Bible 101 - I Samuel Chapters 15-19

Presented November 1, 2004 by Phyllis Gilbert

Review: last week, we witnessed Saul's anointing, his recognition by the tribes, and his success against the Ammonites which led to overwhelming acceptance by the people of Saul as their king. Saul was a man who looked the part of king, but as we discovered, he didn't have the spiritual development that made him a "man after God's own heart." In fact, as we've seen, he knows little about God, and less about what pleases God. After all, he is king with God's permission. God is truly king of Israel, and it is God Saul should be consulting before every decision and every move he makes. But he does not do this, and it will be his downfall. Already, God has told him, because he offered a sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel to do so, that none of his sons will succeed him. Nevertheless, he's still king, and we'll see whether he grows in the job or not.

I Samuel 15: This is a significant chapter. While having left the spotlight, Samuel is still God's prophet and he goes with words from God to Saul: "defeat the Amalekites - everyone of them - for what they did to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt." These were Esau's descendants, and they had attacked the people in the wilderness (Ex. 17), and again later. God told Saul to "utterly destroy" these people, not just men in the army, but old men, women and children, their cattle and sheep, all they owned was to be destroyed. Saul has troops numbering over 200,000 and off he goes. With God's help, Saul is victorious, and destroys all of the Amalekites except their king Agag, and the best cattle. "Everything that was weak and that they despised they destroyed, but they saved the best." Not what God told them to do!

I Samuel 15:10: Here is the turning point of Saul's reign. God tells Samuel "I am sorry I made Saul king." Saul has failed the test; he has not obeyed God, but instead, he's kept back some of the spoils of the battle. Samuel went to look for Saul and was told he'd gone to Carmel to set up a monument to himself (who's victory was it?!), and then he'd gone on to Gilgal. Samuel found him there, and Saul told him "I did what God asked me to," believing that he had. But Samuel confronts him: "I hear animals; where did they come from?" And instead of saying that he'd been responsible (and as leader he was) Saul blames his men, saying "they spared the best for sacrifice." Samuel doesn't want to hear this. He knows Saul has been disobedient and proud, and he's lied. Samuel is not shy about telling him what he's done is wrong. Saul tries to defend himself, but there is no defense. And Samuel says "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings or in obedience?" And Saul knows that he's sinned. Look at his excuse "I was afraid of the people." In other words, Saul is more concerned with the approval of the people than of God. This is an upside down priority, and Samuel tells him "God has rejected YOU as king as you rejected God [as your king]." Saul asks Samuel to pray for him, and they worship together. But notice why Saul begs Samuel to worship with him: he wants the acclaim of the people. He wants to be sure they see him with Samuel, and by association, is OK. But God has fired Saul, and things are not OK. While Samuel is with him, Agag is brought forward, and Samuel kills him - doing what Saul did not do. Samuel and Saul part, and Samuel never sees Saul again. The last verse reads: "Until the day Samuel died, he did not see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel." Without God, Saul is nothing. And he is going to discover this.

I Samuel 16: God is blunt with Samuel: "quit mourning Saul," he says, and instructs him to go to Jesse's house and anoint a successor to Saul. Samuel is afraid to do this openly; if Saul, who's jealous of his position, finds out, he'll chase Samuel down and kill him. So God tells him to take an animal for a sacrifice and ask Jesse and his family to join him in this offering. Samuel goes. After all, he's obeyed God since the time God called him in the night; he's never been unfaithful. He's been the kind of ethical and honest leader (remember I Samuel 12) that Israel could follow. And he's led them one more than one occasion to confess their sins and turn back to God. His own obedience has been a great example to Israel. So Samuel isn't about to disobey God now. He goes.

