AT A GLANCE

In 1 Samuel 19:1–17, Saul seeks to kill David, but God preserves His anointed through covenant friendship, courageous protection, and providential preservation. Jonathan intercedes, Michal defies her father, and David escapes — showing us that God’s purposes stand firm even through flawed instruments. This passage points us to Christ, the greater Anointed King, whose perfect obedience and resurrection secure our eternal preservation.

Introduction: Protecting the Innocent

How far would you go to protect someone you love when they are innocent and pursued? Corrie ten Boom and her family wrestled with that very question during the Nazi occupation of Holland. As Christians, they hid Jews in their home, building a secret room behind a false wall in Corrie’s bedroom. When the Gestapo came pounding on the door, the Jews they sheltered would slip into that hiding place.

At one point, when the Nazis interrogated the family, Corrie’s sister Nollie — committed to absolute truth-telling — admitted they were hiding Jews. Corrie, on the other hand, at times evaded or deceived the authorities to protect lives. They faced the same tension we see in our passage today: when evil men hunt the innocent, what will God’s people do?

That’s exactly what we find in 1 Samuel 19. Saul, consumed with jealousy, commands his household to kill David. But Jonathan, his son, intercedes. Michal, his daughter, defies him. Two covenant relationships stand against the schemes of a corrupt king, and through them, the Lord preserves His anointed. Let’s hear the story in God’s Word.

1 SAMUEL 19:1-17

¹ http://childpsychiatryassociates.com/treatment-team/kent-kunze/ And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David… ⁷ And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before…¹⁰ And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night…¹⁷ Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?”…

God Preserved His Anointed Through Jonathan’s Intercession 

Verses 1-3 And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David. ² And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. 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 to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.” 

Now that David has been firmly established in the royal family and Saul’s schemes have failed, Saul resorted to outright murder. You can sense the pretense in his reasoning. He’s the king, he can do whatever he wants regardless of  what he saw and knew – that the Lord was with David. (18:28)

But the Lord had previously caused Saul’s son, Jonathan’s, soul to be bound to David’s. This is no coincidence. It’s another act of providence. 

Jonathan warned David and recommended a course of action. Verses 4-5 And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. ⁵ For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” 

Jonathan courageously challenged his father, the king, that to kill David would be sin. David did nothing deserving death. 

Jonathan reminded Saul what has been clear to the reader the whole time. David took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. There’s great irony here because this is precisely what provoked Saul’s jealousy in the first place.  

Jonathan concluded very reasonably, Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause? This is a clear violation of God’s Law. (Deuteronomy 19:10-13) Saul was swayed. 

Verse 6 And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” 

That he would invoke the Living God and swear to not put David to death is a tell. It reveals the depth of the depravity of Saul’s heart. 

It reveals that he had as much contempt for the name of God as he did for the Law of God. Nevertheless, David enjoyed a moment of reprieve from Saul’s vitriol thanks to Jonathan’s intercession. 

Verse 7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. This repireve would not last long.

God Preserved His Anointed Despite Saul’s Jealous Rage 

Verses 8-10 And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. ⁹ Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. ¹⁰ And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night. 

There is a correlation between going to war and Saul’s emotional u-turn. It seems that whenever David had military success Saul was reminded of his inferiority. 

Saul became so infuriated with David that he disregarded his solemn oath he made in the Lord’s name. We knew this was coming, but we should not let it be lost on us how grievous this is. 

Verses 11-12 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” ¹² So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. 

Once again we see the Lord’s providential hand protecting David through human agency. This time it is Saul’s daughter, Michal, who tips David off and then conspires against her father to protect her husband’s life. 

Rather than leading to David’s demise as Saul had hoped, the Lord used Michal to preserve him. But now Michal had to buy David some time. So, she concocted a plan. 

God Preserved His Anointed Through Michal’s Ruse 

Verses 13-16 Michal took an image and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. ¹⁴ And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” ¹⁵ Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” ¹⁶ And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head. 

Notice this detail: God preserved David with the skin of a goat — a small echo of Passover, where deliverance came through the blood of a lamb or a goat (Ex. 12:5).

But Michal’s method raises questions. She lied, claiming David was sick. She put an image in the bed to make it look like David. Was this right or wrong? 

The Bible gives us other examples: Rahab hiding the spies, the Hebrew midwives deceiving Pharaoh. Scripture clearly teaches lying is sin (John 8:44), yet Christians through the centuries have wrestled with whether protecting innocent life in a fallen world sometimes collides with that command.

And then there’s the image. The word for image here is teraphim — household gods. Why did Michal have one? This suggests syncretism, blending worship of the Lord with false religion; something God condemns. 

So how do we make sense of this? The main point of the passage is not to endorse lying or idol possession. The point is that God preserved His anointed king. 

The lesson? God is able to accomplish His will even through flawed human instruments. 

Verse 17  Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’” 

Once again we’re left to believe Michal lied to her father. As we look past the ethics of Michal’s actions, we cannot deny that she defied her father to save David at risk to her own life and reputation.  

Whether Saul believed Michal or not is irrelevant. It was expedient for Saul to accept her testimony as it would give all the more reason to justify his hatred of, and attempt to kill, David. 

It also kept Saul from having to accept that his own daughter betrayed him; another example of David’s exaltation over him. 

What this entire passage reveals, whether we’re talking about Jonathan’s intercession or Michal’s deception, is that God preserved His anointed through His people. We may not have the same calling as David, but we do serve the same God. 

In light of this, let’s consider three points of application.  

Application: God Preserves His People Through His People

1. Cherish Covenant RELATIONSHIPS

In verses 1–7 & 11-12 we see the value of covenant relationships. Jonathan & Michal both risked their lives to intercede for, and protect, David. We might come to expect this of a wife, though in that culture and certainly in that specific situation, that’s a faulty presumption. 

