The Battle of the Wills
1 Samuel 19:1-24
Turn to 1 Samuel 19. To anyone likely around sixty-plus, the phrase, surprise, surprise, surprise, likely reminds you of Jim Nabours playing Private First-Class Gomar Pyle. Or maybe some of you who are younger also remember him if your Mom and Dad would never let you watch anything in colour. And some of those old shows were really good that some of us may have grown up with, but that was not one of them. Now, maybe Andy Griffith, but not Gomar Pyle. And I say, you who are older, but I have to admit, when our guys are at home, half the conversation is usually some kind of quote from the old Andy Griffith show. And the reason I mention surprise, surprise, surprise, is because in our passage this week there just seems to be one surprise after another. Now this is a shorter chapter, so we are going to read through the whole thing and pick out the surprises as we go.
David Escapes from Saul
1 Then Saul spoke with Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David. (nothing surprising here yet)
2 So Jonathan told David saying, “Saul my father is seeking to put you to death. So now, please be careful in the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself.
3 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; what I perceive, I will tell you.”
4 Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his works have been very good for you.
5 For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and Yahweh brought about a great salvation for all Israel; you saw it and were glad. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?”
6 And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan … SURPRISE, and Saul swore, “As Yahweh lives, he shall not be put to death.”
7 Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as formerly.
8 Then there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great slaughter, so that they fled before him.
9 Now there was an evil spirit from Yahweh on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand.
10 And Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear SURPRISE [Saul has flipflopped here again, although these changes of character for Saul should not be all that surprising to us anymore, as Saul is sort of consistently inconsistent, isn’t he?], but [David] slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
11 Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to keep watch over him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michal … SURPRISE, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not make an escape for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death.”
12 So Michal let David down through a window, and he went out and fled and escaped.
13 Then Michal took the household idol … SURPRISE [for what is an idol doing in David’s house?] and laid it on the bed and put a quilt of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with clothes.
14 Then Saul sent messengers to take David, but she said, “He is sick.” [not a huge surprise I suppose that Michal lied here]
15 So Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed, that I may put him to death.”
16 The messengers came, and behold, the household idol was on the bed with the quilt of goats’ hair at its head.
17 So Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I put you to death?’”
18 Now David fled and escaped and came to Samuel … SURPRISE [as we haven’t heard from Samuel for a long while] at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.
19 And it was told to Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” [obviously it didn’t take long for Saul to find out where David was]
20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David, but they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them. And the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and they also prophesied … [that’s a little SURPRISING].
21 This was told to Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied … SURPRISE.
22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came as far as the large well that is in Secu; and he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.”
23 So he went there, to Naioth in Ramah; and the Spirit of God came upon him [Saul] also … SURPRISE [this is a huge surprise, Saul prophesying?], so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and all that night … that’s an odd SURPRISE. Therefore they say [the last SURPRISE], “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
The story is certainly intriguing and full of surprises. Saul was out to kill David and then changes his mind, only to change it back again. Michal becomes sort of a heroine in this story as she helps rescue David, and Saul is among the prophets of God. Who da thought! I have entitled our message this morning, The Battle of the Wills, as all the events are the result of: Saul’s will against Jonathan’s will; Saul’s will against Michal’s will; and Saul’s will against God’s will. Ultimately, when we as human beings have wills, it would be hard to say that those wills are completely free. For unless they are submitted to God, the human mind we could say is not playing with a full deck, is it? We could also say that without divine intervention the human will is always going to be against God’s will. And we not only have human wills that are opposed to God, but we also have human wills that are greatly opposed to each other, don’t we? True, men can be united in their opposition to God, but it is not like those men are united. Yes, united against a common foe, but not united with each other.
Now, admittedly, the Christian community is not always united, as we have many things that would divide us theologically and in practical application. I mean that is why there are Presbyterians, Reformers, Baptists, Pentecostals, and Brethren. And fortunately, God works though all our differences and faults at times, yet, if our wills were in perfect harmony with God’s will, we would all be in harmony with each other. And that human beings clashing with each other is not new. And it certainly is not new to Christianity, for back in New Testament times, the biblical writers often had to address disunity. What we do enjoy as true believers in Christ is a submission to Christ and His Lordship, and it is the true desire of all Christians. That all things would be in subjection to Christ as he is rightfully the Head over the church. And therefore, we know that if any human will is not aligned and subject to Christ, then that will is in conflict with the desired will of God. And though humanly, we are by nature opposed to the will of God, we also know that through the work of the Holy Spirit, He can change our wills to conform to His will. I want to go back to a Psalm we looked at last week written by David himself, to notice the rebellion against God with and the submission that is demanded of mankind.
Rebellion
“Why do the nations rage
And the peoples meditate on a vain thing?
The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against Yahweh and against His Anointed.”
