1 Then David fled from Naoth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life? So Jonathan said to him, by no means, you shall not die. Indeed, my father will do nothing, either great or small, without first telling me.

And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so. Then David took an oath again and said, your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes. And he has said, do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.

But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death." So Jonathan said to David, "'Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.' And David said to Jonathan, "'Indeed, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening.' If your father misses me at all, then say, David earnestly ask permission of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. If he says thus, it is well. Your servant will be safe.

But if he is very angry, be sure that evil is determined by him. Therefore, you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?" Jonathan said, "'Far be it from you, for if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?' Then David said to Jonathan, who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly? And Jonathan said to David, come, let us go out into the field.

So both of them went out into the field. And Jonathan said to David, the Lord God of Israel is witness. When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you, may the Lord do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases My Father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety.

And the Lord be with you, as He has been with My Father. And you shall not only show Me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die, but you shall not cut off your kindness from My house forever. No, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying, let the Lord require it at the hand of David's enemies.

Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul. Then Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed, and remain by the stone Ezel. Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target.

And there I will send a lad saying, Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, Look, the arrows are on this side of you. Get them and come. Then, as the Lord lives, there is safety for you and no harm.

But if I say thus to the young man, look, the arrows are beyond you, go your way, for the Lord has sent you away. And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the Lord be between you and me forever.' Then David hid in the field, and when the new moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, but David's place was empty.

Nevertheless, Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, Something has happened to him. He is unclean. Surely he is unclean. And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David's place was empty.

And Saul said to Jonathan, his son, why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today? So Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. And he said, please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.

Therefore, he has not come to the king's table. Then Saul's anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, you son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know, or do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.

And Jonathan answered Saul, his father, and said to him, Why should he be killed? What has he done? And Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food for the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully.

And so it was in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David. And a little lad was with him. Then he said to his lad, now run, find the arrows which I shoot. As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was, which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, is not the arrow beyond you? And Jonathan cried out after the lad, make haste, hurry, do not delay. So Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. But the lad did not know anything.

The lad did not know, I'm sorry, only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad and said to him, go, carry them to the city. As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another, and they wept together, but David more so.

Then Jonathan said to David, go in peace since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord saying, may the Lord be between you and me and between your descendants and my descendants forever. So he arose and departed and Jonathan went into the city. Amen.

Introduction: Covenant Theme of 1 Samuel 20

Well, the central or one central theme, obviously, in this particular chapter is the covenant bond that exists between David and Jonathan. It is conspicuous. It is wonderful. It is a friendship, not just founded on similar interests like golf or sports or some other sort of thing, but it's rooted in their love for God and their desire to honor God.

And oftentimes they use language in this chapter that speaks of this covenant arrangement. Though the word covenant is not mentioned often, it is certainly a unifying theme in the chapter in terms of David and Jonathan. Now, some suggest that chapter 20 is a bit out of place. I don't always like to deal with these sorts of things, but I think it's helpful for us to see how the narrative flows, and oftentimes when people complain about a particular chapter, suggesting that it may be out of place, or it was added later, or it's redundant, or it's repetitious, it's good for us to try and clear that away and see how it does indeed function.

Some would say, why does David need to determine if Saul is really against him? Why do we have another chapter that seems to be the case or seems to have David seeking this information concerning whether or not Saul is after him? That's not the issue. David knows that Saul is after him.

David wants to know, what have I done? He wants to know the why as to or the reason why Saul is after him. In the second place, why does David believe he should attend Saul's feast? I mean, if Saul tried to throw spears at David twice, if he's tried to attack him in his home, if he has gone to Ramah with the expressed purpose of finding David and murdering him, why in the world would David think that he's obliged to go to this new moon feast at Saul's home.

Well, part of the emphasis in this particular chapter, and I think part of what David is doing, is he understands the threat that is posed against him, but as well, he's a man under obligation. He is a man under responsibility. He is a man officially attached to the court of Saul. Interestingly enough, when we get to the New Moon Feast itself, Saul expects David to be at this particular feast.

So it's not an odd thing that David would think this. In fact, if you turn to 1 Samuel 25, Nabal seems to at least insinuate that David did not fulfill his obligations and David was not a responsible man. Notice in 1 Samuel 25.10, that Nabal answered David's servants and said, who is David and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master.

David wants to make sure that that's not how things look. David wants to be upright and do all things well. So him attending the feast was a natural assumption, at least on the part of Saul to be sure. But then in the third place, the whole sign or the whole signal with the arrows seems to fly contrary to the reality that David and Jonathan do meet.

David and Jonathan do have this time, this last interchange. There's one final conversation or reference in chapter 23, verses 16 to 18. That's very brief. This is the last full interchange that we have between David and Jonathan.

