1 Samuel 19:18-24

1 Samuel 19:18-24

[18] So David  fled,  and escaped,  and came  to Samuel  to Ramah,  and told  him all that Saul  had done  to him. And he and Samuel  and dwelt  in Naioth.  [19] And it was told  Saul,  saying,  Behold, David  is at Naioth  in Ramah.  [20] And Saul  sent  messengers  to take  David:  and when they saw  the company  of the prophets  prophesying,  and Samuel  standing  as appointed  over them, the Spirit  of God  was upon the messengers  of Saul,  and they also prophesied.  [21] And when it was told  Saul,  he sent  other  messengers,  and they prophesied  likewise. And Saul  sent  messengers  again  the third  time, and they prophesied  [22] he also to Ramah,  and came  to a great  well  that is in Sechu:  and he asked  and said,  Where  are Samuel  and David?  And one said,  Behold, they be at Naioth  in Ramah.  [23] thither to Naioth  in Ramah:  and the Spirit  of God  on,  and prophesied,  until he came  to Naioth  in Ramah.  [24] And he stripped off  his clothes  also,  and prophesied  before  Samuel  in like manner, and lay down  naked  all that day  and all that night.  Wherefore they say,  Is Saul  also among the prophets? 

What does 1 Samuel 19:18-24 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

How natural it was for David to seek refuge with the faithful prophet Samuel who resided less than an hour"s walk from Saul"s headquarters. Naioth was evidently a compound within Ramah where Samuel headed a school of prophets. The Hebrew word literally means "habitations." [1] God here rescued David, not by any human intermediary but directly by the overpowering influence of His Spirit. Prophesying involved praising the Lord (cf. 1 Samuel 10:10-13; 1 Chronicles 25:1-3). Saul"s three groups of messengers, and even the king himself, ended up serving God rather than opposing Him. The Holy Spirit overrode the king"s authority. In 2 Kings 1:9-16 King Ahaziah sent three groups of messengers to arrest Elisha, but the prophet called down fire from heaven and consumed the first two groups. The commander of the third group did not seek to oppose God"s anointed prophet and received mercy. Saul"s disrobing ( 1 Samuel 19:24) probably symbolized the loss of his regal dignity and status, as well as his personal dignity. [2] Such a person was not fit to be king.
This reference to Saul"s prophesying ( 1 Samuel 19:23-24), which happened near the place where he prophesied shortly after his anointing ( 1 Samuel 10:12), became "an ironic comment on Saul"s life story." [3] Saul had begun his reign with great potential plus God"s enabling Spirit, which resulted in his praising God (cf. 1 Chronicles 25:1-3; 1 Corinthians 12:3). Yet now he was almost a raving madman. This passage does not support the theory that the prophets became ecstatic when they prophesied. Neither do 1 Samuel 18:10; 1 Kings 18:29; 1 Kings 22:10-12; 2 Kings 9:1-12; Jeremiah 29:26; Hosea 9:7; or any other passages. [4] Saul drove himself to the brink of insanity by refusing to submit to God, who still exercised sovereign control over him despite the king"s attempts to go his own way.
It is significant that this chapter closes with the repetition of the saying, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" This derogatory saying brackets the story of Saul"s contacts with Samuel and with the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Samuel 10:11). It reminds the reader that Saul had the potential to be a great king because of Samuel and the Spirit"s resources that were available to him. The narrative that the two occurrences of this saying enclose explains Saul"s failure. He lost the opportunity to found a dynasty, he lost his own throne, and he lost his personal dignity because he refused to act like a prophet. That Isaiah , he refused to put the honor, glory, and will of God before his personal ambitions and pride.
". . . To question the genuineness of Saul"s prophetic behavior was to question his legitimacy as king of Israel ..." [5]
Saul lost the privilege of reigning, he became a vessel unto dishonor, he created problems for others, and he eventually destroyed himself. Another Saul, Saul of Tarsus, perhaps learning from the experiences of Saul of Gibeah, who may have been his namesake, feared the possibility that he might similarly disqualify himself ( 1 Corinthians 9:27). We must not confuse disqualification from service with loss of salvation. The former is possible for every believer, but the latter is not (cf. Romans 8:31-39).
The three instances of David"s deliverance in this chapter show how God preserved His anointed. He used both natural and supernatural means to do so. Since God has anointed Christians with His Spirit ( 1 John 2:20), this record of how God preserves His anointed should be an encouragement to us.