Submission
“So now, O kings, show insight;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
Serve Yahweh with fear
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
Psalm 2:1-2; 8-10 (LSB)
So, we understand that all this as it relates to our story this morning. David has been anointed as king and the Spirit of the Lord has come upon him. He has killed Goliath, and he is now fighting in Saul’s army. Yet, Saul is tremendously jealous of David, a jealousy that has led Saul to hate David. So, we can understand the tension, as the will of God is that David is to be the next king, and yet Saul is still serving. So, for the rest of 1 Samuel, we will have this tension, this battle of the wills. And the words written by David in Psalm 2, become really the commentary of the balance of the book, as David writes that the rulers take counsel against Yahweh and against His Anointed. In other words, against the will of God. This is not our desired reading for us, is it? As we have a tendency for things and people to live happily ever after.
Anne and I do not watch a whole lot that is new on TV. I am not sure if there is any benefit to that, but that is what we do. But Anne got into the Lord of the Rings with our youngest son years ago, and Anne and I have been watching the Rings of Power, which had a series on and is due to start again in the fall of ‘26, and I have really enjoyed it. But what is somewhat agonizing is that after a conflict or problem is resolved, another one takes its place. And I always turn to Anne and say, oh no! As I just wanted all the good guys to be happy and safe. This is not going to happen in 1 Samuel.
And I think of Saul, a hard guy to figure out completely. As he would not be aware that David has been anointed as king, so, he may have some reason to oppose David. In other words, he may not know that pitting himself against David was pitting himself directly against God. Now, he would be aware that he has been disobedient to God, yet he may still hope that his son Jonathan would be the next king, and therefore, rightly feel threatened by David’s accolades. Certainly, Saul may have had some questions about where all this was going. He was aware of David’s great victory over Goliath. He now knew David was likely his best warrior in battle. And he likely had heard many say that the Lord was with David. And the nail on the coffin would have been Samuel’s words to him much earlier that “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today [Saul] and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.” Saul must have some idea that this is David. So, in our story, we have God on a mission in the life of Israel and David, and we have opposition to that by Saul. So, we are going to see how God is going to work to rescue David. Firstly:
SALVATION THROUGH JONATHAN (vs 1-7)
We are aware of a close relationship between David and Jonathan.
“Then Saul spoke with Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David. So Jonathan told David saying, ‘Saul my father is seeking to put you to death.’”
1 Sam 19:1-2a (LSB)
Now Saul was not likely aware of just how close these two were as friends. And we know of Jonathan’s loyalty, that that though he loved his father, he was loyal to David. Because this is what loyalty means. This is why Jesus taught that those who would be loyal to Him, meant that it would bring division between family members. It must, if they are at odds with the Lordship of Christ, there will be disunity. Here Saul spoke (vs 1) to “his son,” and Jonathan refers to Saul as “my father” (vs 2). Yet he was loyal to David. And there must be a great deal of credit given to Jonathan here. For he, more that anyone, would have been aware of his father’s jealousy of David. Yet he has the courage to come to his father and defend David.
“Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, ‘Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his works have been very good for you. For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and Yahweh brought about a great salvation for all Israel; you saw it and were glad. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?’”
1 Sam 19:4-5 (LSB)
He even uses the strong word “sin” in addressing his father, and I love how he does this. Notice he doesn’t send his Dad a text or post a complaint about his Dad on Facebook. He doesn’t rebuke him in a letter. But he has the guts to speak to him directly. I have been impressed with some of these speeches in 1 Samuel. We saw one of these when David stood before Goliath. And this is a great speech by Jonathan. Dad, why are you going after innocent blood? Dad, why are you wanting to kill David without a cause? And remember Dad, David’s works have been very good for you.
And this is one of our surprises in the story as Saul actually listens to Jonathan (vs 6), as Jonathan becomes the good counselor, though it doesn’t last. And I believe that we, as counselors, can be encouraged that Jonathan here gave good, bold advice, that Saul listened to. And it doesn’t take away from what Jonathan said, just because later on, Saul goes back to his evil ways. In other words, the obligation of the good counselor is not the response of the counselee. The obligation of the counselor is to give good, godly, biblical wisdom, and to demonstrate a love for the one you are counseling, which Jonathan did. Secondly, how does God rescue David?
SALVATION THROUGH DAVID’S SKILL (vs 8-10)
This may seem like an odd title, but we see here where David escapes the spear of Saul by his agility. If there was some big guy who was against me in school for some reason or another. And someone asked me if I was afraid of him, I would just say “no,” I can just outrun him. And here in our story the music of David’s harp did not seem to help on this occasion, as (vs 9) it was while David was playing a tune for Saul that Saul threw his spear at him. I was thinking maybe David was playing the same tune that the women were singing last week. As Saul was thinking, I’ve heard that tune somewhere before! Interesting that we read in the passage that “an evil Spirit from Yahweh” came upon Saul. So, the deadly toss was both God’s will, but it was also the responsibility of Saul. This is one of those times in the Bible that it is content to present a mystery and just leave it at that. In other words, was this the responsibility of Saul, was he at fault here? Or was this the action of God. In other words, did His Spirit cause this? Answer: yes and yes. Enough said.