I Samuel 16:4: The elders of Bethlehem, where Jesse lived, saw Samuel and were afraid. Perhaps they thought he was bringing bad news or that Saul was coming to take more of their young men. For whatever reason, they ask him if he's come in peace and he assures them he has. He tells them to prepare themselves for a worship service and the offering of a sacrifice. They do, and with Jesse and his sons, Samuel offers the sacrifice. Then he asks to see Jesse's sons. As they walk by (Jesse has 8 sons), Samuel thinks each one will be God's choice. Eliab, the eldest, must have looked like a king because Samuel is sure he's the one. But God tells Samuel "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (v. 7). One by one, the sons go by and about each one, God says, "not him." God is not passing them by as men, only as kings, just as God rejects Saul as king, but not as a man. Finally, Samuel says, "have I seen all the sons?" and Jesse tells him there's one more, a kid out tending sheep. Samuel tells Jesse to send for him; they can't eat until Samuel finishes the task for which he's been sent. So David appears, and we are told that he "was ruddy with a fine appearance and handsome features." But God isn't looking at the package; he's looking at the heart, and he calls David "a man after my own heart." God tells Samuel "this is the one; anoint him," and so Samuel obeys. David is anointed with oil and with the Spirit of God.

Two asides: First, recall that Bethlehem is the home of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz, and in Ruth 4, we read that Boaz was the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David. Ruth is David's great-grandmother. Secondly, Saul is still king and will be for another 12 or 13 years. David will tend the sheep and will become Saul's musician, playing to soothe Saul when he's troubled. But David will also become Saul's target: Saul chases him all over the country for 10 years. David is God's choice to be king, but it's not yet God's time for David to sit on the throne. I think we can conclude that these next years of David's life will be when God prepares and educates him.

I Samuel 16:14: In the previous verse, we read that God's spirit fell on David at his anointing; in this verse, we read that "The Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him." For clarification: God would have allowed Saul to reign in good spiritual health had Saul obeyed God. But Saul's disobedience drove God's spirit away; God then permits an evil or troubled spirit to afflict Saul. The Holy Spirit inhabits every child of God; when we accept Christ, Paul tells us, we are given the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:2). John says the same thing in his first epistle: "God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. . . All who proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them." (I John 4:13, 15) He is within us. And as long as we are faithful to Christ, the Holy Spirit remains. We cannot be given an evil spirit as long as the Holy Spirit abides in us. They can't share space. That's comforting! God would have been Saul's teacher, his leader, his guide, his strength IF Saul had made any attempt at all to learn what God wanted him to do, been open to following God's way, and have trusted God enough to obey him. But Saul did none of these things and so God left him. It's a tremendously sad state to be in.

I Samuel 16:15: The spirit that tormented Saul kept him awake and agitated, so a servant suggests "music therapy." Saul sends for a musician, and it is David who comes. David plays his harp when Saul is upset, and gradually, the music soothes him. Saul was happy with the results, and asked Jesse to allow David to stay.

I Samuel 17: The Philistines never go away, and this time, they're back, challenging the Israelites with a giant: Goliath. Here's the story we heard in Sunday School, and it's still a great one. But this time, let's see what we learn about David: this is his first act of leadership in such a public arena, and by analyzing this incident, we can see the qualities in him that show why God chose him to succeed Saul.

Scene: The Philistines are on a hill on one side of a valley and the Israelites on a another hill facing them. Every day, twice a day, for 40 days, the giant Goliath (over 9 feet tall) comes out and challenges an Israelite to come and battle him. Goliath's logic is sound: one man against another man, and the winner, having fought for his people, saves many lives. But the losers become the servants of the winners. The psychological battle is fierce; Goliath looks enormous in his armor and with his spear that's "like a weaver's rod" huge in proportion to the man who carries it. The Israelites are "dismayed and terrified." It's a stand off.

I Samuel 17:12: Enter David. We have to wonder why Saul, "the tallest man in Israel" and their king, hasn't accepted Goliath's challenge. But he hasn't. And David, sent by his father to get news of his brothers, who are in Saul's army, arrives in the camp with food. He listens to Goliath's words, and he's appalled. "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" Listen to David: the "armies of the living God" include thunder, lightning (we've seen them as weapons before), panic from God, earthquakes, hail, and angelic forces. In Elisha the prophet's time, he once prayed that God would open the eyes of his servant to see that "those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Israel is under threat by the king of Aram, who has horses and chariots surrounding Dothan, ready to attack in the morning. Elisha's prayer is answered, and the servant opens his eyes to see "the hills full of horses and chariots of fire. Elisha prayed on, asking God to make the enemy blind, and God answered his prayer. The raids and threat ended. (II Kings 3) God is all powerful. In fact, before battling Jericho, Joshua encounters "a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword." He told Joshua he was "the commander of the army of the Lord," and Joshua fell down to worship him. (Josh. 5:13-14). The angel of the Lord commands those armies, and I think David understood this; Saul did not.

