My All for My King
1 Samuel 20:1-42
Turn to 1 Samuel 20. Let me begin with a New Testament passage I read last week as Jesus spoke these words:
“Now many crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.’”
Luke 14:25-26 (LSB)
Let’s pray. Lord, we come before You this morning with a text that is all about devotion to a king, Jonathan towards David. And as followers of Christ, we understand the great cost and pursuit of such devotion. Help us to learn from your Word as these things were written for our instruction that through patience and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. So, may these words give us hope this morning. Amen.
I am not sure if we are moving too quickly for you in this sermon series, as we started on September 27 of last year and we are on message #23. When we had our grandkids at our house one time last fall, I will sometimes walk to a bush lot at the back of the farmer’s field behind us. And the first time Claire, who is eleven, came with me, she asked me while we were walking how far is it, Papa? And I said to her, “It’s a “bit-of-a-jaunt.” And so once and while when Claire is visiting, she will say to me, Papa, let’s go for a bit-of-a-jaunt. Well, I do not believe we could call this sermon series a bit-of-a-jaunt, yet I hope that you are enjoying it as much as I enjoy preparing it each Sunday. The story before us, if you have read it this week is just a fascinating story with much action going. And I believe the best way to learn from is to go through the story giving some insight, and then concluding with some thoughts at the end.
1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?”
Remember last week we left David having to escape from Saul, where Saul wanted to kill him. And then Jonathan gave this wonderful plea on behalf of David, and his father listened to him. But then later he again threw his spear at David, but David was able to get free. And then Michal had to lie to help David escape from Saul. And finally, Saul pursued David with a group of men, and we left Saul lying on the ground with no clothes. Not really in a position to harm David, not at least he put his clothes back on. And yet we see from (vs 1) that David still very much fears Saul, and rightfully so. This question, “What have I done?” is a question that is used four times in 1 Samuel regarding David’s innocence. And Jonathan was well aware of this as Jonathan has said last week to his father that David has not sinned against you.
2 And he [Jonathan] said to him, “Far from it, you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without revealing it in my ear. So why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”
When Jonathan says to David, you shall not die, this may be more of a statement because he was unaware of Saul pursuing David, as Jonathan was not part of the recent encounter, and it is unlikely that Saul would tell Jonathan considering Jonathan’s love for David. For the last recorded words that Saul said to Jonathan (1 Sam 19:7) was David shall not be put to death.
3 Yet David swore again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly as Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, there is hardly a step between me and death.”
So, David may be trying to persuade Jonathan here of just how serious this threat is to his life. We see in David’s words the importance that Jonathan knew exactly his predicament.
4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul says, I will do for you.”
5 So David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I ought to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening.
6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city because it is the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.’
7 If he says, ‘It is good,’ your servant will have peace; but if he is very angry, know that he has decided on evil.
So, David devises a plan to determine just how he stood with Saul at this point we cannot blame him, for Saul has proven to be quite the unpredictable type. Remember the last time David has seen Saul was when Saul was overpowered by the Spirit of God. So, maybe David thought that this would have changed the heart of Saul. And we need to sympathize with David here, as he may have spent nights wondering in his mind how Saul thought about him. You know those times when you have a major concern about something and how often we might rehearse the good and the bad over and over again in our minds. And for Jonathan to help David here, Jonathan needs to understand David’s dilemma. We can be little help to someone in need if we do not care or understand what they are going through.
Now this excuse for not attending was dangerous, for Saul had told David (18:2) that he could not return to his father’s house in Bethlehem, likely because Saul wanted to keep an eye on him. Now, we can likely assume that Saul still knows nothing of the fact that David was anointed by Samuel as the next king in Bethlehem. The gist of the story has been that Saul is suspicious of David more because he is jealous of David’s military victories and the accolades he had received from the people. So, either of two things were going to happen. One, if Saul was good with David’s absence than things must be somewhat okay; or two, if Saul was angry about David’s absence, then it would be clear that Saul intended to harm him.
