Saul
pursued David relentlessly. He was bent on killing him. So far, all his
attempts described in 1 Samuel 19 had failed. The first was foiled by his son
Jonathan. Persuasively, he managed to show his father how unjustified it would
be for him to kill a man who did him no wrong. With that, he was able to
halt his father’s intention for a while. The second failed attempt was probably
due to Saul's own poor aim. For a reason unknown, the spear he hurled at David
just missed the target, giving the latter the opportunity to escape and flee
for home. The third attempt was in David’s own home. Those men he sent to kill
David was deceived by Michal his daughter. She used a family idol to make it
look as if David was asleep thus allowing her husband to escape by lowering
himself down through the window.
In
1 Samuel 19:11-24, we read of Saul’s fourth attempt at David’s
life. This fourth escape of the would-be king was the most notable
one. For it was the Spirit of God that had foiled and thwarted Saul’s attempt.
Having escaped from his own home, David ran to Samuel in Ramah. The last the
two met was when David was anointed as king by Samuel in Bethlehem. We are not
given the lapse of time, but it must have been several years. Ramah was only
about two miles from Gibeah where Saul lived. It would only take about half an
hour on foot from Gibeah to Ramah. Perhaps David thought he could find some
reprieve with Samuel. So here David and Samuel reunited. He narrated all that
he had experienced at the hand of Saul. Nothing he said would have surprised
the prophet. So together, David and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.
When
Saul learned that David was at Naioth, he sent messengers there. Just as he had
sent them to his house earlier, with the intention to get rid of David. All along
we have seen that the hand of God playing a secondary role in David’s rescue,
but now through His Spirit, God was playing a primary role in the rescue. Those
messengers who came to take David down met a group of prophets filled with the
Spirit and prophesying. Samuel was seen presiding over them. What happened
next was unusual. Those messengers were overpowered by the Spirit of God and
they were found prophesying and hence unable to carry out the assignment
to kill David. When Saul learned of what had happened, he sent a second group and
the same thing happened. So he sent a third group and they also prophesied.
David was divinely protected from the evil intention of Saul.
Finally,
Saul himself went seeking the life of David. He must have felt that he had to
do it himself. So he came to the well at Secu. There he demanded to know where
Samuel and David were. When told that they were at Naioth, he hurried there. He
had a strong resolve to get rid of David. But how could he succeed when David’s
backing was God? So we read in verses 23-24 that “He proceeded 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. He also
stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay
down naked all that day and all that night.” The Spirit of
God took control and thwarted his evil intention. Here
we see that Saul was rendered incapable to carry out his resolve.
What
is the significance of the whole scene? Here Saul was made to disrobe himself indicating
that the royal position he was supposed to hold had been stripped from him.
Remember, Jonathan earlier voluntarily disrobed himself and gave his robe to
David. This position would no longer belong to his house. God’s plan was
slowly but surely coming to pass. This whole account affirms that nothing can
happen to us outside of the will of God. No weapon that is forged against us
can prosper when we are at the center of God’s will for our life. Take heart,
when God is for us, nothing can thwart His plan for us!
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