can't walk down the street 
without being confronted by temptation. Flee to Christ. Believe on Him. Turn from your wickedness now 
and find grace and mercy and forgiveness. Christ is one of 
those objects that we should cleave to and never, ever, ever 
let go. That's the refuge for our souls. You are in Saul's company this 
morning if you continue to resist and continue to reject the one 
who is the hero, the one who is the champion of Israel, the 
one who has brought redemption to his people. Saul pursued murder 
rather than the proper government of his kingdom. He continued 
in his downward spiral as a result of previous declension. The declension 
ends in full-blown apostasy, and his ruin is ultimately the 
judgment of God Most High. Do not think that Saul has escaped 
God. Saul is under God's judgment. In the second place, we ought 
to find friends like Jonathan. Find friends like Jonathan. Better yet, be a friend like 
Jonathan. In chapter 20, this is developed 
more in detail for us. This covenant of friendship that 
David and Jonathan manifest toward one another. They love each other. 
And that love isn't, like I was trying to suggest earlier, this 
sappy, syrupy, I'm-just-here-to-do-what-you-want sort of thing. It's principled, 
it's rooted in covenant, it's rooted in moral obligation, it's 
rooted in mutual affection for the glory of God and the good 
of His servants. Find Jonathans, find Davids, 
or be Jonathans and be Davids. Thirdly, the deliverance of Yahweh 
is manifested. He delivers David by Jonathan. 
He delivers David by nimble moves. He delivers David by Michael. And he delivers David directly 
by the power of the Holy Spirit in Ramah. And the fourth observation, 
I'm going to lean on Ralph Davis again here. Do you notice a pattern 
with David? Do you see something that's happened 
to David? since he's originally identified 
as the heir to the throne in Israel. When the Spirit comes 
upon David, what happens? Does David enter into that special 
rank and privilege that the health, wealth, and prosperity preachers 
talk of? Is his life full of joy, full 
of peace, full of Fridays, full of his best life now? Do you 
notice that in David's life he has no small share of trials, 
of afflictions, of hardships, of woes, of difficulties, of 
excruciating pain? I mean, how would you like it, 
brethren, if your king was trying to throw spears at you? How would 
you like it if you're laying peacefully in your bed, your 
wife gives you a shake and says, you need to go or else my father 
is going to murder you? How would you feel if there was 
a man who was foaming with rage and malice against you, trying 
to kill you? Would you respond by writing 
Psalm 59? Would you respond by writing Psalm 34, Psalm 56, Psalm 
57, Psalm 142? Would that be your response? 
Or would your response be similar to my response? Why is this happening 
to me? Why does the Lord keep getting 
me? Why am I suffering? Why am I 
hurting? Why this hardship? Benny Hinn 
said, once I came to Jesus, gold and silver and money would be 
my lot, and yet that's not happening to me. Do God's people respond 
to God's providence the way God's servant David did? I mentioned 
on Wednesday night, Psalm 34 is an acrostic. He wrote Psalm 
34 in the events going on in chapter 21. Not to write poetry 
is beyond me to begin with, but an acrostic poem, that means 
you start with A and B and G and go all the way through the Hebrew 
alphabet and compose poetry accordingly. That's David's response to trial. That's how David copes. That's David's therapy, that's 
David's comfort, that's David's strength. When trials come, he 
doesn't fall apart. When trials come, he doesn't 
cry. When trials come, he doesn't 
suck his thumb. When trials come, he looks to 
God. Brethren, what's the take-home 
message for us? Look to God. Davis says Yahweh's 
regimen of protection should have proven instructive for David 
as well. At the end of chapter 19, the 
danger is still alive for David. Nevertheless, even in this distress 
and in this momentary relief, David should have been able to 
look back and see assuring evidence of Yahweh's care and intention 
to preserve him. Much, in fact almost everything, 
seemed discombobulated. Yet in it all there was this 
clear evidence that David has not been forsaken, has not been 
abandoned. Now this next line, brethren, 
is the kind of stuff, besides the written word, is this kind 
of stuff that reminds us about the written word to furnish comfort 
to our souls. Listen to Dr. Davis. Sometimes 
the clearest evidence that God has not deserted you is not that 
you are successfully past your trial, but that you are still 
on your feet in the middle of it. That's money! God's evident provision, deliverance, 
and protection for his people does not always equate The removal 
of trial. It means that in the midst of 
trial, you're able to pull yourself out of bed, to stand on your 
feet, to go to work, to love your family, to be faithful in 
the midst of it. God is present and God is upholding 
you. David seems to record this very 
sentiment at the end of Psalm 59. But I will sing of your power. Yes, I will sing aloud of your 
mercy in the morning. For you have been my defense 
and refuge in the day of my trouble. To you, O my strength, I will 
sing praises. For God is my defense, my God. See, 1 Samuel. is an oasis for the people of 
God. Brethren, if you are not able 
to attend on Wednesday night, I don't want to scold you, I 
don't want to lambast you, I don't want to guilt you. If we stop 
in the next couple of weeks at the end of probably chapter 21, 
please read 1 Samuel. Please note God's care. Please 
attend to his deliverance and his provision and his protection 
for his servants and realize that it's not just for David, 
but according to David in the Psalms, it's for all those who 
fear God. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
you for the Word of God and we thank you for what it instructs 
us concerning your deliverance. We ask our Father that you would 
help us to get our minds wrapped around the Psalms and get our 
minds wrapped around these narratives to see the reality that our God 
is for us, who then can be against us. We ask that you would go 
with us now. I ask that you would take the 
word preached by the power of the Spirit that you would convict 
sinners so that they would look in faith to the one who is altogether 
lovely, to that one who is chief among 10,000. And we pray these 
things through Christ our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation and then be dismissed.