Now, as we get into this story, we are going to focus more on Jonathan, as he is about to be tested here. For this plan involves a lie, and as far as we know, Jonathan had never lied to his father. We said last week, when we considered the lie by Michal that this does not give any licence or reason for us to lie, as we have been directly told in the Bible to be men and women of truth. However, David comes up with a lie and is asking Jonathan to go along with him. We need to remember here that much Old Testament narratives are not teaching us ethics, they are simply recording for us what happened. True, at times, a passage may say that the Lord was pleased with David or that the Lord was angry at David, but this is not one of those passages. I like what Alistair Begg has said that the Bible is not recommending the telling of lies, but reporting the telling of lies. It is not teaching ethics here but recording events. And to ever believe that this would be a good idea for us to get what we want, or for us to try to move a plan ahead by lying, would only be following the bad example of David and Jonathan here, and would miss the good example set for by Jonathan and David. As I trust we use good judgment today in flowing the good example of people, without following their weaknesses. But what we do need to understand here is that for Jonathan to lie to his Dad about David was a risky step, as this could get Jonathan into a tremendous amount of trouble.
8 [David says] Therefore show lovingkindness to your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you. But if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?”
That word “lovingkindness” is translated “deal kindly” or “show kindness” in some of your Bibles, literally means to show mercy to one who has the power to help or rescue.
9 And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I should indeed come to know that evil has been decided by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you about it?”
We have to love Jonathan’s response here as when presented with where his loyalty was, we quickly realize that his allegiance was with David and not with his father. In verses 10-11, David asks how he will know if Saul is angry, and Jonathan says, let’s go out to the field. David, let’s go for a bit-of-a-jaunt. When they arrive out in the field David again wants to make sure that Jonathan is aware of the danger he is in.
12 Then Jonathan said to David, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have examined my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send to you and reveal it in your ear?
13 If it please my father to do you harm, may Yahweh do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not reveal it in your ear and send you away, that you may go in peace.
Jonathan reassures David here of his loyalty to him and confirms that he will let David know exactly the feelings of his father. And notice what Jonathan says to David, end of verse 13:
13b And may Yahweh be with you as He has been with my father.
That is quite the statement of Jonathan, as he seems to have the inside scoop of the future of David. And interesting, though David is understandably acting fearful for his life, Jonathan almost gives a prophetic statement that David will be king, whether he knew this or not.
14 And if I am still alive [remember this is Jonathan speaking], will you not show me the lovingkindness of Yahweh, that I may not die?
Strange, who is in danger here? David. So, why is Jonathan asking David to show him lovingkindness? He almost seems like he is asking David for mercy when David becomes king. Then look what he goes on to say:
15 You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when Yahweh cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”
Again, we see Jonathan speaking to David as if David is in charge, and he even asks that he would not be cut off forever. Jonathan more than David, and certainly more than Saul, seems to be fully aware of the great reversal that will at some point here take place.
16 So Jonathan cut a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May Yahweh require it at the hands of David’s enemies.”
17 And Jonathan made David swear again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own soul.
Jonathan makes a covenant with the “house of David.” Again, we see the confidence in which Jonathan has that David will at some point be established as king.
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be missing.
19 When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel.
20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I sent them towards a target.
21 And behold, I will send the young man, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the young man, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come, for there is peace for you and no harm, as Yahweh lives.
22 But if I say to the youth, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, for Yahweh has sent you away.
I find it interesting here that not only does God’s Word reveal us the future of David as king, but it also concerns itself with sort of the mundane things of everyday life, and what seems like a trivial plan that Jonathan and David make together. It is sort of like knowing that we have an eternal home in heaven with God, and yet we still have to fix the hole in our earthly roof.
23 As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.
25 And the king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan rose up, and Abner sat down by Saul’s side, but David’s place was missing.
26 Nevertheless Saul did not speak anything that day, for he said, “It is an accident; he is not clean; surely he is not clean.”
So, here we see that Saul assumed that David was missing not on purpose, but by circumstance. Funny that it did not occur to Saul that David may have been afraid to hang around him simply because Saul had tried to kill him now three times! In other words, he seems a little dense at times!