I Samuel 17:26: David listens to the gossip in camp; Saul has promised a great reward to the man who fights Goliath. His older brother wants to know what he's doing there; perhaps he's jealous. Or perhaps he is, as the oldest, convinced that David, the youngest is a "spoiled brat." In any event, David's reply suggests that this isn't the first time Eliab has been bossy and angry with him. Now David inquires of other men; he's genuinely puzzled why no one has fought Goliath. For David, the answer is clear: Israel has God - the God who created the universe - as its commander; the Philistines do not. Saul, hearing commotion in the camp, sends for the visitor, and David boldly says "Let no man lose heart; I'll fight this Philistine." Saul doesn't recognize David, the shepherd boy who's played his harp to comfort him, perhaps because a few years have passed, or because it's not the palace environment, and he simply doesn't connect this boy with that musician. In any case, Saul objects: "You're only a boy," and he reminds David that Goliath has been a fighting man all his life. The difference in experience and training alone is enough to stop Saul. David offers evidence to suggest that he's brave and strong. Saul says "Go and the Lord be with you." So off he goes.

I Samuel 17:38: Saul tries to equip David with armor, sword and shield, but these are too cumbersome for David. Instead, he picks up five smooth stones and puts them into his shepherd's pouch. This pouch, like the EMT's belt bag, contained things he'd use with the sheep - bandages, salve, first aid spray. But now it's to be his ammunition belt. With his staff (remember Moses' staff?) and his sling, he walks toward Goliath. Goliath, on seeing this pipsqueak of a boy (Goliath towers over everyone; Wilt Chamberlain would be short up against Goliath), asks ""Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?" Goliath curses David, but David keeps walking toward him.

I Samuel 17:43: David announces to Goliath that he's come in the "name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." This is a mighty brave thing for David to do. We have to admire his poise and his confidence. However, David is not walking alone; with him is God, and God is bigger than any Goliath or army. In fact, John tells us "greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world." (I John 4:4) We, too, can claim God's power to walk with and strengthen us. That power of God emboldens David still further: he tells Goliath that he, David will strike him down and cut off his head. I imagine that Goliath laughed - unless he saw the look on David's face and knew that David meant what he said. Why will God allow David to do this? "So that the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel," and further, David adds "the battle is the Lord's." David knew what he was going to do and he did it. He did it not for his own honor and glory, but for God's. He took a stone from his pouch, put it in his sling, and let it fly. The stone hit Goliath in the center of his forehead, and down he went. The crash must have been tremendous! All that weight, height and armor falling headlong shook the earth, and David, undeterred, ran over, took the giant's sword, and cut off his head.

I Samuel 17:51b: The Philistines, seeing their great warrior on the ground, dead, run for the hills with all of Israel's army right behind them. Israel's defeat of the Philistines was complete; God had allowed them to chase the threat away, killing many of the enemy, and taking plunder, too. David's plunder: the weapons Goliath had been carrying. The giant's head went to the king. Abner, Saul's cousin and general of the army, takes David to Saul, and David, answering Saul's question, tells him who he is. I wonder even then if Saul connected the boy who'd played music with this young man who'd fearlessly gone up against a giant.

I Samuel 18: Two things occur in this chapter that affect David greatly. The first is that he and the king's son Jonathan become fast friends. Jonathan recognizes in David a man who is the kind of warrior Jonathan is: one who takes risks and who trusts in God. These two are instant friends and Jonathan, seeing David's lack of battle gear, gives him a uniform, sword (one of two in the army, remember) and his bow and belt. David now looks a lot more like a member of the fighting forces than he did when he came to the battle from his shepherd duties. But more than that, Jonathan gave David the kind of friendship that David needed. David could trust him, and Jonathan trusted David. They could talk together, swap war stories, share confidences. David doesn't go back home, so in the court, he has a "brother" in Jonathan. Given the way his own brother had treated him, this was a positive change for David. David was promoted to a high rank, has command over a thousand men, and carried out Saul's orders well. This pleased everyone except Saul.

