1 Samuel 16:1
16 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”
1 Samuel 19:1a
1aSaul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David.
As the lesson opens, we find ourselves in the middle of a continuing controversy. Saul had been chosen by God as the first king of Israel. But, because of his disobedience, God rescinded his appointment of Saul as King. Through the prophet, Samuel, God informed Saul that he was unfit to rule. He then sent Samuel to anoint a new king, a boy king named David.
1 Samuel 16:14
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.
Psalms 51:8-11
8 Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice
9 Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit[d] from me.
Saul is suffering. He has fallen out of fellowship from God because of his rebellion. He is in torment. These are the wages of sin, both for the believer and the non-believer. When the Holy Spirit is grieved there is an emptiness of soul that cannot be filled. Saul has experienced the joy of being overtaken by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (the Holy Ghost). Saul wants that joy back, but God has removed it permanently. Saul finds himself deeply troubled because of it.
For the record, God does not severe our relationship with him, but in this dispensation of Grace, we can grieve the Ruach Ha’Kodesh and experience broken fellowship. In fact, this restoration of fellowship is integral to this week’s lesson.
1 Samuel 16:23
23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
1 Samuel 17:45
45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
! Samuel 18:8=9
8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
Saul is jealous of David’s accomplishments and that jealousy has driven Saul to paranoia.
1 Samuel 18:10-12
10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.
11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.
Now Saul attempts the unthinkable…. Twice. he attempts to assassinate David and twice he fails. At that point, Sauls paranoia devolves into outright. Fear because he is beginning to realize that God, who has left him, is now with.. David.
1 Samuel 18:24-25
24 When Saul’s men reported this back to the king, 25 he told them, “Tell David that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want.” But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.
Saul again attempted to have David killed, this time during by sending him into battle against the Philistines. But that failed as well.
1 Samuel 18:27-29
27 he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. Then David fulfilled the king’s requirement by presenting all their foreskins to him. So Saul gave his daughter Michal to David to be his wife.
28 When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and how much his daughter Michal loved him, 29 Saul became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.
It is against this backdrop that today’s lesson begins.
1 Samuel 18:3-4
3 And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself. 4 Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt.
Proverbs 18:24b
24b … but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
There’s much to unpack here. The first thing to notice is Jonathan’s relationship with David. COVENANT MEANS SOMETHING TO AN ISRAELITE. David has been a musician in Saul’s court and a warrior on Israel’s battlefield. And God has been with him throughout. Both the King, Saul, and his young heir Jonathan have seen the favor of God on David’s life, but they have responded in vastly different ways. King Saul has come to fear and hate young David, as his torment by evil spirits continues. On the other hand, Jonathan has grown close to David. His admiration for David grows as their bond grows stronger. So much so that he does something that would be regarded as unthinkable for one who would be the eventual heir to the throne of Israel. He gifts David with his robe and tunic, representative of the authority (exousia) to which, he was the rightful heir. Jonathan also gifted David with his sword, bow, and belt, which, when taken together were representative of the power (dunamis) he would wield as a prince of Israel. But none of that mattered. Some theologians postulate that Jonathan was probably a teenager when Saul was originally anointed as the first king of Israel. Thus the privilege and trappings of royalty had no real allure to him. Yet, as a teenager, he was a capable warrior. And God demonstrated his favor toward Jonathan by sending an earthquake amongst his enemies at Micmash (1 Samuel 14:13-14).
There is something else to consider. Because Jonathan was probably a teenager of around fifteen years of age when Saul was anointed as king of Israel, he would have been around twenty-seven years of age when David was born. That would have made him around forty-two when an eighteen-year-old David killed the Philistine giant, Goliath. Their difference in age suggest that Jonathan saw himself, not only as a friend, but a mentor to David, a role Saul should have embraced, but could not because of his fear and loathing of David.
1 Samuel 19:1b-3
But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, 2 told him what his father was planning. “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields. 3 I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.”
In that light, Jonathan does not want to see any harm come to his young charge, David. He takes David under his arm and counsels him on a plan of action in restoring him to Saul’s good graces. To paraphrase his advice, “Go and hide in the fields and I will bring my father near and then talk to him on your behalf. Afterward, I’ll fill you in on the details of our conversation.”
