1 Samuel 19:18

DAVID FLEES TO THE PROPHET SAMUEL

"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 dwelt 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. 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; 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. Hence, it is said, `Is Saul also among the prophets'?"

"And David came to Samuel in Ramah" (1 Samuel 19:18). David was in a terrifying position. Although innocent of any wrong-doing, Saul had designated him as an outlaw and devoted the resources of the whole kingdom of Israel to the task of hunting David down and killing him. Samuel was a true prophet of God, and David sought him out for advice and protection. "In flying to Samuel, David made God his refuge, trusting in the shadow of his wings. Where else can a good man go and feel himself safe"?[14]

"He and Samuel went and dwelt at Naioth" (1 Samuel 19:18). Samuel's first protective move after David's arrival was to change the residence of both of them to Naioth. "No such place as that is known, but the word means `dwellings.'[15] It is revealed a little later that it was "in Ramah" (1 Samuel 19:22), and it seems likely that W. H. Bennett's opinion that, "It was the quarter of the town (of Ramah) inhabited by the prophets,"[16] is correct. This, of course, would have been considered a sacred area by the people; and it seems likely that Samuel moved himself and David into that area as a protection against Saul. However, events quickly revealed that no area, no matter how "holy," was safe from the intrusion of the murderous Saul.

Saul sent three different companies of "messengers," in all probability bands of armed soldiers, to go and arrest David; and none of them was able to do it.

"When they saw the company of the prophets prophesying" (1 Samuel 19:20). This was probably the most disgusting thing imaginable that could have happened to a band of Saul's soldiers. We are told absolutely nothing about the nature of this demonstration which overcame the armed "messengers"; but, whatever it was, it made it impossible for them to proceed with their mission to arrest David.

Not only the three different companies of messengers were stopped by this outburst of prophesying; but, "Even Saul himself was incapacitated by the prophetic seizure."[17]

One is reminded of what happened to the armed detachment that approached Jesus Christ in Gethsemane for the purpose of arresting Jesus. They all fell flat upon their faces in his presence (John 18:6).

The triple wonder of all this is that it happened three times to the different groups of messengers, and then a fourth time to the king himself! One can only imagine what a ridiculous figure he cut lying there stark naked on the ground all day and all night! Yes, God was looking after David. We are amused at the efforts of commentators who try to cover up Saul's nakedness by insisting that, "he still had on his underclothes."[18] Well, maybe! However, when daylight came Saul must have been a lot more interested in finding his britches than in finding David.

"Then he himself went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Secu" (1 Samuel 19:22). In this verse, Saul is taking things into his own hands and is on the way to Ramah to arrest David himself! "Secu" here may have been. "The large cistern or tank that was there."[19]

Regarding the school of the prophets which appears at Nairoth, which had been founded and organized by Samuel, we probably have in this the beginning of that class of persons known in later ages as "the scribes" of Israel. In fact, "The Chaldee Paraphrast calls these prophets `scribes'; and doubtless these persons educated in Samuel's schools held an analogous position to that of the scribes in later days."[20]

"Is Saul also among the prophets" (1 Samuel 19:24). This expression is found not only in this passage, but in 1 Samuel 10:1-13 also; and the type of commentator who cannot find anything in the Bible except "doublets" and duplicate accounts from "different sources" seize upon this at once as another example of what they are always seeking.

However, as Dr. John Willis stated it, "There is no compelling reason to deny the historicity of both passages."[21] The first use of the expression, "Is Saul also among the prophets," was apparently used to enhance Saul's reputation, but not so in this instance of it. Again from Willis:

"The powerful king of Israel was rendered powerless by divine intervention and made to prophesy against his will; and David's supporters and Saul's opponents asked mockingly, `Is Saul also among the prophets'?"[22]

Payne also warned us against accepting the allegation that this is a duplicate of the former instance. "It is not a duplicate, but a deliberate repetition to show that such characteristics marked Saul's whole career. `Going too far' was his constant failing."[23]