Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

1 Samuel 19 Study Notes: David Escapes Saul's Attempts on His Life

Saul orders David's death, but Jonathan pleads for him and Saul briefly swears to spare him. After another spear attack, Michal helps David flee through a window, and when Saul's men and then Saul himself pursue him to Samuel at Naioth, God's Spirit overcomes them and they prophesy.

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General

Where did David go after escaping from his house (1 Samuel 19:18)?

Answer: To Samuel in Ramah, and then to Naioth

David fled to Samuel in Ramah and reported all of Saul’s actions against him; then the two of them went and stayed at Naioth (19:18). Ramah was Samuel’s home, the place from which he led and judged the nation (7:17). It was also where Samuel had gone after anointing David (16:13). In danger, David turned to the prophet who had anointed him at God’s command.

  • 1 Samuel 19:18 (BSB)
    “So David ran away and escaped. And he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.”
    David flees to Samuel at Ramah, and they go to stay at Naioth.
  • 1 Samuel 7:17 (BSB)
    “Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.”
    Ramah was Samuel’s home, where he judged Israel.
  • 1 Samuel 16:13 (BSB)
    “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.”
    Samuel returned to Ramah after anointing David.

Theological

To whom did David turn after his escape, and where did they go (1 Samuel 19:18)?

Answer: To Samuel in Ramah, and then to Naioth

David flees to Samuel in Ramah, recounts Saul’s actions, and settles with him at Naioth (19:18). Ramah was Samuel’s home and base of ministry (7:17), to which he had returned after anointing David (16:13). The fugitive anointed one takes refuge with the prophet through whom God had designated him.

  • 1 Samuel 19:18 (BSB)
    “So David ran away and escaped. And he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.”
    David flees to Samuel at Ramah, and they go to stay at Naioth.
  • 1 Samuel 7:17 (BSB)
    “Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.”
    Ramah was Samuel’s home, where he judged Israel.
  • 1 Samuel 16:13 (BSB)
    “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.”
    Samuel returned to Ramah after anointing David.

General

True or False: In 1 Samuel, the saying about Saul being among the prophets is tied only to what happened at Naioth.

Answer: False

This is false. Saul finally went to Naioth himself, and God’s Spirit came on him too, so that he prophesied all the way there (19:22-23). He removed his robes, prophesied in Samuel’s presence, and lay unclothed through that whole day and night, which is why people repeated the saying about Saul among the prophets (19:24). But the saying had already begun earlier, when God’s Spirit came on Saul, who then prophesied among a band of prophets soon after Samuel anointed him (10:10-12), as Samuel had foretold (10:6). The text describes these events without explaining them. At Naioth, the king who came to capture David was himself overpowered by God.

  • 1 Samuel 19:23 (BSB)
    “So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. But the Spirit of God came upon even Saul, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah.”
    The Spirit of God comes upon Saul and he prophesies on the way to Naioth.
  • 1 Samuel 19:24 (BSB)
    “Then Saul stripped off his robes and also prophesied before Samuel. And he collapsed and lay naked all that day and night. That is why it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?””
    Saul prophesies before Samuel, and the saying about Saul among the prophets is repeated.
  • 1 Samuel 10:10-12 (BSB)
    “When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them. When all those who had formerly known Saul saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” Then a man who lived there replied, “And who is their father?” So the saying became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?””
    The saying first arose when Saul prophesied with the prophets after his anointing.
  • 1 Samuel 10:6 (BSB)
    “Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be transformed into a different person.”
    Samuel had foretold that the Spirit would come on Saul and he would prophesy.

Theological

True or False: The proverb about Saul among the prophets is connected in 1 Samuel exclusively with the events at Naioth.

Answer: False

This is false. When Saul himself comes to Naioth, God’s Spirit comes upon him, he prophesies along the way, removes his robes, prophesies before Samuel, and lies there through the day and the night, giving rise to the saying about Saul among the prophets (19:22-24). The saying had first arisen after Saul’s anointing, when the Spirit came on him among the prophets at Gibeah (10:10-12), as Samuel had foretold (10:6). The narrator describes without explaining the phenomenon; the point is that the king who came to seize David is himself overmastered by God.

  • 1 Samuel 19:23 (BSB)
    “So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. But the Spirit of God came upon even Saul, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah.”
    The Spirit of God comes upon Saul and he prophesies on the way to Naioth.
  • 1 Samuel 19:24 (BSB)
    “Then Saul stripped off his robes and also prophesied before Samuel. And he collapsed and lay naked all that day and night. That is why it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?””
    Saul prophesies before Samuel, and the saying about Saul among the prophets is repeated.
  • 1 Samuel 10:10-12 (BSB)
    “When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them. When all those who had formerly known Saul saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” Then a man who lived there replied, “And who is their father?” So the saying became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?””
    The saying first arose when Saul prophesied with the prophets after his anointing.
  • 1 Samuel 10:6 (BSB)
    “Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be transformed into a different person.”
    Samuel had foretold that the Spirit would come on Saul and he would prophesy.