These kinds of relationships, rooted in God’s promises, are one of the Lord’s chief means of protection and encouragement for His people. 

The Christian life is not meant to be lived alone. The New Testament gives us nearly 60 “one another” commands. It’s as if the Lord, who builds His church and is coming back for His church, knew His people would need one another. What we see here is the significance of marriage and fellowship. Most people grasp the significance of covenant relationship in marriage. But what about fellowship?

At Wildwood, we see this reflected in meaningful membership. Membership is not about titles or entitlements. It’s about covenant commitment. It’s about saying, “I will walk with you. I will intercede for you. I will stand by you.”

When Jonathan interceded for David, he gave us a picture of what membership looks like. Members pray for one another, help one another, and do good to one another whenever God gives the opportunity. Sometimes all we can do is pray — but that’s no small thing. Prayer is often the most powerful thing we can do.

So let me ask you: Do you cherish covenant relationships? Saying you cherish them is not enough. You only truly cherish what you invest in. Or to flip it around: you invest in what you cherish. Don’t presume on relationships you haven’t invested in. 

It’s not fair to other people to presume upon them. I’ve seen it too many times — people float in and out of church, never plant roots, never pour into others, and then wonder why no one is there when they need help. Brothers and sisters, don’t presume. Invest. Cherish. Commit. 

Today we begin a new round of membership classes called Partner With Wildwood. I don’t get bonuses based on how many members we have. But I do believe in membership at the local church. Consider it.

2. Pursue True Power

In verses 8–10 we see two men, both chosen by God, both leaders of Israel. One wielded a spear, the other a sword. One used his strength to harm, the other to protect. 

David went out to battle, laying his life on the line, denying himself, and defending the flock of God. Saul sat in his house, gripped by jealousy, his spear in his hand — not to strike the enemy, but to pin David to the wall.

Is this not the same contrast we see today? Boys with beards calling themselves men. They play at being husbands and fathers but have no self-control, no self-denial, no self-sacrifice. 

They lash out with words, with anger, with hands — hurting the very ones they were called to protect. This is not manhood. This is sin. And sin, left unchecked, will break every promise you make and destroy every relationship you have.

Men, you have a divine calling to use your strength to protect women, children, and the vulnerable. Even if you are unmarried, your life is not your own — God put you here to defend those weaker than you. 

Yet too many men squander that calling. They retreat to basements, gripping controllers, fighting pixelated wars on fake battlefields or scrolling through the curated lives of others and drowning in mindless videos. 

Their warrior instinct is dulled by the glint of screen light while the real war for souls and families rages outside their door. This is not the way, men. There is a greater kingdom, and a greater cause. A kingdom filled with widows, orphans, the afflicted, the helpless — people who need men who will stand, sacrifice, and protect. 

This week several men from Wildwood attending training for M.O.V.E. This is a program for men to engage in a very real fight for the souls of young boys in our community. YouthHope is looking for men to invest one lunch hour a month to change an at-risk boy’s entire legacy. 

So ask yourself: Am I wasting my strength, or pursing it? Am I giving my life to a screen, or to the will of God? Ask the Lord, “How would you use me for Your glory and the good of mankind?”

That’s a dangerous prayer and sometimes it means putting ourselves in harm’s way. Which brings us to the final point.  

3. Trust Providential Preservation

In verses 11–17 we’re reminded that God often works through flawed instruments to accomplish His perfect purposes. Michal used a powerless idol as a decoy, but the sovereign Lord turned it into a shield to protect His anointed. The futility of idols only magnifies the power of God.

But here’s the lesson: syncretism isn’t just an Old Testament problem. It’s alive and well today. Syncretism is trusting Jesus plus something else to preserve you. And Jesus plus anything always becomes less than Jesus.

• If you say, “I trust Jesus to save me, but I need to keep myself saved by my works,” then you’re trusting in yourself, not Christ.
• If you trust Jesus to provide, but panic the moment your bank account dips, you’re really trusting in your money, not Christ.
• If you believe politics or national identity will secure the kingdom, you’ve made government your god. 
• If you rely on self-reliance or achievement — “God helps those who help themselves” — you’ve forgotten the gospel: Christ saves the helpless, not the self-sufficient.

Brothers and sisters, whatever we trust in for preservation has the power to become a modern-day teraphim. 

But here’s the good news: Christ is not powerless like Michal’s idol. He is the living God who preserves His people perfectly and completely. 

We may not be promised all we want, total safety, or perfect health. But like David, we can be certain that God’s providential preservation means He will keep us to the end. The author of our faith is also the finisher of it. 

Every trial, hardship, challenge, or need we face is an opportunity for us to demonstrate that we trust in Christ’s providential preservation. 

Speaking of Christ, let’s close with the…

CHRIST CONNECTION:

The Lord preserved His anointed through Jonathan’s intercession. But Christ is the greater Jonathan — our High Priest who always lives to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25). His very presence before the Father is the continual testimony that His death has covered our sin once for all.

Unlike Michal’s mixed loyalty, Jesus’ obedience to the Father was perfect, without spot or blemish. Unlike David, who escaped Saul’s wrath, Jesus willingly gave Himself into the hands of His enemies so that we might have peace with God.

David’s preservation points us forward to the greater Anointed One — Jesus Christ, perfectly righteous, crucified for sinners, and raised by the power of God to reign forever. Our hope is not in Jonathan’s intercession, Michal’s ethics, or David’s escape, but in Christ’s obedience to the Father even unto death and His blessed resurrection!

And that’s what we celebrate with these communion elements today — the body given, the blood shed, the intercession secured, the peace purchased, and the church united.