27 Now it happened the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was missing; so Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
28 Jonathan then answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem,
29 and he said, ‘Please send me on my way, since our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to attend. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me get away that I may see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
Not sure how all this came about as Jonathan seems to add considerably to the original story they had made up. And of curse, we know this was a lie as David is hiding in the field. We certainly know that when telling a lie, we can easily say too much. And it becomes hard to remember what was all included in the lie, as there is no truth to go to, or just times when we may be nervous about saying something, we can easily talk too much. My sister and I still laugh about my Dad at the border. We were coming back from the US from a holiday, and the border guard asked my Dad, who was born in Toronto, where were you born? Now we were currently living in Chatham, but Mom and Dad also lived in London for a number of years. So, when the gentleman asked, where were you born? My Dad said, Chatham, no London, no Toronto. To which the border guard calmly said to pull over. Well, remember when David and Jonathan first manufactured this test, David said there may be one of two reactions by Saul. It would either be “good” to which they felt Saul was okay with David, or it would be anger. Well, it was anger.
30 Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
Saul seems to be cluing in here that it was David who was definitely the “better man.” He may have had a remembrance of Samuel’s prior words, now your kingdom shall not continue.
31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. So now, send and bring him to me, for he must surely die.” [Jonathan is faced with a terrible choice here.]
32 But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” [Jonathan is being forced here to choose between David and his father].
33 Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death.
34 Then Jonathan arose from the table in burning anger and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved over David because his father had dishonored him.
I was thinking here that maybe Saul needed some spear throwing lessons as he does not seem all that accurate. And we really find out here that Saul knew that Jonathan had chosen David over himself, and it was now finally clear to Jonathan that his father was never going to change his mind about going after David.
35 Now it happened in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field for the appointment with David, and a very young man was with him.
36 And he said to his young man, “Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot.” As the young man was running, he shot an arrow past him.
37 When the young man reached the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”
38 And Jonathan called after the young man, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” And Jonathan’s young man gathered up the arrow and came to his master.
39 But the young man did not know of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter.
- Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his young man and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.”
It may be important here that Jonathan gave his weapons to the young boy leaving Jonathan defenseless. For it may be hard for David to trust anyone at this point and we must remember that Jonathan is still Saul’s son. Yet what we are learning from this whole story is the tightness of the friendship between Jonathan and David. And so, the young boy goes away, and David and Jonathan meet.
41 When the young man was gone, David rose from the south side and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, but David wept more.
We see here the respect David has for the kingship of Saul, even in the way in which he respects the position of Jonathan. And now comes the time when they must say “good-bye.” And it is really interesting here that the connection that both David and Jonathan had with each other was because of Saul. Jonathan was the son of Saul and David was the faithful servant of Saul, and neither really wanted to be enemies of Saul. But it was Saul’s character and actions that made it inevitable to become his enemy.
42 And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of Yahweh, saying, ‘Yahweh will be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed forever.’” Then he rose and departed, while Jonathan went into the city.
I suppose we might wonder why Jonathan did not go with David. The narrator does not tell us. Maybe Jonathan thought he could have greater influence on his father by being around or better protect David. Or he could have just felt sorry for his Dad and thought he could have some influence on him as he did in the past. In either case, sometimes good friends must depart ways. I am sure that many of us over a lifetime have had to say “good-bye” to someone we greatly loved. It may be a child who is moving away. A family in a church that moves far away. And sometimes through death, a good friend is taken. I still wish I would be able to see my Dad’s faith once and a while. And many times, these departures through death or a move or whatever do not always make sense to us.
It would be difficult to know if David and Jonathan ever thought they would see each other again. It could be that Jonathan may have thought that once David came to the throne, he would see him. Certainly, Jonathan talked like this at times that he was interested in being subject to David as king. Well, they do meet in 1 Samuel 23, at a time when Saul is still chasing David around the countryside, and Jonathan and David run into each other and renew their covenant. And then we know that eventually Jonathan will be killed in battle, and David will speak a lament for Jonathan and Saul in 2 Samuel 1. This story certainly teaches us much about friendship and loyalty, even towards a madman like Saul. There are two lessons I wish to share with you in closing. two valuable lessons.
- The value in understanding loyalty to Christ.