General

When Jonathan spoke up for David, whom did he say had brought about the great victory over Goliath (1 Samuel 19:4-5)?

Answer: The LORD, who rescued the whole nation that day

Jonathan reasoned with his father. David had done Saul no wrong; in fact everything David did had greatly helped Saul (19:4). David had risked his life to defeat Goliath, and through it the LORD had rescued the whole nation, which Saul himself had seen and celebrated (19:5). So why would Saul kill a guiltless man and stain himself with innocent blood for no reason? Jonathan credits the victory to the LORD, as David himself had done (17:47), and he warns his father against shedding innocent blood, which God’s law strongly condemns (Deuteronomy 19:10; Proverbs 6:16-17).

  • 1 Samuel 19:4 (BSB)
    “Then Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David; he has not sinned against you. In fact, his actions have been highly beneficial to you.”
    Jonathan tells Saul that David has not wronged him and has served him well.
  • 1 Samuel 19:5 (BSB)
    “He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?””
    Jonathan says the LORD brought a great salvation and warns Saul against shedding innocent blood.
  • 1 Samuel 17:47 (BSB)
    “And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.””
    David had already said the battle belonged to the LORD.
  • Deuteronomy 19:10 (BSB)
    “Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.”
    God’s law sought to keep innocent blood from being shed in the land.
  • Proverbs 6:16-17 (BSB)
    “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,”
    The LORD hates hands that shed innocent blood.

Theological

In Jonathan’s defense of David before Saul, to whom does he attribute the deliverance at Goliath’s defeat (1 Samuel 19:4-5)?

Answer: The LORD, who rescued the whole nation that day

Jonathan’s plea is a reasoned defense: David has done Saul no wrong and has served him well (19:4); he risked his life, and through him God delivered all Israel, which Saul witnessed with joy (19:5). Killing him would be shedding innocent blood without cause. Jonathan’s theology matches David’s at the battle line (17:47), and his appeal invokes the law’s horror of innocent bloodshed (Deuteronomy 19:10) and the LORD’s hatred of hands that shed it (Proverbs 6:16-17).

  • 1 Samuel 19:4 (BSB)
    “Then Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David; he has not sinned against you. In fact, his actions have been highly beneficial to you.”
    Jonathan tells Saul that David has not wronged him and has served him well.
  • 1 Samuel 19:5 (BSB)
    “He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?””
    Jonathan says the LORD brought a great salvation and warns Saul against shedding innocent blood.
  • 1 Samuel 17:47 (BSB)
    “And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.””
    David had already said the battle belonged to the LORD.
  • Deuteronomy 19:10 (BSB)
    “Thus innocent blood will not be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.”
    God’s law sought to keep innocent blood from being shed in the land.
  • Proverbs 6:16-17 (BSB)
    “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,”
    The LORD hates hands that shed innocent blood.

General

When Saul commanded Jonathan and the royal servants to put David to death, what did Jonathan do (1 Samuel 19:1-3)?

Answer: He told David to hide while he spoke with Saul about him

Saul now openly commanded Jonathan and the whole royal household to put David to death (19:1). But Jonathan delighted in David, so he warned him that Saul meant to kill him, told him to be careful the next morning and hide in a secret spot, and promised to stand with his father near David’s hiding place, ask about him, and report whatever he learned (19:2-3). Jonathan kept his covenant loyalty to David even against his own father’s command (18:3; 20:16-17), choosing to protect an innocent man rather than obey an order to murder (compare Exodus 1:17).

  • 1 Samuel 19:1 (BSB)
    “Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Jonathan delighted greatly in David,”
    Saul orders Jonathan and his servants to kill David, but Jonathan delights in David.
  • 1 Samuel 19:2 (BSB)
    “so he warned David, saying, “My father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning; find a secret place and hide there.”
    Jonathan warns David and tells him to hide.
  • 1 Samuel 18:3 (BSB)
    “Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.”
    Jonathan had made a covenant with David out of love for him.
  • 1 Samuel 20:16-17 (BSB)
    “So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.” And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.”
    Jonathan later renews his covenant with David’s house.
  • Exodus 1:17 (BSB)
    “The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.”
    The midwives feared God and refused a king’s order to kill the innocent.