Some suggest, why do the arrow thing if the arrow or the lad coming back was the sign for David to depart? Well, when they contracted or when they covenanted to do the arrow thing, they didn't know that they would be all alone. They did not know that Saul wouldn't dispatch spies. As far as they were concerned, there would be people watching this so that when Jonathan let the arrow fly, if there was people around, David would have got the signal and he would have hightailed it out of there.

So all of these things are easily answered. Now, as I've suggested, when we come to this chapter, there are two primary concerns for David, or two primary motivations. One, he had obligations and responsibilities to Saul, and he wanted to deal righteously. He is a man that is governed by God, and he wants to do what is consistent with the Lord.

And, as well, he feared for his life. For Jonathan, and Mike and I talked about this earlier today, I can't find anything bad about Jonathan. Jonathan is a sterling specimen of a human being, and it is unfortunate to me that there are few Jonathans in this world. Jonathan is a self-effacing man.

Jonathan is a Matthew 6.33 man. Jonathan is about God's kingdom and about the progress and advancement of God's kingdom. Jonathan will gladly get out of the way. Jonathan will sacrifice himself.

Jonathan will do everything at his disposable to make sure that Yahweh's kingdom advances. So for Jonathan in this particular situation, I think Vanoy summarizes Jonathan's position well. He faced a crisis that arose out of the strife between Saul, his father, and David, his close friend and compatriot. In Jonathan's case, the conflict was between the advancement of God's kingdom and the advancement of his own personal ambition.

Now remember that Jonathan is the heir to the crown. Jonathan is the heir to the throne of Israel. And yet for Jonathan, what matters is not his personal ambition, but the advancement of God's kingdom. And if that means David sits in the throne, then Jonathan will facilitate that.

We saw that in chapter 18, after the battle in the Valley of Elah, before Saul starts to whine and grumble and complain, and he starts to have his heart overfilled with envy because the people are praising David more than him. What does Jonathan do? Jonathan takes off his royal robes to hand them to David, essentially saying that you ought to be the heir apparent to the throne because God is using you. Jonathan is a man that unfortunately is not emulated and imitated by people in the church today.

Not saying you guys, I'm talking about myself here. He says, in Jonathan's case, the conflict was between the advancement of God's kingdom and the advancement of his own personal ambition. Jonathan was the crown prince. He had every right to expect to succeed his father on the throne of Israel, but he was ready and willing to renounce his own interests and aspirations for the sake of submission to the Lord's choice of David to be the king.

Well,

Three Divisions of the Chapter

let's look at this particular chapter under three considerations. We will not go through every jot and tittle. I don't think we need to focus upon each arrow as it flies and upon the makeup of the lad and how he ran after the arrows. We'll give an overview of those particular sections.

The Meeting with Jonathan (vv. 1–24a)

But in the first place, we have the meeting with Jonathan, verses 1 to 24a. Secondly, the New Moon Festival in 24b to 34. And then the report concerning Saul in verses 35 to 42. This is Jonathan's report to David concerning Saul in verses 35 to 42.

But note three things with reference to this meeting with Jonathan. In the first place, the danger. David knows that he's in a dangerous situation. He leaves Ramah.

He leaves Naoth. Remember, that is a place, probably a neighborhood in Ramah. Ramah, of course, is where Samuel was. David, in chapter 19, had gone to tell Samuel that Saul and his men were after him.

Remember how the Spirit of God foiled their plan when they descended upon that neighborhood to destroy David. The Spirit of God overpowered them such that they began to prophesy. While they were prophesying, they weren't killing David. While they were prophesying, they weren't hunting David.

So now David departs from Ramah and he goes back to Gibeah. Gibeah is where Saul and Jonathan lives. We know it's Gibeah because Jonathan is here. We know it's Gibeah because David is going to attend or is asking about attending this feast of the new moon.

Now notice,

The Danger: David's Legitimate Complaint

David's concern, as I've already mentioned, he knows the danger he is in, but he's asking, what have I done? What is my iniquity and what is my sin before your father that he seeks my life? That is perfectly legitimate. Those are good questions.

What has David done? David has played his harp to calm Saul when he comes under this distressing spirit from the Lord. David is a champion. David is a hero.

David is a man that is able to calm the king of Israel when that distressing spirit overtakes him. David then goes to the valley of Elah and destroys Goliath. He's a national hero. He is a national treasure.

He is a good warrior for the kingdom of God. And yet all he has had is Saul on his heels trying to destroy him with spears, with an ambush, and with these men coming to Samuel's place in Ramah. David is legit here. What have I done?

What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your father that he seeks my life? It's kind of like in the book of Romans when Paul tells us, we're to rejoice with those who rejoice. We're to weep with those who weep.

We ought not to weep when someone rejoices. We ought not to rejoice when someone weeps. We see somebody in misery and we got a smile on our face, they might be inclined to say, why are you taking pleasure in this? What is your deal?

What is your issue? Or if somebody's rejoicing and we're weeping, they might have just cause to say, why is it that you are so upset at the good things that have happened to me? Well, because I'm envious and because I'm a petty wretch and because I want to have what you have and I don't want you to have what you have. That's probably the case at times.