The second thing that occurs in this chapter is Saul's overhearing the women singing a victory song: "Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands," making Saul look inferior to David. Now Saul is jealous and angry, ready to kill David. In fact, one day he throws his spear at David while David was playing music for him. This happens again; both times David ducks. Saul is afraid, too, because he sees God's hand on David.

I Samuel 18:17: Saul plots David's death by challenging him to "fight the battles of the Lord," and thus be rewarded by marrying Saul's daughter. But David demurs. He will fight the Lord's battles against the Philistines, but he tells Saul that he's from a poor, obscure family, and marriage to a king's daughter is far above his aspirations. So Saul marries Merob to someone else. What he'd hoped was to get information about David from his daughter. David thwarts this plan.

I Samuel 18:20: But Saul has a younger daughter, Michal, who loves David, and so Saul asks David again to become his son-in-law. He also tells his servants to speak to David saying "the king likes you." He is on a campaign. David once again refuses saying he can't pay the dowry of a king's daughter. But Saul tells him her price is 100 Philistine foreskins. David can't resist. He takes his men and kills 200 Philistines and brings their foreskins to Saul. Saul has to give him Michal - and once more, David has outwitted him. David defeats the Philistines, is not even hurt in battle, let alone killed, and he does twice as much as Saul asks.

I Samuel 18:29: At the end of this chapter, we see Saul sinking into paranoia. He fears David, is angry that his plans to kill him have failed, and now, he's got David as a son-in-law, an amazing army officer who's far more successful against the Philistines than Saul is or was.

I Samuel 19: Saul wants to kill David. His thinking is that with David out of the way, he can rest again. He seeks David as his nemesis, the embodiment of what Saul could have been IF he'd followed God. But Saul didn't, and now he's a shell of a man, riddled with jealousy and anger. Jonathan warns David about Saul's threats - that all of Saul's staff is out to do the deed. He tells David to hide and that in the morning, he'll be in the field with Saul and ask him about David so that David can eavesdrop on the conversation. Jonathan does this; Saul listens and says "as surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death." It's a momentary pause in Saul's campaign. Remember, he's driven by an evil spirit now, and he's not in his right mind. War breaks out and David is back fighting the Philistines. Once back home, Saul forgets his promise not to kill David.

I Samuel 19:9: David, playing music for Saul, is once again made to duck a spear. David escapes, and now Saul decides to have his house watched, so that he can have an ambush kill David. But Michal warns him to run, and with Michal's help, David escapes. Michal puts a dummy in the bed and tells the men who come for David that he's hill; by the time they get into the room to check, David's long gone. Now Saul is angry with Michal, too. He's expected her to help him but she loves David. Now two of Saul's children are helping David escape their father's wrath.

I Samuel 19:18: David flees to Ramah and speaks with Samuel. Samuel takes him in, but when Saul hears where David is (Saul must have spies everywhere!), he goes to Ramah, too. There a group of prophets is prophesying, and Saul's men join them. Eventually Saul does. Once again, Saul's plan is thwarted, this time by God. Notice how God is protecting David. And why? David is God's anointed. Each time he has to run from Saul, he's learning to trust God more completely. David by now has had to leave his wife, has had to be wary of being anywhere around Saul, and certainly has to be careful about the people he confides in. Fortunately, God has provided loyal men who support David, among them Jonathan, but also the men who become "David's mighty men" the 300 or so loyal men who will follow David into any kind of battle or action.

David's prayers/songs: It's easy now to understand why so many of the psalms are of the "you are my refuge, Lord" type. Psalm 31 is a perfect example. He's going to spend 10 years running from Saul, and much of the time, he'll spend hiding in caves, out in canyons, a soldier of fortune. But he learns who God is and who he is. Our faith is never strengthened unless it is tested and exercised. David had plenty of chances to exercise his.

Homework for those who want to go deeper:

Let's close in prayer.