Theological

How did Jonathan respond to his father’s order to put David to death (1 Samuel 19:1-3)?

Answer: He told David to hide while he spoke with Saul about him

Saul’s hostility becomes an explicit command to Jonathan and the whole court (19:1). Jonathan, who delights in David, warns him, tells him to hide, and undertakes to sound out his father and report back (19:2-3). His covenant loyalty (18:3; 20:16-17) takes precedence over a royal order to shed innocent blood, much as the Hebrew midwives feared God rather than obey Pharaoh’s order to kill (Exodus 1:17).

  • 1 Samuel 19:1 (BSB)
    “Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Jonathan delighted greatly in David,”
    Saul orders Jonathan and his servants to kill David, but Jonathan delights in David.
  • 1 Samuel 19:2 (BSB)
    “so he warned David, saying, “My father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning; find a secret place and hide there.”
    Jonathan warns David and tells him to hide.
  • 1 Samuel 18:3 (BSB)
    “Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.”
    Jonathan had made a covenant with David out of love for him.
  • 1 Samuel 20:16-17 (BSB)
    “So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.” And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.”
    Jonathan later renews his covenant with David’s house.
  • Exodus 1:17 (BSB)
    “The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.”
    The midwives feared God and refused a king’s order to kill the innocent.

General

What happened to the messengers Saul sent to Naioth to seize David (1 Samuel 19:20-21)?

Answer: God’s Spirit came on them and they prophesied

Saul dispatched men to capture David. On seeing the company of prophets at work with Samuel at their head, God’s Spirit came on the messengers, and they too started prophesying (19:20). Saul sent a second group and then a third, and each one ended up prophesying instead of seizing David (19:21). Three times Saul’s plan failed. The text does not explain the details of what this prophesying looked like, but it shows that God Himself stopped the king’s men. No plan can succeed against the LORD (Proverbs 21:30), and He brings the schemes of peoples to nothing (Psalm 33:10-11).

  • 1 Samuel 19:20 (BSB)
    “he sent messengers to seize him. But when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came upon them, and Saul’s messengers also began to prophesy.”
    Saul’s messengers see the prophets with Samuel, and the Spirit of God comes upon them.
  • 1 Samuel 19:21 (BSB)
    “When this was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they began to prophesy as well. So Saul tried again and sent messengers a third time, and even they began to prophesy.”
    Saul sends two more groups, and each one prophesies too.
  • Proverbs 21:30 (BSB)
    “There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.”
    No plan can succeed against the LORD.
  • Psalm 33:10-11 (BSB)
    “The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.”
    The LORD frustrates the plans of the peoples while His own purposes stand.

Theological

What became of the three groups Saul sent to capture David at Naioth (1 Samuel 19:20-21)?

Answer: God’s Spirit came on them and they prophesied

Three times Saul’s messengers arrive at Naioth, see the company of prophets with Samuel presiding, and, as God’s Spirit comes upon them, begin to prophesy themselves (19:20-21). The text describes the event without explaining the phenomenon; its point is that God sovereignly halts the king’s agents. No counsel prevails against the LORD (Proverbs 21:30), who brings the schemes of peoples to nothing (Psalm 33:10-11).

  • 1 Samuel 19:20 (BSB)
    “he sent messengers to seize him. But when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came upon them, and Saul’s messengers also began to prophesy.”
    Saul’s messengers see the prophets with Samuel, and the Spirit of God comes upon them.
  • 1 Samuel 19:21 (BSB)
    “When this was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they began to prophesy as well. So Saul tried again and sent messengers a third time, and even they began to prophesy.”
    Saul sends two more groups, and each one prophesies too.
  • Proverbs 21:30 (BSB)
    “There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.”
    No plan can succeed against the LORD.
  • Psalm 33:10-11 (BSB)
    “The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.”
    The LORD frustrates the plans of the peoples while His own purposes stand.

General

When Saul demanded to know why Michal had deceived him, what did she claim (1 Samuel 19:17)?

Answer: That David had threatened to kill her if she did not help

After David fled, Michal laid a household idol on the bed, with goat hair at its head and a garment over it, and told Saul’s messengers that David was sick (19:13-14). When Saul ordered the men back with instructions to bring David to him in his bed, they found only the idol (19:15-16). Saul accused her of deceiving him, and Michal claimed that David had threatened her life if she did not help him get away (19:17). That claim does not match what the text has just shown, since Michal herself had urged David to flee (19:11). The narrator simply reports her deceptions without approving them. Saul had given Michal to David hoping she would become a trap for him (18:21), yet she used her deception to protect David. Long before, Rachel had also deceived her father Laban over household idols (Genesis 31:34-35).

