1Sa 19 | TNotes

19:4 ^a Jonathan addressed his father as the king out of reverence.
19:6 ^b vowed: Violating a vow is a serious offense against God (see Num 30:2 ^c; Deut 23:21-23 ^d; cp. Eccl 5:4-5 ^e). But Saul soon disregarded his promise and again sought to kill David (1 Sam 19:9-24 ^f).
19:10 ^g hurled his spear: See also 18:11 ^h; 20:33 ⁱ.
19:11 ^j See Ps 59:title ^k.
19:13 ^l an idol: Hebrew teraphim, which were household idols (see Gen 31:30 ^m; Judg 17:5 ⁿ; 2 Kgs 23:24 ^o). The presence of an idol in the home of David and Michal might show the pervasive influence of pagan idol worship among the Israelites; perhaps the idol belonged to Michal. Apparently David did not object to its presence. (Cp. Rachel’s theft of her father’s household idols in Gen 31:19 ^p.)

• Siblings Jonathan (1 Sam 19:1-7 ^q) and Michal (19:11-18 ^r) saved David from their father and undermined their father’s plans to eliminate him. Members of Saul’s royal family played a significant role in David’s rise, though David did not usurp Saul’s throne.
19:18 ^s Ramah: Samuel’s hometown (1:1 ^t).

• Naioth was a tiny village not far from the other Ramah in Benjamin.
19:20 ^u Prophets often assembled in groups under a single leader (see 2 Kgs 2:15 ^v; 4:38 ^w; 6:1-7 ^x).

• The Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men to allow David to escape (1 Sam 20:1 ^y).
19:21 ^z other troops ... a third time: Each time Saul sent troops, David’s would-be captors were captured by the Spirit. Prophesying diverted them from pursuing David.
19:24 ^aa When Saul tore off his clothes and lay naked, he unwittingly acted out his true spiritual condition of having been stripped of the kingship (13:14 ^ab; 15:10-11 ^ac, 23 ^ad; see thematic note for Prophetic Sign Acts at end of chapter).

• Is even Saul a prophet? In 1 Sam 10:9-13 ^ae, Saul was rising as God’s chosen king; here, he is descending under the weight of God’s rejection.

Thematic note: Prophetic Sign Acts
The prophets of Israel occasionally communicated through sign acts, which were dramatic visual aids performed in public to increase the impact of the message and help people feel the truth as much as hear it. Their purpose was to present an unforgettable message. These acts were unusual, even outlandish—and not just from a modern perspective. Unlike modern readers, however (who might think that the prophet was psychologically disturbed), ancient observers understood these sign acts as a regular part of a prophet’s communication style.
Ezekiel was required to act out his message more frequently than any other prophet, perhaps because he was communicating to a particularly hardened audience (Ezek 2:6-7 ^af). The sign acts reinforced the content of his message and underlined the depth of his personal commitment to it. For example, after he swallowed the word of God (2:8–3:3 ^ag), Ezekiel embodied it for the exiles (3:4-9 ^ah) in a series of judgment scenes (chs 4–6 ^ai). This dramatic form of communication is difficult for even a hostile audience to ignore or forget.
The ultimate sign act was performed by Jesus Christ on the cross (see Matt 27:32-54 ^aj). There God visibly depicted his wrath against sin in the darkness, the earthquake, and the agony of the sinless one who was apparently abandoned by his Father. God also depicted his profound love for the world in that he would rather die than let his people go. The cross is a confrontational message of God’s love and wrath that is hard to ignore or forget.

Passages for Further Study
Jer 13:1-11 ^ak; 19:1-15 ^al; 25:15 ^am; Ezek 2:6–3:3 ^an; 3:4-9 ^ao; 4:1-17 ^ap; 5:1–6:14 ^aq; 12:1-28 ^ar; 21:19-23 ^as; 24:1-14 ^at, 16-27 ^au; 37:15-28 ^av; Hos 1:2-9 ^aw; 3:1-3 ^ax; Matt 26:26-28 ^ay; 27:45-54 ^az; Mark 6:11 ^ba; 11:12-21 ^bb; Luke 22:17-20 ^bc; Rom 6:3-5 ^bd; 1 Cor 10:16-17 ^be; 11:23-32 ^bf