How natural it was for David to seek refuge with the faithful prophet Samuel who resided less than an hour's walk from Saul's headquarters. Naioth was evidently a compound within Ramah where Samuel headed a school of prophets.216God here rescued David, not by any human intermediary but directly by the overpowering influence of His Spirit. Prophesying involved speaking words from the Lord. Saul's three groups of messengers and even the king himself ended up serving God rather than opposing Him. The Holy Spirit overrode the king's authority.217Saul's disrobing (v. 24) probably symbolized the loss of his regal dignity and status as well as his personal dignity.218Such a person was not fit to be king.
This reference to Saul's prophesying (vv. 23-24), which happened near the place where he prophesied shortly after his anointing (10:12), became "an ironic comment on Saul's life story."219Saul had begun his reign with great potential plus God's enabling Spirit. Yet now he was almost a raving madman. Saul drove himself to the brink of insanity by refusing to submit to God who still exercised sovereign control over him despite the king's attempts to go his own way.
It is significant that this chapter closes with the repetition of the saying, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"
". . . To question the genuineness of Saul's prophetic behavior was to question his legitimacy as king of Israel . . ."220
This derogatory saying brackets the story of Saul's contacts with Samuel and with the Holy Spirit (cf. 10:11). It reminds the reader that Saul had the potential to be a great king because of Samuel and the Spirit's resources that were available to him. The narrative that the two occurrences of this saying encloses explains Saul's failure. He lost the opportunity to found a dynasty, he lost his own throne, and he lost his personal dignity because he refused to act like a prophet. That is, he refused to put the honor, glory, and will of God before his personal ambitions and pride.
"Whereas one of the signs confirming Saul's election as king had been his participation in an ecstatic display by a band of prophets (10:5-13), his subjection to the same mysterious power in this section serves only to confirm his rejection by Yahweh."221
Saul lost the privilege of reigning, he became a vessel unto dishonor, he created problems for others, and he eventually destroyed himself. Another Saul, Saul of Tarsus, perhaps learning from the experiences of Saul of Gibeah, who may have been his namesake, feared the possibility that he might similarly disqualify himself (1 Cor. 9:27).222
The three instances of David's deliverance in this chapter show how God preserved His anointed. He used both natural and supernatural means to do so. Since Christian's are anointed by God with His Spirit (1 John 2:20), this record of how God preserves His anointed should be an encouragement to us.
This chapter records Jonathan's last attempt to reconcile Saul to David. The emphasis is on the hardening of Saul's heart that God allowed to take place since the king refused to repent genuinely.