People are rejoicing and we're weeping because somehow we think God left us in the lurch and didn't give us good things. or people are weeping because they've had some bad stroke of providence, and we find a secret delight in that because it's not us, and because they deserve it. Brethren, we need to make sure that we're not operating from a place of envy, because it is truly puzzling. It is truly mind-blowing. David has no clue whatsoever why Saul is doing what Saul is doing.

We the reader know, we know that Saul is upset Because David has now become the national hero. David is the one who Israel loves. David is the one whom they compose songs about. And they praise him more than Saul.

Saul is seething in anger. Saul is upset. Saul is full of anger and hatred and envy. And so Saul takes his javelin and tries to murder David.

This is legit. What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your Father that He seeks my life?

Now, notice Jonathan's response. In some respects, Jonathan's response here is a failure to rightly assess the situation. Now, no doubt, he doesn't know the full gravity of it. No doubt, he doesn't see all that we have seen, the careful reader, as we work our way through this narrative, but certainly there should have been enough at this point for Jonathan to at least acknowledge that, yeah, you got a point.

My father has got some problems here. I mean, it was in chapter 19 where Saul tells his servants and Jonathan that we need to liquidate David. We need to eliminate David. I think Gil makes a good observation here.

He says, and if he did know anything of the matter, which Gil says, it would be hard for us to believe he didn't know. I mean, we see that again in chapter 19 that Saul tells Jonathan, we need to kill David. So Gil says it's really difficult to believe that he didn't know something. But then he says, and if he did know anything of the matter, he made the best of it to David, partly to allay his fears and partly that his father might not appear so black and vile as he really was.

So Jonathan wants to allay the fears of David, according to Gil, and he wants to not admit, probably in his own heart, I mean, it's probably a difficult thing to admit your dad is Saul, wouldn't it be? I mean, if your dad was David, yeah, there's some things there that he did that wasn't that great, but he's a national hero and a champ and a treasure and one that we all love. But could you imagine telling people, yeah, my father was Saul. He tried to kill the national hero.

He tried to kill the man that killed Goliath. He tried to kill the man that neutralized the Philistine threat. That'd be kind of embarrassing. So perhaps there is a softening here or a failure to rightly assess the threat.

Because of a filial attraction, he loves his father, he loves David, he wants to try and make it not look as bad as it could possibly be. His logic, he said, if that was my father's plan, he certainly would have told me. He would have shared it with me. Well, again, Jonathan, he did share it with you.

So, what we find here, and again, this doesn't touch on the badness of Jonathan, just some observations here. And then the insistence by David that the threat was real. Notice what David says in verse 3. Then David took an oath again.

Again, that language is used throughout. An oath, as the Lord lives. This is the language of covenant, their friendship. isn't about sports. Their friendship is rooted in the God of heaven and earth.

So he says, your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved. But truly, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death. David is a man on the run. David knows the score.

He knows the time. He knows what's happening. And he's trying to convince Jonathan of this. He knows, Jonathan, that we have this relationship.

So he hasn't been as forthcoming with you about his evil plans for me as he otherwise would have been. Now

The Test: The New Moon Feast Plan

notice what we find in this particular test in verses 5 to 9. Essentially what we have is the occasion, the new moon feast. Samara says, this is the day of the new appearance of the moon in the western sky at sunset. For the royal family, the new moon festival was seemingly presided over by the king as the clan head.

Now, depending on the moon, depending on things that I certainly didn't have time to go into today, it could have been one, two, lasting into three days, depending upon the moon, and that sort of thing. That's why when you read through the passage, you have this reference to two or three days. It wasn't just a one-day thing, necessarily. But there was a feast there, and there was a burnt sacrifice that is offered.

Now, when there was a burnt sacrifice that was offered, The participants had to be clean. Remember that when Saul recognizes David is absent the first day, he reckons it's because he's unclean. Initially, this does not rock Saul. Initially, this is how he writes it off.

David's not here, perhaps he's unclean. Now, uncleanness wasn't contracted just through, you know, contact in a sexual way. If he would have touched an animal, he would have been uncleaned till evening. So as far as Saul's concerned, he'll probably be here the next day.

So at this New Moon Festival, the participants that were involved would have to be clean. That's why David, or that's why Saul, made that particular statement. So what David proposes, indeed tomorrow is the new moon and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening.

If your father misses me at all, then say, David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family." So David works for Saul. David is an official. David is part of the royal court. David is the son-in-law of Saul and as a result would be expected to be there.

But as a court official, not the case that he never gets time off, it would not be outlandish for David to get a day off to go to Bethlehem and to attend a family feast. In many respects, that family feast would be more noteworthy than the monthly New Moon festival. So in theory, it all sounds legit. It all sounds good.