  • 1 Samuel 19:13 (BSB)
    “Then Michal took a household idol and laid it in the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and covered it with a garment.”
    Michal puts a household idol in the bed to look like David.
  • 1 Samuel 19:11 (BSB)
    “Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!””
    Michal herself warns David to flee that night.
  • 1 Samuel 19:17 (BSB)
    “And Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away, and he has escaped!” Michal replied, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away, or I will kill you!’””
    Saul accuses Michal of deceiving him, and she claims David threatened her.
  • 1 Samuel 18:21 (BSB)
    ““I will give her to David,” Saul thought, “so that she may be a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time now you can be my son-in-law.””
    Saul had given Michal to David intending her to be a snare to him.
  • Genesis 31:34-35 (BSB)
    “Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing. Rachel said to her father, “Sir, do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you; for I am having my period.” So Laban searched but could not find the household idols.”
    Rachel had also deceived her father to hide household idols.

Theological

How did Michal explain herself to Saul once her deception was discovered (1 Samuel 19:17)?

Answer: That David had threatened to kill her if she did not help

Michal stages a decoy with a household idol, goat hair and a garment, and tells the messengers David is ill (19:13-14); when Saul orders David brought to him bed and all, the ruse is exposed (19:15-16). Pressed by Saul, she claims David threatened to kill her (19:17), a statement at odds with her own urging that he flee (19:11). The narrator reports her lies without commendation; they are not offered as a pattern. Saul had meant Michal to become a trap for David (18:21), yet her deception shields David instead, and the scene recalls Rachel deceiving her father Laban over household idols (Genesis 31:34-35).

  • 1 Samuel 19:13 (BSB)
    “Then Michal took a household idol and laid it in the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and covered it with a garment.”
    Michal puts a household idol in the bed to look like David.
  • 1 Samuel 19:11 (BSB)
    “Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!””
    Michal herself warns David to flee that night.
  • 1 Samuel 19:17 (BSB)
    “And Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away, and he has escaped!” Michal replied, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away, or I will kill you!’””
    Saul accuses Michal of deceiving him, and she claims David threatened her.
  • 1 Samuel 18:21 (BSB)
    ““I will give her to David,” Saul thought, “so that she may be a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time now you can be my son-in-law.””
    Saul had given Michal to David intending her to be a snare to him.
  • Genesis 31:34-35 (BSB)
    “Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing. Rachel said to her father, “Sir, do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you; for I am having my period.” So Laban searched but could not find the household idols.”
    Rachel had also deceived her father to hide household idols.

General

How did David get away when Saul posted men at his house to kill him at dawn (1 Samuel 19:11-12)?

Answer: Michal warned him and let him down through a window

Saul posted messengers at David’s house to kill him at daybreak. Michal, David’s wife, warned him that unless he fled that night he would die the next day, and she let him down through a window so he could run away (19:11-12). Michal, who loved David (18:20), now protected him from her own father. A psalm of David is linked by its heading to this very night of danger, and it is a prayer for God to rescue him from his enemies (Psalm 59:1).

  • 1 Samuel 19:11 (BSB)
    “Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!””
    Saul sends men to watch David’s house, and Michal warns David to flee.
  • 1 Samuel 19:12 (BSB)
    “So Michal lowered David from the window, and he ran away and escaped.”
    Michal lets David down through a window and he escapes.
  • 1 Samuel 18:20 (BSB)
    “Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, and when this was reported to Saul, it pleased him.”
    Michal loved David.
  • Psalm 59:1 (BSB)
    “For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise against me.”
    This psalm’s heading links it to the night Saul’s men watched David’s house to kill him.

Theological

By what means did David escape Saul’s men posted at his house (1 Samuel 19:11-12)?

Answer: Michal warned him and let him down through a window

Saul posts messengers to kill David at dawn; Michal warns him and lets him down through a window (19:11-12). Saul had given her to David as a snare (18:21), but her love for David (18:20) turns the snare against Saul. The superscription of Psalm 59 ties that psalm to this night of danger, turning the episode into a prayer for deliverance from enemies (Psalm 59:1).

  • 1 Samuel 19:11 (BSB)
    “Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!””
    Saul sends men to watch David’s house, and Michal warns David to flee.
  • 1 Samuel 19:12 (BSB)
    “So Michal lowered David from the window, and he ran away and escaped.”
    Michal lets David down through a window and he escapes.
  • 1 Samuel 18:20 (BSB)
    “Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, and when this was reported to Saul, it pleased him.”
    Michal loved David.
  • Psalm 59:1 (BSB)
    “For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise against me.”
    This psalm’s heading links it to the night Saul’s men watched David’s house to kill him.

