1 Samuel 20:24-42 - Choosing Right against Misused Might

1 Samuel 20:24-42

24 Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. 25 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. 26 Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean.” 27 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?”

28 So Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 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.”

30 Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said 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? 31 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.”

32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” 33 Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David.

34 So Jonathan 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.

35 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. 36 Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 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?” 38 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. 39 But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”

41 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. 42 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.

Jonathan had made a covenant with the man would be king and whose seed (Galatians 3:16, 17) would one day deliver all God’s people, of Israel and out of the nations.  Jonathan faced the misused might of his father who vainly tried to be king by the people’s choice and who tried to pierce him through with a spear for helping the chosen one, just as the Chosen One would be pierced by a spear (John 19:34, 37, Revelation 1:7) as He hung on a cross for our curse of sin (Galatians 3:13) by the misused might of the adversary whose temporary power was given by proxy of God’s providential plan and all who followed him instead as those in this passage did Saul.  Saul sought to kill David as God’s anointed just as the Jews in the time of Jesus sought His death (Matthew 12:14, John 7:19, 8:39-40) to vainly stop the true King from ruling them instead of the Romans.  When Jonathan asked his father Saul why he wanted to kill his closest friend David, he was assailed with a spear; when Jesus stood for we His people to rule us as our closest friend to save us, they crucified and speared him in a futile attempt to stop His words and work.  He arose from death to life and gave us the same hope (John 5:24) as our King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, 19:16) to rule (2 Timothy 2:12, Romans 5:17, Revelation 5:10, 22:5) with Him forever.  Jonathan helped David escape the enemy to live another day and rule God’s people then, just as his Seed Jesus (John 7:42, Romans 1:3, 2 Timothy 2:8) will return to judge the world in righteousness and helps us avoid the spears of the wicked one (Ephesians 6:16) by His word and faith, who keeps us from the evil one (John 17:15, Matthew 6:13, 2 Timothy 4:18, 1 John 5:18) now and as we help one another and rely on our Lord and King to keep and deliver us from evil.  His eternal covenant with us is more certain and unbreakable than that of David and Jonathan and we trust Him (James 2:23) who is our friend by this faith in Him and who will continue to deliver us (2 Corinthians 1:9-10) together until that Day when we reign with Him over all pretenders to the throne.  May we then continue to choose right against the misused might of the world set against the Lord and His Anointed until that Day.