1st Samuel 20: David and Jonathan

hi I'm John Stevenson and we're going to be looking at the David and Jonathan narrative as found in 1st Samuel chapter 20 back in chapter 16 we saw David being given God's Spirit in contrast to Saul who from whom God spirit departs and he is given a evil spirit in chapter 17 that was the David and Goliath story David faces Goliath in faith he has victory and saw by contrast is seen in fear of Goliath in chapter 18 we see David being loved by others by Jonathan by Michal even those of Saul's family in in Saul's case he tries to murder David and to have him killed and now that only grows so we come now to chapter 19 we're going to see Jonathan interceding for David in order to try to restore him meanwhile an evil spirit comes on Saul again and he tries to murder David again Saul sends people to go and murder David there in chapter 9 and we call hides David and helps him to escape and finally at the end of the story David finds refuge with Samuel as we come down to chapter 20 and verse 1 then David fled from naio 'the in Ramah remember nay oath was probably select the prophets place in Ramah and came and said to Jonathan what have I done what is my iniquity and what is my sin before you father that he's is seeking my life David is looking for an intercessor and he finds it in Jonathan he said to him that is Jonathan speaking far from it and you shall not die behold my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me so why should my father hide this thing from me it is not so and and you know he seems to be John Jonathan seems to be unaware of his father's intentions even though his father had made those intentions plan earlier but then Jonathan had interceded and as far as he knows everything it now is okay verse three yet david vowed again saying your father knows well that i have found favor in your sight and he has said do not let Jonathan know this where he will be grieved but truly as the Lord lives and as your soul lives there was hardly a step between me and death David realizes it even if Jonathan does not well John is reaction verse four than Jonathan said to David whatever you say I will do for you so he's well even though he's he is not in himself convinced he's willing to do what is necessary on behalf of David verse five 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 now when you hear the field don't think you know like a you know a farmland thing may be a better translation there would be the wild I think that's more the idea in other words not in the cultivated area I'll hide myself in the wild until the third evening 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 remember how that David's anointing had been sort of under cover under the cover of a sacrifice and so he's using that cover story again here notice also the third evening I can't help but wonder if there's some sort of way that we ought to look for Jesus when we see that third evening hold that thought verse seven he's David still talking he says if it is good your servant will be safe but if he is very angry know that he has decided on evil therefore deal kindly with your servant for you've brought your servant into a covenant of Lord David is reminding Jonathan of the Covenant into which they have both entered but if there is an equity in me put me to death yourself for why should then you bring me to your father if I've done wrong then treat me as one doing wrong David says because you brought me into a covenant of the Lord of buried I deny a covenant with God this isn't just between two people they have brought God into the Covenant verse 9 Jonathan said far be it from you for if I should indeed learn that evil has been decided by my father to come upon you then would I not tell you about it Jonathan is is protesting both his ignorance of any situation but also of his willingness to be right no matter what his family says verse 10 then David said to Jonathan who will tell me if your father answers our harshly how am I going to know after all it's possible for you to come and try to tell me and then follow you out follow you out to where I am and then I would be betrayed Jonathan comes up with the plan verse 11 Jonathan said to David come and let us go out into the field remember we were treating that as the wild so they both of them what went out to the wild then Jonathan said to David the Lord the God of Israel be witness when I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow or maybe the third day behold if there is good feeling for David shall I not then send you said to you and make it known to you if if there's no problem I'll let you know verse 13 if it please my father to do you harm may the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not make it known to you and send you away that you may go in safety in other words if there's danger then may that danger fall upon me rather than me betray you and may the Lord be with you as he has been with my father verse 14 if I am so alive will you not show me the loving-kindness of Lord that I may not die can we keep this covenant past whatever happens to my father verse 15 you shall not cut off your loving-kindness from my house forever not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth that's that's actually sort of prophetic because we're going to see the enemies of David cut off but but Jonathan is saying don't cut me off when it because I have connected myself to you verse 16 so Jonathan and there's that language made a covenant but the word covenant notices is that italics it's not there in the Hebrew because it doesn't need to be there in the Hebrew so John cut with the house of David and covenant is understood he's got a covenant saying may the Lord require it at the hands of David's enemies and Jonathan made David well again because of his love for him because he loved him as he loved his own life so again he makes he cuts a covenant you don't need the word covenant it's just the word for yack rot you got a phone he Jonathan cut with him verse 18 then Jonathan said to him tomorrow is the new moon and you will be must because your seat will be empty when you have stayed for