The Strand Study Bible

I SAMUEL 19:22

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I SAMUEL 20:10

22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah. 23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ra- mah: and the 2 SPIRIT OF GOD was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he stript off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, 3 and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets? I Samuel 20 David seeks out Jonathan Date - c. 1055BC/AM 2945 1 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? 2 And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so. 3 And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith,

Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death. 4 Then said Jonathan unto David, What- soever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee. 5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. 6 If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 7 If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him. 8 Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy ser- vant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father? 9 And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? 10 Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?

1. Note – Sechu was a well north of Ramah. 2. I Sam 10:6,10 3. Isa 20:2 & Mic 1:8

19:22 Saul thought to himself, “Why did I send in boys to do a man’s job? Forget them, I’ll do it myself ( Then went he also to Ramah ).” So Saul went to find David and kill him. However, when he arrived in Naioth, like the men he sent before him, Saul found himself in a Bible conference. Within moments of being under the influence of the preaching of the Word of God, Saul discovered himself going from a madman to a minister. Imagine that –a killer turned kind; a pathological murderer turned prophet. How does that happen? It’s called the power of God’s Word. J. Vernon McGee in Jeremiah & Lamentations notes:

Revivals are not caused by men; they are caused by the Word of God. Never a man, but the Book. The Word of God is responsible for every revival that has taken place in the church. It is true that God has used men, but it is the Word of God that brings revival. 1

This Book we call the Bible has some unique authoritative aspects. For example, God’s Word has the power to: (1) save a man’s soul (produce the new birth) (I Pet 1:23); (2) cleanse a believer’s life (Jn 15:3); (3) help a believer to grow (I Pet 2:2); (4) increase a believer’s faith (Rom 10:17); (5) edify a believer’s life (Acts 20:32); (6) direct a believer’s life (Psa 119:105); (7) give a believer hope (Titus 1:2); (8) set a believer apart spiritually (Jn 17:17); (9) keep a believer from sin (Psa 119:9,11); (10) reveal a believer’s motive (Heb 4:12); (11) strengthen a believer’s stand (Eph 6:14); (12) protect a believer from evil (Psa 91:4); (13) give a believer courage (Jere 9:3); (14) keep a believer balanced (Mk 12:14 and Mt 22:16); (15) produce a life controlled by the HOLY SPIRIT (Eph 5:18-22 and Colo 3:16-20); (16) equip a believer for service (II Tim 3:16); (17) protect a believer from false doctrine (I Tim 4:3); (18) protect a believer from the Devil’s devices (Eph 6:10-11,17); (19) preserve a believer from evil (Psa 40:11 & 61:7 and Prov 20:28); and (20) keep a believer’s heart on fire for God (Lk 24:27-32). NOTE - There is only one problem with the power of God’s Word –it only lasts as long as you are under it. The moment you remove yourself from under its influence, its power is gone. No wonder God begs us to meditate in the Scriptures day and night (Psa 1:1-3 and Josh 1:8). Because King Saul failed to keep himself under the authority and control of the Scriptures, he found himself, once again, tracking David down like a dog and trying to kill him. King Saul’s problem was a simple one. He had no problem “getting right” with God ( I Sam 24:16-17). His problem was “staying right” with God. There is a difference, and knowing that difference will make all the difference in the world and in the next one too (Ezk 3:20, Rev 2:26 & 3:11 and Lk 14:25-33). THE ADAGE IS TRUE: If you stayed right with God, you wouldn’t always have to get right with God ( Lev 23:2 ) 20:3 What David meant here was, “Death just keeps dogging me.”

1 McGee, J. Vernon. Jeremiah & Lamentations , Pasadena, CA, Thru the Bible Books, 1978. Print.