Thinking of the tension between two wills. We might tend to think that it is the stronger or the older who will get its way. But even the two-year-old learns that if he whines long enough, he just might prevail over the parent. While that may be chalked up to the lack of wisdom by the parent, imagine believing that by gritting our teeth or throwing our toy, that the God of the universe would back down. Does Saul truly believe that by throwing a spear and throwing a temper-tantrum, that he is going to win back the throne from God’s chosen man?
Think of the differences here between Saul and Jonathan. Between the one, Saul, who was opposed to God’s will, and the one, Jonathan, who had accepted God’s will. John Woodhouse notes: one, Jonathan delighted in David while Saul wanted David dead; two, Jonathan gives a logical and convincing argument to his father of why David should live and why Saul’s hostility toward David is not rational, in other words, he could not deny the goodness of David; and three, Jonathan rejoiced in the David’s victories for God’s people, while Saul was envious of them. Good for us to consider all that goes on in Christianity or how the giftedness of others might supersede our own personally or even that of our church, how we might view all these things in the light of God’s glory and not our own. Next, how does God rescue David?
SALVATION THROUGH MICHAL (vs 11-17)
So, now we are introduced to another person who the Lord chose to assist in the deliverance of David. And, by the way, the Lord does not always have to use the best vessel to perform His will. And not to say anything against Michal, who is impressive here, but God can use whatever and whomever He chooses. So, Michal takes this idol and makes Saul believe that David is sick. Again, as I have already asked, what is this idol doing in David’s house? Well, the Bible does not tell us, unless there is some compromise in David’s household. It is also interesting that Michal does try to convince Saul by giving an argument for David’s goodness as Jonathan did. She simply lies.
And we are always wanting the Bible to comment on the lie here, wanting the Lord to say to Michal, that was wrong! We sort of want the same thing when we read about the deception of Rahab when she hides the Israelite spies. So, it may be good to just state some things we do know about lying at this point. One, we know from the Bible that it is right to be honest and truthful. Two, we know that when Rahab lied, she was attaching herself with Israel and not her own people. And this is what makes Michal actions so astounding, for she attaches herself to David and not to her own father Saul. Finally, we also know that when each of them lied, both Rahab and Michal lied to save a weaker person. In other words, Michal lied to save David from the king, she didn’t lie to save herself.
Now after saying this and considering other things such as lies spoken during WW2 to save many Jews, it is best to rest in the truth we know, and that is that God is truth and therefore, we must be people of truth. That Michal lied and that Rahab lied are just facts given to us in the story, and the narrative gives no judgment of what they did one way or the other. And the one judgment we do know from the Bible is that God has commanded us to be truthful, always. Jesus said, let your yea be yea and your nay be nay. Yet nonetheless, we see here, where David was protected by Michal. Finally, how did God rescue David?
SALVATION THROUGH THE SPIRIT (vs 18-24)
In verse 18, we see David going to see Samuel.
“Then Saul sent messengers to take David, but they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them. And the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and they also prophesied.”
1 Sam 19:20 (LSB)
This “company of the prophets.” We read about them back in 1 Samuel 15 when Samuel was anointing Saul. Saul was told that he would run into this “group of prophets.” And in that passage when Saul met them, it says that he was changed, because the Spirit of Yahweh come upon Saul mightily. Now this Hebrew word “nāḇā’” has been translated “prophesying” here (vs 20). Interesting when Saul was stricken by the evil spirit (18:10), the same word is translated “raved,” that Saul raved against David. Therefore, the word often translated “prophesy” means to proclaim or express or raving. And expressed because of the influence of a greater power over the one speaking, in this case over Saul. And what we see here in our passage is that when Saul sent a group of messengers to David (vs 20). When they came upon the “company of the prophets” they started to prophesy. In other words, they began proclaiming truth under a greater influence, in this case the Spirit of God. And then of course, another group is sent (vs 21), and they also began to prophesy, and then a third group.