three days there's the three days again you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that evening on that an eventful day and you shall remain by the stone is I will shoot three arrows to the side as though I shot at a target and behold I will send the lad I'm gonna bring somebody with me saying go find the arrows and specifically say the glad behold the arrows are on this side of you get them then come that that's the message for you to hear - for their safety and no harm as the Lord lives but if I say to the youth behold the arrows are beyond you then the situation is beyond me to go forth Lord has sent you away as for the agreement of which you and I have spoken behold the Lord is between you and me forever that covenant stands whatever takes place money for so David hidden in the field remember the wild and when the new moon came the King sat down to eat food and the King sat on his seat as usual than the seat by the wall and then Jonathan rose up and Abner sat down by his south side but David's place was empty nevertheless Saul did not speak anything that day for he thought that maybe it's an accident he's not clean has to go through some sort of ritual purification surely he's not clean I'm sure that's the reason verse 27 and came about the next day the second day of the new moon that David's place is empty so Saul said to Jonathan his son why has the son of Jesse not come today I'll come to the meal either yesterday or today Jonathan then answered he answers his father saw David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem he's using the cover story for he said please let me go since our family has a sacrifice in the city and my brother has commanded me to attend and now if I found favor in your sight please let me get away that I may see my brother's for this reason he's not come to the Kings table that's the cover story and Jonathan's sticking to it verse 13 and 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 this is a strong stinging rebuke verse 31 for as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth neither you nor your kingdom will be established therefore now sent and bring him to me for he must surely die saw I saw is beyond acting out anything he's speaking his mind and he is speaking it clearly so Saul's question had been where is David Jonathan's response the cover story that he's visiting family and Saul's anger now has come out didn't he clearly says David must die verse 32 but Jonathan answered and saw his father and said to him why should he be put to death what has he done this all hurled a spear at him to strike him down what Saul tried to do to David he now tries to do in his anger to his own son and so Jonathan knew that his father decided to put David to death there's no there's no hovering it up now verse 34 the Jonathan arose from this table in fierce anger now it's Jonathan who's angry 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 notice it's an issue of honor and so we had Saul's question where's David and the responsibility family and then Saul's anger but now Jonathan's question well what did David do and Saul's response had been to throw a spear at him and now it's Jonathan's anger at the at the injustice but at the dishonor that is taking place verse 35 now it came about in the morning no we saw the first day in the second day so this is the morning after the second day which makes this the third day it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field number the wild for the appointment with David and a little lad was he said that his lab run finding out the arrows which I'm about to shoot and as the lad was running he shot an arrow pass when it sign when the lad reached the place of the arrow which to Jonathan and Jonathan called after loud and said is not the arrow beyond you that's the sign it's over it's over our head verse 38 and Jonathan called out called after loud hurried be quick do not say and Jonathan's lad pick up the arrow and came to his master but the lad was not aware of anything only Jonathan and David knew about them matter when Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad and said to him then he gave in PO's land and said to him go bring them to the city I think Jonathan had set this up in case they were and there was anyone else following he knew he would not have control over that and so he has set this up but now but now when the lad was gone David rose from the south side and fell on his face to the ground and bound three times and they kissed each other and wept together but David the more David is truly broken up because he is losing his friend and his kingdom and his King and now he will go out and be a wanderer verse 42 Jonathan said David go in safety in as much as we have sworn to each other in the name of Lord Saint Lord will be between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever then here he rose and departed while Jonathan went into the city they depart not to see each other again in this life now in this story I think we've seen or maybe hinted at some parallels you say Jonathan met David on the third day after David had been hidden and in the case of Jesus he was hidden and rose from the dead on the third day in Jonathan's case he interceded on behalf of David and Jesus to intercedes for us he makes intercession for us Jonathan's received Gasol's anger Saul's angered was directed at him as he interceded the anger of his father was directed at him and likewise Jesus took the wrath the anger of God upon himself on our behalf he received he received the curse he received he he remember what he cried out on the cross my God my God why have you forsaken me in Jonathan's case he made a covenant with David in Jesus case he has made a covenant with us a covenant into which we have entered and indeed there is coming today when we're going to see his face but but in the interim in the interim we are separated looking for that final day of reunion

Channel: DrJohnStevenson

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Keywords: john stevenson, 1st samuel, commentary

Id: K32wQ4w302U

Length: 14min 31sec (871 seconds)

Published: Fri Nov 23 2018