Imagine the long forlorn night David spent, alone in the fields. The very King of Israel: Saul, the Lord God’s anointed had put a price on his head. If Jonathan’s stratagem failed, he was as good as dead. Why not just run away? But, to where? No place would have been safe from Saul’s reach. No. Stay and wait for Jonathan. As the Lord lives, he would not fail.
1 Samuel 19:4-5
4 The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could. 5 Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!”
Maybe an early morning walk, maybe a horse ride, followed by a sumptuous breakfast. Certainly, Jonathan had carefully planned his time with his father in order to strike the delicate balance of love and reverence for his father, Saul with his unbounded affection for his young charge, David.
Deuteronomy 19:10
10 You must not shed innocent blood on your land that the Lord your God is about to give you as an inheritance. Otherwise, you’ll be guilty of murder.”
Jonathan litigates his defense of David as any good lawyer would. Yes, Saul had great authority, but Jonathan reminded him that he must not sin against God by seeking David’s death. As king, Saul was required to keep the law of God, the Tanach within arm’s reach, literally. He had been instructed to read it on a regular basis, so as to fully embrace the tenets and precepts of God. In God’s eyes, Saul was to conduct himself as any other Israelite before God. Jonathan reminds his father, Saul of his responsibility to God’s law as a servant of the Lord.
Then Jonathan plead David’s case point by point, “David has never done anything against you.”, “On the contrary, He has done nothing but good toward you and on your behalf.”, “Didn’t he defeat and kill the giant, Goliath?”, ”Was that not a great victory for the nation of Israel under your leadership?”, “You saw it and rejoiced!” Certainly, Saul benefitted immensely from David’s presence in his court and on his battled fields. Jonathan reminded of the blessing David had been to him as a servant.
Finally, as any good litigator would do in a court of law, Jonathan once again of his responsibility to uphold the law of God by not pursuing the death of an innocent man: David. He closes by reiterating David’s innocence, “There is no reason for it at all!”
We cannot overlook the skill with which Jonathan litigated David’s case. Like a lawyer, he bookended his plea for David’s life because of his godliness and the character with which he carried himself, with an argument that Saul, as King, must obey the law and precepts of God. The Word of God. In so doing, he appealed to Saul’s good sense in regards to David and to his sentiment and reverence to God
1 Samuel 19:6
6 Saul listened to Jonathan, and promised, “As the Lord lives, David will not be killed.”
Success! Jonathan got through to him. Saul repented and rescinded his order of assassination on David. Beloved, This kind of ministry, brokering peace between enemies requires great care and the leading of the Holy Spirit through prayer. A misstep could cause an irreparable breakdown in communication that could forever separate the parties involved, whether it be family, friends, or business associates. The separation might be permanent, resulting in the loss of invaluable relationships.
I recommend that prayer, and yes, fasting be considered when doing the hard work of reconciliation. It’s not always an easy task. Ask Paul, who implored Philemon to be restored to his servant, Onesimus, or when he chastised the Corinthian church for preferring the courts above the wisdom of God available to them in the churches through the Word of God. The courts could only provide a settlement. The church offers reconciliation with fellow saints.
1 Samuel 19:7
7 Then Jonathan called David and told him all these things. He brought David to Saul, and David stayed with Saul as before.
Finally, Jonathan goes to David and returns him to the palace of Saul. All is well. Additionally, if David, while in hiding, was privy to Jonathan’s conversation with Saul, followed by a thorough review of all that transpired when Jonathan came and found him, then … what a teachable moment? Wisdom begets wisdom. Young David in those brief moments was comforted and encouraged by his friend and mentor, Jonathan. With leadership comes great responsibility to do good wherever possible. Who knows? The good examples you set as a leader in the Kingdom of God will be effectual for generations. Be cognisant always of the imprint you leave in the lives of others as an ambassador of Christ. Jonathan’s example to David, certainly affected how David treated others when a later became King of all Israel. Beloved, let us take Jonathan’s example for our own. David certainly did.
2 Samuel 9:3
3 The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.”
Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.”
1 Corinthian 13:8a
8a Love never fails
Selah
wb
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