This is a story that Saul should buy. Now, notice what this is rooted in, this test, verses 8 and 9. He says, therefore, you shall deal kindly with your servant. Now, we've met this word before in our studies on Wednesday night.

It's the Hebrew word hesed, and the idea here is steadfast love. I like the way Davis defines it.

Hesed: Loyal Covenant Love Defined

He says, Hesed carries the ideas of love, compassion, affection, but often with the additional connotation of loyalty, reliability, faithfulness. I think ESV and others translate it steadfast love. Love, but it's steadfast. It is in the context of this covenant that they have between one another.

He goes on to say that Chesed often has that flavor of loyalty, reliability, faithfulness. He says it is not merely love, but loyal love. Not merely kindness, but dependable kindness. Not merely affection, but affection that has committed itself.

So notice what David says in verse 8, Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. Back in chapter 18, verses 1 to 4. Jonathan is willing to give his royal robes, he enters into a covenant with David. It's a covenant of friendship.

It's a covenant of companionship. It's a covenant, again, that is loyal, that is faithful, that is steadfast. You see, David is appealing to Jonathan. in this time of crisis. And the way that he appeals to Jonathan in a time of crisis is via covenant.

I'm going to lean on Davis in terms of application tonight. This is one of the things that he points out.

Covenant as Refuge in Crisis

In times of crisis, what is a sure recourse for the people of God? It is to seek refuge in covenant. That is what David is doing here. Therefore, you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you." In other words, when we face trials, or when we face confusion, or when we are on the run, where should we seek our solace?

It is in the covenant that we have with God because of the Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't remove us from the trial. It doesn't remove us from the difficulty. It doesn't keep us from harm's way, but it steadies us in the midst of that particular battle or of that challenge.

So David appeals to the covenant here. Verse 8b, he says, Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father? And this is all covenantal language. He is putting his own self on the line.

That's what happens when men swear covenants together. They agree together in these very radical terms. And this is precisely the arrangement that David and Jonathan had together. Jonathan thankfully agrees, verse 9, far be it from you, for if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you." Now notice the plan.

They go out to the field to discuss, verses 10 to 13. We gotta go out, we gotta discuss, we gotta figure out how we're going to go about this in this particular instance. Now notice this condition that Jonathan sets forth in verses 14 and 15. This is very important.

Verse 14, and you shall not only show me the hesed of the Lord while I still live that I may not die, but you shall not cut off your hesed from my house forever. No, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying, let the Lord require it at the hand of David's enemies. Now here's what's going on.

David invokes covenant and so does Jonathan. And the way that Jonathan does this is pretty particular. In the first place, Jonathan asks that David extend Esed to him. David is to extend that self-same kindness to Jonathan.

You see, Saul didn't fully appreciate the reality that the kingdom was not going to go to Jonathan. Jonathan already had this understanding. He knew that David would ultimately be the king in Israel. Do you know what the kings in Israel did to rival dynasties when they occupied the throne?

They killed them. Okay? So what Jonathan says is when you come, when the Lord puts you in that place of prestige and power, you shall not only show me the hesed of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die. Now, Jonathan says, I want you to extend that hesed to the entirety of my family, which David does in 2 Samuel 9.

There's a man by the name of Mephibosheth. And David invokes this very chapter by extending this hesed to Mephibosheth. Now, what is interesting to see here is that the practice of kings outside of Israel was to destroy rival dynasties. But even within Israel, Basha, 1 Kings 15, Zimri, 1 Kings 16, Jehu in 2 Kings 10.

Davis says, when a new regime or dynasty came to power, the name of the game was purge. I quite like that. When a new dynasty or regime came to power, the name of the game was purge. You get rid of the enemies.

How do you secure your kingdom? you get rid of your enemies, right? Isn't that how God ultimately secures the new heavens and the new earth? All the ungodly, the immoral, the cowards, the abominable, the sorcerers, the murderers, the liars, they will all have their part in the second death or in the lake of fire. That's how God ultimately secures the new heavens and the new earth.

Yes, of course, the redemptive work of Christ, the ushering in of God's elect, but it is the execution of all the enemies of the Lord. As I mentioned on Sunday morning, we ought to take great comfort that while the world yesterday, at least in America, they were crying and shedding tears over the death of Cecil the Lion, there's still those who are not shedding tears over baby parts that are in pie pans that are being peddled for money. It's an amazing thing, brethren, but we ought to take comfort in the fact that that enemy of Christ, Planned Parenthood, will be stepped on by him because he must reign till all of his enemies are made his footstool. Now, I'm not advocating we go shoot lions willy-nilly.

But I am advocating that we ought to weep over babies far sooner than we ought to weep over Cecil the lion. Now, something we ought to appreciate here. Not only is Jonathan faithful to covenant, but so is David, right? What does Jonathan want?

Spare my life and spare my family. And when push comes to shove, Jonathan makes good on his covenant promises. When push comes to shove, David makes good on his covenant promises. David, don't you know you should kill Mephibosheth?

