“And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Samuel 19:20 Mean?
"The Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied." Saul sends soldiers to arrest David, and the soldiers start prophesying instead. The Spirit of God overrides their mission: they came to capture and they end up worshipping. The arrest warrant is cancelled by a divine invasion of the arresting officers. Three waves of messengers are sent (verses 20-21). All three waves prophesy instead of arresting.
The phrase "they also prophesied" means the Spirit treats the enemies of David the same way it treats the prophets of God: it falls on them and produces prophetic speech. The soldiers don't choose to prophesy. The Spirit overrides their agency. They came with one purpose and the Spirit gave them another.
The climax (verse 24) is Saul himself prophesying: even the king who ordered the arrest ends up stripped naked and prophesying all day and all night. The Spirit that overrode the soldiers overrides the king. Nobody in the chain of command escapes the divine hijacking.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What hostile mission against you has God overridden and turned into something unexpected?
- 2.What does the Spirit hijacking three waves of soldiers teach about the persistence of divine protection?
- 3.How does even Saul prophesying (the one who ordered the arrest) demonstrate the Spirit's absolute override?
- 4.What enemy assignment in your life might God be converting into worship?
Devotional
They came to arrest David. They ended up prophesying. Three waves of soldiers, each sent to capture the anointed shepherd — and each wave is hijacked by the Spirit. The arrest becomes worship. The capture becomes prophecy. The mission fails because God rewrites it.
The Spirit doesn't negotiate with the soldiers: it overrides. They didn't choose to prophesy. They came to arrest. But the Spirit fell on them at the prophets' compound and their mission dissolved. The handcuffs turned into raised hands. The arrest warrant became a hymn sheet. The soldiers found themselves doing the opposite of what they intended.
Three waves — each one fails the same way. You'd think Saul would get the message after the first wave. Or the second. But he sends a third. And the third prophesies too. The consistency of the failure should communicate something to the person ordering the arrest: God is protecting David. Your soldiers can't override the Spirit.
The climax — Saul himself arriving and prophesying naked all day and all night — means nobody in the entire chain of command succeeds in the mission. Soldiers: prophesy. Officers: prophesy. The king himself: prophesy, stripped naked, for twenty-four hours. The mission to arrest David produces a prophetic revival instead.
What 'arrest' that the enemy has sent against you has God hijacked? What hostile mission has the Spirit overridden and turned into something the enemy never intended? The soldiers came with handcuffs. They left with prophecy. Your enemy's weapon became God's worship service.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And Saul sent messengers to take David,.... Notwithstanding the sacred place he was in, so bent was he upon his…
Samuel standing as appointed - Rather, “as Overseer, or leader.”
The company of the prophets prophesying - Employed in religious exercises.
Samuel - appointed over them - Being head or…
Here is, I. David's place of refuge. Having got away in the night from his own house, he fled not to Bethlehem to his…
prophets prophesying Some common religious exercise conducted by Samuel, who is described as standing as president over…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture