Day 1163: Fugitives for God - 1 Samuel 19 vs 18 – 20 vs 4

18-20 Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21-22 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23-24 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

1-4 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favour in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” 1 Samuel 19:18-20:4 English Standard Version

Twice we are told today that 'David fled'. Being called of God, as David was, doesn't mean we will have a life of ease. When Jesus called Paul He said: “I will show him how much he is to suffer for the sake of my name'. David sought refuge with Samuel, telling him all that Saul had done to him. Saul's rage continued and he sent messengers after David, but God intervened in a remarkable way. The Spirit of God came upon the men so that they also prophesied!

We don't know what form that took, but it shows the power of the the Spirit of God. It's like when the guards the Pharisees sent to capture Jesus returned empty handed, and said 'no man ever spoke like this man.' Saul sent out two further bands of messengers, with the same result. The men were overpowered by God's Spirit. So Saul set out himself. Once again, we read that the Spirit of God came upon him and he prophesied, and lay naked all that day and night. It led to what became a catchphrase in Israel “Is Saul also among the prophets?'

Surely the lesson here is that being able to 'prophesy' does not mean that a man is right with God. The apostle Paul's words come to mind: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-2)

And so David fled again, this time to a place where he could meet with Jonathan. One writer said that by fleeing from safety with Samuel, who was God's prophet, David was looking to man instead of God for protection. That's possibly true, but I suspect that David feared that not even Samuel could protect him from Saul when the effects of the Holy Spirit subsided.

And so we have the conversation in vs 1-4 between David and Jonathan where David seeks an explanation for Saul's hatred of him. And David says: “As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” This sentiment dogged David through much of his life and is expressed in many of his Psalms. Yet how true that sentiment has been of many of God's servants through the ages. From those described in Hebrews 11: 32-38, to people like Martin Luther and William Tyndale, many became fugitives from the wrath of their fellow men. And many perished. But they perished knowing there was something better for them, for they were seeking the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.