You don't invite him to your table. Do you know the way that the pagan kings around us, they function? They destroy all of the rival dynasty. That's just part and parcel.

That's the price of doing business in a royal situation. Even the kings in Israel adopt such practices. But you see, David doesn't invoke that privilege because of this reality. Covenant.

You see? He is faithful in this regard. Now, I love what Davis said here. This is one of those nights I could have just said, just read Davis.

It's about seven or eight pages and you'll get a good meeting out of 20 and you'll be fed and edified. But one of the things he points out is that we don't live in a dynastic rivalry setting. Right? We just don't.

We don't have to fear this. Our covenants are not involved with me sparing Mike's life because I took the dynasty and he's got a Mephibosheth in his line and I've got to show him kindness. That's just not where we're at. This concept of covenant does affect where we're at.

And this is just another reason why I like Dr. Davis, or I love Dr. Davis. He gives these snippets about windows into things that really help you to quantify this.

And this is a bit of biography from his own life. He says, God's people today are not living on the edge of a dynastic transition directly involving them. No matter, you still see this uncommon fidelity in the Christian life of God's people, though perhaps in a less dramatic form. And he's going to give an illustration in just a moment.

But brethren, where, where of all places, should we see Jonathan's and David's functioning together but in the church? Why is there such broken relationships? And why do we avoid each other? And why can't we covenant with one another and engage in a steadfast love?

A steadfast love that even accepts our Jonathan or David when they sin. or when they offend us, or when they hurt us, or when they do something that doesn't just meet our expectations. We need to let love cover that, especially a covenant love wherein the Lord God has called us to function. The Church of Christ, our marriages, this is the specific illustration that he's going to show. In what other realm in terms of covenant, should persons show the kind of fidelity to one another that Jonathan and David do.

Now I know there's wicked people out there that say, Jonathan and David were probably homosexual, because look at how the text talks about that. You know, Jonathan loved him as if he was himself. You know, that's just wicked, abominable, ungodly garbage. Jonathan and Dave were God-fearing, heroic men who loved one another.

If men can't love one another, if ladies can't love one another without some charge of homosexuality by the enemies of Jesus Christ, I mean, is that what we're going to do? I can't really be your friend because people might think I'm gay. No, no, no. We need to love the way that God calls us to love.

Now listen to what Davis says here. He says, I have seen it in my own family, in my mother's care of my father in his last years as his health, but particularly his mind began to slip. Nine months after my father died, my mother died, perhaps because she felt she could. She had accomplished her mission, taking care of her husband.

Not sensational or glamorous, just covenantal. It had something to do with in sickness and in health. something about a covenant. You see, that's what undergirds this relationship between David and Jonathan. David invokes the covenant, deal graciously or kindly with me.

Jonathan invokes the covenant, deal kindly with me and with my family. This is how men of God functioned in these days. It's beautiful. And now notice, verse 16, they renew the covenant and then the love described by the author concerning Jonathan and David.

Verse 17, now Jonathan again caused David to vow because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul. One commentator says, genuine love, person to person, sealed by a covenant, such as there was between David and Jonathan, provides a most telling model of an unbreakable relationship. It's beautiful. Again, if our marriages look like the covenant that David and Jonathan had.

If our friendships in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ look like the covenant that Jonathan and David had, if we accepted one another, even when one another lets us down, it would look like the covenant that we have in 1 Samuel chapter 20. Now notice the specific details, verses 18 to 22, it's quite simple. Jonathan's going to go out for target practice and he's going to send his lad to pick up the arrows. Notice he takes three, and he shoots at a target.

So that when someone sees Jonathan, they don't suppose that he's sending one arrow out into La La Land that might possibly be a signal for somebody who's hiding in the bush. You see, Jonathan has taken care of these details. I'll send out the arrows, I'll send the lad, if Everything is cool with my father. I doubt he said cool.

If everything is okay with my father, then I'll tell the lad to go right or left. If it's bad with my father, I'll tell the lad to keep going. That will be your sign, David. Then you will know how it will be with reference to this particular situation.

Now, before we leave this point,

God as Guardian of the Covenant

notice the guardian of the covenant. Verse 23, and as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed, the Lord be between you and me forever. You see, that's why this is a good friendship. That's why this is rock solid, that's why this is hesed, because he invokes God as witness, because they do it under God, they do it unto God, they do it for the glory of God.

You see, that is the nature of this covenant that these two men shared together. Now notice,

The New Moon Festival (vv. 24b–34)

the new moon festival, 24B to 34, the absence of David and the anger of Saul and Jonathan. I got a parenthetical, and Jonathan. Jonathan gets angry too. Jonathan gets angry at Saul.

But note first, the absence is noted, the conclusion that David is unclean. Verse 24, then David hid in the field, and when the new moon had come, the king sat down, excuse me, to eat the feast. It was interesting because John Gill said, he probably didn't spend three days in the in the field. He probably went back to Bethlehem and then came back on the appointed day.