General

True or False: After Jonathan’s appeal, Saul swore by the LORD that David would not be killed.

Answer: True

This is true. Saul listened to Jonathan and swore by the living LORD that David would not be killed (19:6), and Jonathan brought David back to serve Saul as before (19:7). But the oath did not last. After David won another victory over the Philistines, Saul again tried to kill him with a spear (19:8-10) and then sent men to his house to kill him (19:11). God’s law required people to keep the oaths they swore (Numbers 30:2), and Scripture praises the one who keeps his word even when it costs him (Psalm 15:4). Saul did the opposite.

  • 1 Samuel 19:6 (BSB)
    “Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death.””
    Saul listens to Jonathan and swears by the LORD that David will not be killed.
  • Numbers 30:2 (BSB)
    “If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.”
    God’s law required a person to keep an oath sworn to the LORD.
  • Psalm 15:4 (BSB)
    “who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath,”
    The one who dwells with God keeps his oath even when it is costly.

Theological

True or False: Persuaded by Jonathan, Saul took an oath in the LORD’s name that David would be spared.

Answer: True

This is true. Saul heeds Jonathan and swears by the LORD that David will not die (19:6), and David is restored to court (19:7). The oath is quickly broken: after David’s next victory Saul again attempts murder (19:8-10) and then sends men to kill him at home (19:11). The law bound a man to perform what he swore (Numbers 30:2), and the one who dwells with God keeps his oath at personal cost (Psalm 15:4); Saul’s vow proves as unstable as his heart.

  • 1 Samuel 19:6 (BSB)
    “Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death.””
    Saul listens to Jonathan and swears by the LORD that David will not be killed.
  • Numbers 30:2 (BSB)
    “If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.”
    God’s law required a person to keep an oath sworn to the LORD.
  • Psalm 15:4 (BSB)
    “who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath,”
    The one who dwells with God keeps his oath even when it is costly.

General

After David’s next victory over the Philistines, what happened when Saul was again troubled (1 Samuel 19:9-10)?

Answer: Saul’s spear missed and lodged in the wall as David escaped

When fighting resumed, David struck the Philistines hard and they ran from him (19:8). Then, as Saul sat at home holding his spear, he was again troubled by a spirit of distress, which the text says came from the LORD. As David played music, Saul tried to drive the spear through him into the wall behind. David slipped aside, the spear lodged in the wall instead, and David escaped that night (19:9-10). Saul had hurled his spear at David before (18:10-11). The LORD was protecting David, just as He keeps the righteous from those who seek their lives (Psalm 37:32-33).

  • 1 Samuel 19:9 (BSB)
    “But as Saul was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, a spirit of distress from the LORD came upon him. While David was playing the harp,”
    A spirit of distress from the LORD comes upon Saul as he sits with his spear.
  • 1 Samuel 19:10 (BSB)
    “Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But David eluded him and the spear struck the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.”
    Saul tries to pin David with the spear, but it strikes the wall and David flees.
  • 1 Samuel 18:10-11 (BSB)
    “The next day a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear, and he hurled it, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.”
    Saul had already hurled his spear at David on an earlier occasion.
  • Psalm 37:32-33 (BSB)
    “Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, and seek to slay them, the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned under judgment.”
    The LORD does not leave the righteous in the power of those who seek their life.

Theological

What followed when Saul was again afflicted by the spirit of distress (1 Samuel 19:9-10)?

Answer: Saul’s spear missed and lodged in the wall as David escaped

David’s further success (19:8) is followed by Saul again being afflicted by the spirit of distress, which the text traces to the LORD, and by another spear thrown while David plays; David evades it, the spear lodges in the wall, and he flees that night (19:9-10). The scene repeats 18:10-11, showing that Saul’s oath (19:6) has not changed his heart. God sovereignly preserves His anointed, as Psalm 37:32-33 affirms of the righteous.

  • 1 Samuel 19:9 (BSB)
    “But as Saul was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, a spirit of distress from the LORD came upon him. While David was playing the harp,”
    A spirit of distress from the LORD comes upon Saul as he sits with his spear.
  • 1 Samuel 19:10 (BSB)
    “Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But David eluded him and the spear struck the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.”
    Saul tries to pin David with the spear, but it strikes the wall and David flees.
  • 1 Samuel 18:10-11 (BSB)
    “The next day a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear, and he hurled it, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.”
    Saul had already hurled his spear at David on an earlier occasion.
  • Psalm 37:32-33 (BSB)
    “Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, and seek to slay them, the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned under judgment.”
    The LORD does not leave the righteous in the power of those who seek their life.