“So he went 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. Therefore they say, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’”
1 Sam 19:23-24 (LSB)
And what we see in this passage is not only is Saul overpowered by the Spirit of God, but that he is also not able to do harm to David, or arrest David, as remember Saul intent was to take David. We saw this in our Bible reading with Balaam, that he was sent on a mission to curse Israel, but he was unable. In fact, when the Spirit of God came upon the donkey, even the donkey began to speak. And I suppose the question we might ask here when considering all this is, “Lord, why did you use Jonathan to protect David?” Why did you use David’s skill in evading Saul’s spear? Lord, why did you use Michal? When you could have just sent Your Spirit stop anyone from doing what they wanted to do? When You could have wiped everyone out who was opposed to You? In other words, Lord, You are Lord God, You are the LORD, of which the Hebrew word is Yahweh. You are the Lord, Yahweh, so, You can do whatever You desire. So, why are You using Jonathan’s words and David’s skill and Michal’s deception, when You could just have Your Spirit do whatever You choose to do?
Answer? The Bible doesn’t tell us. Why did God have Samsom pull down the pillars of the temple to destroy the Philistines, when He could have had the earth open up and swallow them? Why did God use a great fish to come and swallow Jonah to save him, when He could have stopped the water like He did at the Red Sea? Why did God use David to strike the giant Goliath, when He could have stuck Goliath with a lightning bolt? Why did He use Samson? Why did He use a great fish? Why did He use David? Because God does and God will do, and God will accomplish all that God chooses to accomplish. And God will fulfill all His purposes in the way in which He chooses, even if He chooses to make a donkey talk, or a snake talk, or the rocks cry out. And when Saul arrives to pit his will against God, he starts to prophesy and takes off his clothes. The king, the king of Israel, the powerful king with all his forces has absolutely no power when he is confronted with God.
Think back to what has happened in this story. Saul decides that he is going to kill David, but Jonathan counsels him. Later, Saul changes his mind and decides again to kill David. He has the spear in his hand, but with David’s ability he eludes the spear. Later, Saul decides he is going to kill David once and for all, but Michal deceives him until David gets away. And then later, Saul decides he is going to go after David himself, but the Spirit of God comes upon Saul and he too begins to prophesy and takes off his clothes.
There are three things that I learned from this story that I belief I understand better, One, is that this is no credit to Saul that he was prophesying. I used to struggle with this wondering how did Saul become so spiritual all of a sudden? Well, Saul is not spiritual all of a sudden, for God is just doing what God does. As when we understand the context of this story, we realize that God is just stopping Saul in his tracks and proving to everyone watching and reading just how powerful God is. The second thing I have learned from this story is the craziness of fighting against God, as God will do all that God has determined to do and nothing will stop Him. Nebuchadnezzar who at one time greatly opposed God said:
“For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
But He does according to His will in the host of heaven
And among the inhabitants of earth;
And no one can strike against His hand
Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”
Dan 4:34b-35 (LSB)
For God will put people in your way, He will place animals in your way, he will bring nature down on you, or he will just take you out by His Spirit. And it doesn’t matter who you are. Whether you are a teenager, a Mom, a government worker, or a king like Saul or Nebuchadnezzar, if you are opposed to God—guess what? —you will at some point submit to Him.
Finally, I learn from this story the effect of submission, either willingly or unwillingly. In closing, I wish to look at five characters from the Bible who submitted to God. And I would suggest that three of them are in a positive way and two are in a negative way. Let’s talk about one in a positive way, Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar gives one of the most resounding speeches in all the Bible of the sovereign purposes of God. We just read a portion of it, but he says more in Daniel 4. Remember Nebuchadnezzar propped himself up before God and the Lord humbled him, as the Bibel says that he became like an animal until he humbled himself before God. It would be good to see Nebuchadnezzar in eternity. The second, positively in submission. I think of Peter who when our Lord had the disciples experience a great catch of fish. And Peter responded in humbleness, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” As it says that Peter fell down at Jesus’ feet as amazement had seized him. I also think of Job, who loved the Lord, yet questioned much of what God was doing. And when the Lord confronted him, he responded with this wonderful speech.
“I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too marvelous for me, which I did not know.
Therefore I reject myself,
And I repent in dust and ashes.”
Job 42:2, 3b, 6 (LSB)
And the other two, I see in a negative sense, whom our Lord humbled. The first is Pharaoh. In Exodus 9:7 we read that the heart of Pharaoh was hardened with firmness, and he did not let the people go. This is the classic battle of the wills where man pits himself against God. And in Exodus 10, God says to Pharoah, “How long will your refuse to humble yourself before Me?” And of course, later in Exodus 14, Pharaoh’s entire army was destroyed in the Red Sea. And the final example is here in our passage. The king of Israel, the mighty Saul, who finds himself falling down naked before his Maker. As he desired to pit his will against God’s, and it left Saul at the mercy of God. How do you see your life this morning? Do you see yourself as a Nebuchadnezzar or a Peter or a Job? Or do you see yourself as a Pharaoh or Saul? God’s Word says come, submit, repent, believe, and receive. Peter wrote, “Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Lord, for what we know not, teach us. For what we have not, give us. And for what we are not, make us. And all God’s people said, amen.