And Gil's reasoning was because he would have starved. Dude, you don't starve after three days. I mean, if you've got water, you're going to be all right. You can tent it for three days, or cave, or whatever.

Maybe because Gil was a bigger dude, and he couldn't see going three days without some vittles. So I don't know. I just found that intriguing. Three days?

Man, I'd like to think we could all do three days. I mean, come on. Anyways, I just thought that was interesting. More than likely, it was a cave, he was hanging out, whatever he did.

David was a warrior. He didn't mind sleeping on the dirt. He wasn't so delicate that he had to have the big bed and, you know, the whole fancy spiel. David killed lions and bears with his bare hands, so he could sleep just about anywhere he wanted to.

He could sleep in a tree if he had to. So anyways, when the new moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall, and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, but David's place was empty. Nevertheless, Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought something has happened to him.

He is unclean. Surely he is unclean. See, Saul expected him here. Saul expected an official of his court, a warrior, man-given responsibility in terms of military leadership.

Saul expected David. But he was okay because, you know, he's perhaps unclean. Now as on that next day, he now understands, or he sees something is wrong. It happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David's place was empty.

And Saul said to Jonathan his son, why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today? Now Jonathan tells him this particular story, and people stumble here. Oh, Jonathan, why? They cooked up a story.

They're just pawning this off on Saul. This isn't true. David's standing out in the field. This is all a ruse.

This is all a fake. This is a lie. Christians stumble here because they feel like this is to always present the ethics of how we are to live. You know, in wartime situations and in self-defense situations, as you see punctuated throughout the Old Testament, Rahab the harlot lied and God never said, you're a bad girl.

In fact, in Hebrews chapter 11, she's a hero of faith. Camouflage, subterfuge. When you're trying to evade a warring enemy, it is legit, at least as far as we see here. Davis says, this is not recommending to us ethics.

It is simply stating what is. I'm going to suggest that it's not ever condemned in this particular section or else afterward. And that's not the point of the passage. If you want to learn about Christian ethics in terms of when do I tell the truth, what would be a better place to go?

Probably Deuteronomy 5 or Exodus 20 or Ephesians 4. We go to those didactic, imperatival statements that tell us not to lie. Do you want to know what the Bible says? Never lie.

That's what you are told as a Christian. That is your ethical lesson for this evening. Now, if you say, well, what would I do if I was hiding Jews under my floor and the Nazis came and asked me the question? I personally believe God's going to give you grace and wisdom to make those decisions at that particular time.

And he's going to guide you according to his sovereign plan and purpose. That's not the point here. We're not supposed to go, wait a minute, Jonathan's not telling his father the truth. Jonathan and David in covenant with each other and in covenant with the living God are seeking to deal with a tyrant, a tyrannical wretch.

That is what's in view here. So Jonathan tells him what's going on. And now

Saul's Rage Against Jonathan

notice the anger of Saul. Then Saul's anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, you son of a perverse, rebellious woman. Now, I've not ever read the New Living Translation of the Bible. I just haven't.

But it is intriguing the way they interpret this statement. This is how it is in the New Living. I don't know why I would think the New Living Translation would not have a reading like what I'm about to read. They have you stupid son of a whore in the New Living Translation.

One commentator says that does somewhat bring out the force of the statement. This is what Saul says to Jonathan. Jonathan basically at this point has simply told Saul I gave David the night off. OK?

That's all Jonathan has said. Jonathan has not said, David's hiding in the field. We concocted this story to figure out if you're opposed to him or not. And once I find out, I'm going to go shoot arrows.

No, no, no. All Jonathan is saying to Saul is, I gave him the night off. He had a feast in Bethlehem for his family. So I said he could go in the absence of Saul.

Certainly the son of a king could make such a decision. That's all that Saul is reacting to. You understand that? That's it.

David took the night off. He's not at the New Moon Festival because he went to Bethlehem just for this feast, but he'll be coming back. And this is Saul's anger. It's aroused against Jonathan, and he says to him, you son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?

For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now, therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die. So there's a direct attack, you son. of a perverse woman. Notice as well that Saul rightly understands what's going on.

You chose David over me. He doesn't like that, does he? He doesn't like it when the people are singing praise that David is killed as 10,000 and Saul is only as thousands. Saul is upset because he understands what's happening before his eyes.

And notice the implication of his choice. Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. That's the implications involved in Jonathan's choice.

If you choose David, Jonathan, then you are not the heir to the crown. If you choose David, Jonathan, then the Saulide dynasty is destroyed. If you choose David, you're throwing it all away. You're giving it all up.

He sought to promote David by relinquishing his own right to the throne. Saul sees that, it angers Saul, and Saul lays in to Jonathan as a result. Now notice, we know something that Saul obviously doesn't get, that what Jonathan is doing here is seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. He is not seeking to fulfill his own personal ambition.

