Psalm 59:16 (NKJV): But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense, and refuge in the day of my trouble.
This psalm was written by David when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him (see 1 Samuel 19:11). The word 'refuge' here is 'manowce' in Hebrew, which can mean 'a retreat, an escape, a fleeing place', from the word 'nuwce' (pronounced 'noos') meaning 'to escape, to flee, to hide, to vanish away'. Indeed, the Lord is your hiding place, and in Him, you are 'invisible' to the enemy, where the enemy cannot find you and touch you!
In cross-reference, Psalm 91:1-2 says, 'He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust."'
The name 'David' simply means 'beloved', from the word 'dowd' which means 'to love'. Today, because you are a beloved of God, you too can find refuge from the enemy (whether spiritual or physical), or from anyone who has evil intention (or malice) against you, or from anyone who tries to hurt you (whether in words or deeds). If the Lord has called you to do (or put in your heart to do) something significant, there is a likelihood that someone isn't happy. This is especially so when you are doing something apostolic (breaking new grounds), unprecedented, or never been done before. Maybe what you are doing has become a subject of jealousy, or even a threat to another. Now, that was exactly what happened to David those days.
It all began when David's 'promotion' came (1 Samuel 17). He has been prepared and trained by the Lord through the years as a shepherd boy, and the moment came when he 'happened' to be there because he was asked by his father Jesse to bring breakfast for his brothers (1 Samuel 17:17-24). When all the men of Israel were dreadfully afraid of Goliath and fled from him, David said to King Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:32), and he prevailed over Goliath (1 Samuel 17:49-51). Saul then took him into his ranks, and set him over the men of war (1 Samuel 18:2, 1 Samuel 18:5). Now, what could go wrong? It should have been a time of great rejoicing for David! In fact, he behaved wisely and prospered in all his ways, and was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
But alas! 1 Samuel 18:6-9 says, 'Now it had happened as they (the men of war) were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. So the women sang as they danced, and said: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?" So Saul eyed David from that day forward'.
Note: The word 'eyed' here means 'to watch (with jealousy)'.
It was then that Saul began seeking to kill David (1 Samuel 18:11-29), and this also marked the turning point to the worse for Saul. You see, it was his own insecurity and jealousy against David that eventually led to his own downfall! Instead of focusing on the Lord and His 'blueprint' for his own life, he became too engrossed in wanting to kill David whom he saw as his enemy. But as for David, the Lord was with him and he behaved more wisely than all the other servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed (1 Samuel 18:30).
The lesson we can learn here: Stay focused on the Lord and His 'blueprint' for your life. Never compare with others, because there will always be people doing better than you in different ways/areas of life. Saul's mistake was he began to focus away from God, and instead began to focus on wanting to kill David whom he saw as a threat to his throne (or even his popularity). He became so obsessed in trying to kill David that he forgot to look to God and walk in God's calling for his own life.
1 Samuel 19:10-12 says, 'Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul's presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night. Saul also sent messengers to David's house to watch him and to kill him in the morning... So Michal (David's wife) let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped'.
You see, the Lord will always send the right people to open a way of escape for you, even when you think there's no way. Just look to Him and cry out to Him. In David's case, the Lord even used Saul's very own son (Jonathan) and daughter (Michal) to make a way of escape for him! (1 Samuel 19:1-2, 1 Samuel 19:12-17)
Also, an interesting point to note here is even though Saul saw David as enemy (1 Samuel 18:29), David did not see Saul likewise. In fact, his loyalty and commitment towards Saul was second to none. Later on, when Saul died in a battle (1 Samuel 31:1-6), David did not rejoice over his death, but he wept and mourned for him instead (2 Samuel 1:11-12).
Back to 1 Samuel 19 now. And guess where David fled and escaped to? 1 Samuel 19:18 says, 'So David fled and escaped, and went to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth'.
Every name and place in the Bible has its meaning and significance. The name 'Samuel' here is 'Shemuw-El' in Hebrew, which means 'heard of God', from the word 'shama' meaning 'to hear attentively, to hear carefully', and of course, 'El' meaning 'God, Almighty'. Beloved of God, whatever your situation may be at the moment, the Lord is here to hear you as you pour out to Him, just as Samuel heard all that David had to pour out to him.
How about the name of the place 'Ramah' here? Interestingly, 'Ramah' means 'height, high place' in Hebrew, from the word 'ruwm' which means 'to rise above, to raise'. Indeed, the Lord is your Most High God, and He will arise for you! Hallelujah!
And the place 'Naioth' in this context is 'residence of God (dwelling place of God)', from the word 'navah' meaning 'to rest (as at home)'. Today, the Lord is also inviting you to come and stay in His residence (His dwelling place), and rest in His very presence, because it is here that the enemy cannot find you and touch you. Amen.
