Bible Studies
The Theme of Deception (1 Sam. 19:11-17)
Series: Studies in First SamuelIntroduction:
1. David is described in Scripture as a man after God’s own heart. Saul has an evil spirit leading him away from doing the things of the Lord, but the Lord is with David, protecting him from Saul’s attempts to murder him. 2. Saul is decreasing while David is increasing all because the Lord is with David, but has departed from Saul. 3. In the text we have just read, however, we see a theme of deception developing. Michal deceives her father, Saul, even lying to him saying that David is sick. He is not sick, but has escaped out the window and fled. She adds to the ruse by putting the household idol in bed with a quilt of goat’s hair at its head and covers it with clothes. 4. When caught in her deception she explains that David has threatened her life, which is probably not true either. 5. But this is only one incident in a string of incidents where David deceives Saul. What are we to make of this “man after God’s own heart” deceiving? “I thought he was a man who demonstrated the lovingkindness of the Lord, yet he appears in the text as a deceiver.”Discussion:
I. It is obvious from the Ten Commandments that lying is condemned.A. The ninth commandment says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
1. This statement specifically prohibits bringing false charges against a person. Bearing false witness conjures up images of someone in a legal setting lying about another.
2. It is clear in Ex. 23:1-3, 6-7, 8 that legal settings are a primary consideration.
3. But it is no big jump to realize that if it is wrong in a legal setting it is just as wrong in an informal setting. Lev. 19:1-2 says, “You shall not deal falsely, nor lie to one another. You shall not swear falsely . . .” Formal or informal lying and along with it deception is out.
4. Jesus is very clear in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:33-37). I take His interpretation to be a reflection of the intent of the O.T. revelation.
B. With this the words of the N.T. agree.
1. Paul says in Eph. 4:25, “laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor” (cf. Zech. 8:16).
2. Rev. 21:8 places liars in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone along with the unbelieving, the abominable and murders and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters.
C. Lying is out. Telling the truth is in. But it is often amazing what we humans will do when we get in a hard place and David and Michal were in a tight spot.
1. Saul had just attempted to pin David to the wall with his spear.
2. He had sent messengers to his house to watch him in order to put him to death the next day.
3. And so a scheme was devised that including lying and deceiving.
D. It might be argued that this was Michal’s plan. She was the one that actually lied. The fact that she placed a household idol in the bed may be revealing? Is she an idolater? Has she borrowed the idol just for this purpose? If we ascribe the wrong to Michal and let David off the hook he is not off the hook for long.
II. In 1 Sam. 20 David is expected to be in Saul’s house for the new moon celebration.A. David is no fool. It is clear that Saul is out for blood.
B. David tells Jonathan to say; “David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem because it is the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family (20:6).
C. There is no evidence that he went to Bethlehem. Instead he waited until Jonathan found out Saul’s intention.
1. Saul overlooked David’s absence the first day.
2. The second day Jonathan presented the deception (20:28-29).
D. Saul became angry. There were intense angry emotions between Jonathan and Saul and Saul hurled a spear at Jonathan to strike him down (20:30-34).
1. Lying often results in intense angry emotions.
2. It can even get you killed.
3. But Jonathan was in a tight spot like Michal. He intended to be loyal to David, and that brought his loyalty to Saul into question. So he lied, encouraged by David. He followed the plan devised by David. It did not work out so well.
E. Sometimes we lie and it looks like it works to get us out of a tight spot. Sometimes it does work to get us out of a tight spot. Sometimes the difficult consequences either never come,or they fall on someone else, or they are so distant that we don’t worry about them.
III. David fled from Saul to Gath.A. This was one of the main cities of the Philistines.
B. The citizens asked, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of this one as they danced, saying, ‘Saul has slain in thousands, and David his ten thousands?’
C. David was afraid and so he acted like he was insane (21:13-15).
1. In this instance his deception worked out where there was no severe consequence.
2. Sometimes we lie and it looks like it works out O.K.
3. We are not found out. We have taken control. We have deceived and gotten by with it, but this is not always the way it works out.
IV. In flight from Saul David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest (1 Sam. 21).A. David lied to the priest.
1. The priest thought it unusual that a man be traveling by himself. He has young men with him, but no other “official looking” people.
2. David’s explanation, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and said, ‘Let no one know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you’” (v. 2). “I’m on a secret mission.”
3. But David is hungry. He asks for food. He asks Ahimelech to inquire of the Lord for him and he gets the sword of Goliath from here.
4. Doeg the Edomite was there. He was a servant of Saul.
5. And Doeg later revealed to Saul what Ahimelech had done for David.
B. Saul commanded that Ahimelech and all his father’s household be put to death (17-19). Eighty-five priests died that day. Saul struck the city of Nob killing men, women, children, infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep (19). Only one son of Ahimelech escaped.
C. This time David’s lie resulted in destruction of lives and property.
1. Sometimes when we lie we get out of a tight spot. Our lie is rewarded with pleasant circumstances.
2. Sometimes when we lie we get caught and we are embarrassed, but the consequences are not too bad.
3. But sometimes when we lie it costs lives—others—our own.
4. One of the troubles with lying is you never know exactly how much it is going to cost.
Conclusion:
1. The book of 1 Samuel makes no moral judgment about David’s lies. It merely reports them. 2. David was in a hard spot. No doubt! 3. When it came to taking revenge on Saul David was gracious leaving room for the wrath of God. 4. When it came to fighting against Goliath he trusted God for his deliverance. 5. He attempted to take matters into his own hands and lied and deceived and while delivering himself repeatedly from Saul his lies resulted in Jonathan nearly getting killed, Ahimelech, the priests and the people of Nob getting killed. 6. It is better to tell the truth and let the Lord do the delivering.