He is not seeking to wear the crown or to have the throne. He is seeking the security in the advancement of God's kingdom. And now Saul has put him in a place of aggressive anger, not only toward David, but toward Jonathan. The king orders Jonathan to bring David so he could murder him.

It's all clear now for Jonathan, isn't it? Jonathan basically then returns to David's question posed at the beginning. Why? What has he done?

What has David done to invoke the wrath of the king? So how does Saul respond? He throws his spear at his own son. I mean, the man is absolutely gone.

He has descended. He has gone from defection to full-blown apostasy. to complete madness and idiocy. This is the situation. He cast a spear at him to kill him by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David.

Jonathan responds, he arose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month for he was grieved for David because his father had treated him shamefully.

Jonathan's Report to David (vv. 35–42)

That brings us to the final bit, 35 to 42, the report concerning Saul. We don't need to read through the signal, 35 to 40. We don't need to see the young lad's hair sort of bouncing in the wind as he runs to fetch those arrows. It works.

The lad finishes his task. Jonathan looks around. There are no spies. He and David meet.

He and David have the last real conversation that they're going to have. They kissed, they wept, David more so. And now notice how it ends in verse 42. Then Jonathan said to David, go in peace.

Does that mean go without ever being harassed by my father? No. Does it mean go without ever facing another trial or difficulty in your life? No.

Does it mean go and skip your way to heaven and be attended to? No. It means go in peace in the reality that we are in this covenant bond together. And whatever turmoil and whatever stress and whatever distress or trials may come, nevertheless realize this, you have peace.

Just like Romans 5, isn't it? Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. In that same chapter, Paul tells us we will go through afflictions, we will go through trial. Biblical peace, according to Davis, is not often a general tranquility, but rather a rightness at the center in the midst of much turmoil.

Doesn't that characterize true covenant relationships, say again, in marriage? When you're in a marriage bond together and that covenant is in place and there is peace afforded to the parties, whatever life throws at you, whatever trials may come, whatever difficulties may upbraid you, nevertheless, you have the peace and the safety of that covenant situation. Truly is beautiful. And he says, and may the Lord be between you and me and between your descendants and my descendants forever." So he arose and departed and Jonathan went into the city.

Conclusion: Four Covenant Observations

Now, the folly of Saul, by way of conclusion, is obvious. We don't need to spend a whole lot of time on that. I mean, every time he sees somebody, he wants to throw a spear at them. It's not hard to prove that Saul's in a bad state, but the faithfulness of Jonathan.

Jonathan did know that David should be king. He knew that because he saw the mark of God all over him. Today at the Cascade and what we heard last time when Mike preached, the seal is the spirit, isn't he? Ephesians 1.13, the spirit himself is the seal.

When you meet a blood-bought child of God, I don't mean you see him on the street and there's an ass over their heads or something like that, but when you get to know somebody that is sealed by the spirit, It becomes evident. They have a love for Christ, they have a love for other people, they try to do the right thing, they repent and ask for forgiveness when they sin, all that sort of thing. Jonathan saw something in David. He saw God all over David.

When David goes out there to battle, When David comes back from battle, Jonathan knew. Jonathan saw. Jonathan was able to discern God's ways in this world. That's why Jonathan took off his royal robes and said, here, you take this.

Here, you wear this. You are the one that should be on the throne. As well, Jonathan was happy with God's choice of David. Jonathan was happy about it.

Could you imagine if God said to you, look, that guy next to you is the guy I actually want to bless and use. Would you be happy about that? Would you say, look, fella, God's chose you to use. God's going to put his marker seal upon you.

You're going to be the national hero. You're going to be the king. You're going to be lauded by the people. You're going to be the national treasure.

They're going to sing songs about you. They're going to write poems about you. Would you do that? Or would you push him off his chair and say, I think God wants you?

Jonathan was actually happy. The kingdom mattered more to Jonathan than Jonathan mattered to Jonathan. That's the lesson that I really think we need to get. When we look at Jonathan, what's in a name?

Jonathan spells loyalty. Jonathan spells fidelity. Jonathan spells a kingdom mindset because the kingdom mattered more to Jonathan than Jonathan mattered to Jonathan. That is not typical.

That's a rare commodity to actually find people who put Christ first, who put others before themselves, and are genuinely self-effacing. Those few moments in our lives that we self-efface, we spend countless hours telling persons about it. I was so self-effacing. I was so humble.

I was so lowly in that situation. We write volumes about it. We post on Facebook concerning it. We tweet it.

We update our status. We will never let anybody forget the self-effacedness that we manifested in a particular situation. The kingdom mattered to Jonathan more than Jonathan mattered to Jonathan. That's a mindset that we ought to imbibe from this godly, valiant hero in the Old Testament.

And Jonathan was faithful in his covenant with David. He was faithful. Right? When all was said and done.