We spoke about this a bit last week, but here we see the cost of following Christ. We think of the spear of Saul tossed at his son; it would soon become apparent to Jonathan that this hostility directed towards him had been first directed towards David. This reminds us of Jesus’ words to those who had chosen to follow Him.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you.”
John 15:18 (LSB)
David certainly could have made a similar statement to Jonathan, know Jonathan, that if your father hates you, he hated me first. Or think of that Christ said, if they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. So, as believers who desire to be loyal to Christ, there is a value in understanding just what that loyalty is going to cost us. And going back to our original reference where Jesus said that if a person could be a disciple of His, they must hate their own father and mother and wife and child and even themselves. And in our story actually Jonathan exemplifies this with his love for David. And we struggle with that command of Christ, and therefore, we find ourselves downplaying more than applying it. It is true, that the command must be considered in light of other biblical teaching, for the Bible clearly says that children are to obey Mom and Dad, parents to love and care for their children, that husbands are to love their wives, and wives are to follow the leadership of their husbands and respect them. Yet, we can tend to read into the command a little. That our love for others, including close family, is maybe just to be a little less than our love for Christ. Although the disciples certainly seemed to understand the call of Christ on their lives, that it meant that they would leave everything for Him.
But what I believe we can learn from this when we see the relationship of Jonathan and David in comparison to the loyalty of us towards Christ. When Jesus speaks about hatred toward a father or mother or spouse or even self, the emphasis is so much on relationship as opposed to morality or ethics only. We can sometimes teach our children that serving Christ means doing this or not doing that, and of course, there is much truth to all of that. But when Jesus starts to talk about hatred toward family, when we try to run that up against commandments and simply checking off boxes, we are sort of left at a loss of what all this means.
Yet, if we consider the deeper connection between us and Christ, His Lordship over us and our relationship with Him, the love He has for His sheep and the love we have for the Shepherd, then that desire to follow and serve and submit, and that relationship is always set before that of family, self, or anyone or anything. When we are commanded to love Christ more than family, it may be helpful to think of Jonathan who loved his father, but who loved David more. Which is where his loyalty fell, and therefore, he would be more committed to David than he would have ever been committed to his father, though there was a great cost to that. In fact, it was likely his commitment to the Lord, that gave him the sense of need to be committed to his father. And that is true for us, as our commitment to Christ will actually reinforce our responsibility to those in our family. And it’s not just a matter of a greater love, it’s a matter of a greater choosing. For the one who chooses Christ above all, is the one who fulfills the many responsibilities that are given to him. The value in understanding our loyalty to Christ.
- The value in seeing the present in light of the future.
To ever try to be a disciple of Christ amid the setbacks of life is impossible without a great hope in the future realities. John Woodhouse notes that Jonathan was more fearful of the future reign of David than he was about the present-day fear of his situation with his Dad, and therefore, he wanted to make sure that he was at peace with David. And the parallel of course, is our concern that we would want to be certain about our peace with Christ, then any present-day fear we may have. You know, many of you are going through some great struggles, many of us, family, sorrow, heartache, and there is some national turmoil going on in our country. And we do not cave to these things. For we of all people do not give up as others who have no hope. But our strength is in the fact that Christ reigns and that He will someday restore all things, because Christianity is far more than following a set of rules. Christianity is about serving a King, loyalty to a King, who like David, has not yet been made fully known to us in our eyes. In other words, He has not yet taken His earthly throne, but He will, and that is our hope. And if we try to live a Christianity without that eternal perspective, it would like Jonathan risking his life, without being convinced that David would come to the throne. “All the way my Savior leads me, Cheers each winding path I tread; Gives me grace for ev’ry trial, Feeds me with the living Bread. Tho’ my weary steps may falter, And my soul athirst may be, Gushing from the Rock before me, Lo! A spring of joy I see.”
Father, I pray that we as Your people would choose our King. That we would submit to His Lordship, and each of us would say, I want to give My All for My King. For that is the bottom line for our obedience and servanthood, not out of duty, but out of desire and love. And Lord, give us the hope of Your return. Make it a reality as we face the battles of life. And all God’s people said, amen.