And that faithfulness was tough. That faithfulness resulted in his father throwing a spear at him. Now, I cannot sit here tonight and say my father was the greatest human being on the face of the earth. But I can tell you, he never chucked a spear at me.

I cannot ever remember a time that he did such a thing. Jonathan is willing to undergo such things because he swore a covenant under God with David. Beautiful stuff. Now here's where I lean on Davis.

He breaks the chapter down, and this doesn't mean I'm going to lean on him for the next hour. This is going to be quick. He basically breaks 1 Samuel 20 down into four considerations. I think they're valuable.

I'm going to tell you them, because it occurs to me not everybody's going to go out and read Davis. So if you don't, I'll give you the Cliff Notes. And I'm giving him credit. I can email him and tell him.

I quoted him at length tonight. But his four ways. First, the covenant provides recourse in uncertainty, verses 1 to 9. David's on the run.

David knows Saul's hunting him. What does David do? He invokes covenant. In the second place, the covenant proves a vehicle for uncommon faithfulness.

Verses 12 to 17. He's not only told Jonathan to show me this hesed, but now Jonathan has said, show me hesed. I don't want you to eliminate me, and I don't want you to eliminate my family. We get to 2 Samuel chapter 9, and we see David made good.

Covenant faithfulness, or uncommon faithfulness. That's what the covenant proves a vehicle for. And then thirdly, the covenant demands costly commitment, verses 24 to 34. costly commitments. Already I've mentioned that Saul chucked a spear at his own son.

But as well, he is sacrificing his royal rights and prerogatives for David. Saul understands this. Saul gets this. Saul says, as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established nor your kingdom.

That's the beauty of it. Jonathan is willingly giving that up. But Saul sees that as a bad thing. We ought to see that as a good thing.

This is Matthew 6.33 fleshed out right before our eyes. Davis, again, and this is a bit of a lengthy quote, he says, if Jonathan is a scribe, discipled about the kingdom of heaven, what does he teach us? We asked Jonathan in 1st Samuel 20. We asked Jonathan in 1st Samuel 18.

You are a scribe, discipled in the kingdom. Teach us. Let us know what you have for us. this, that true life does not consist in securing you and your kingdom, but in reflecting Yahweh's faithfulness in covenant relationships. He says there is something liberating about that.

Jonathan had acknowledged that the kingdom was Yahweh's and therefore David's. So his life did not need to be centered in his ambition. What can I get? But in God's providence what Yahweh has given.

Now Davis draws this out. Even as a believer and not as a crown prince, my reigning passion is not to make my way, my living, or my mark, not to gain my place or to get ahead. That may be costly, but it is certainly liberating. This is money.

Life does not consist in achieving your goals, but in fulfilling your promises. That's Jonathan, isn't it? Isn't that what we love about Jonathan? You look at this fellow and you say, man, the kingdom actually came first.

He gives his robes to David. He takes a spear thrown at him by his father. This was his father at one time in the history of Jonathan. Saul bounced him on his knee and now he's throwing a spear at him.

Jonathan has willingly resigned himself to the government of God. And my question is, are there any Jonathans today? I almost asked, are there many Jonathans today? But are there any people that really are self-effacing?

People that really do what God calls us to do. And then the last observation that Davis makes is verses 35 to 42. The covenant provides peace. in the middle of confusion. Isn't that it?

This is a confusing situation. It's been verified. David has seen or at least heard the lad run away with the arrows. Jonathan comes out.

They weep together. David more so. David knows he's a man on the run. It's not.

Come on back, David. We got a seat for you at the new moon. My father is happy and ready and willing to see it. No, he's just gotten terrible news.

My dad hates you. My dad is going to stop at nothing until he destroys you. David, you need to run. It's a time of confusion.

But what affords peace in the midst of it? It is this covenant. Go in peace since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord. Well, let us pray.

Closing Prayer

Our Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for these clear illustrations of the things that we ought to be pursuing. God help us as we look at passages like these that show us Jonathan. Certainly what he imbibes is what Christ demonstrates. Christ willingly humbled himself.

Christ went to the point of death, even the death of the cross, so that he might save his people from their sins. We thank you that you did not leave him on that cross or in that tomb, but he was raised the third day. And we thank you that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Grant us grace now as we leave from this place.

Watch over us in this week. I know people are traveling. I pray for the Lawsons that you would grant them safety. I pray for Pastor Cam as he goes to Sea-Tac this Sunday.

Bless his preaching there. May he be a source of encouragement. to the people of God in that local church. And may you bless Pastor Robert Martin. Father, bless his treatment, give him strength physically, and just continually renew him day by day in the inner man.

And we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture References

• Exodus 20
• Deuteronomy 5
• 1 Samuel 18; 18:1-4; 19; 20; 23:16-18; 25; 25:10
• 2 Samuel 9
• 1 Kings 15; 16
• 2 Kings 10
• Matthew 6:33
• Romans 5; 5:1; 12:15
• Ephesians 1:13; 4
• Hebrews 11