David’s Service in Saul’s Court

Transcript

GRS 2-70
5/27/2007
David’s Service in Saul’s Court
1 Samuel 18-20
Gil Rugh

We are studying the Old Testament, we are in the Book of Samuel, we will be in First Samuel Chapter 18. We are in the early days of the monarchy in Israel. Saul the first king of Israel is still on the throne, but he has already been rejected. The spirit of the Lord has withdrawn from Saul, David has been anointed by Samuel, the spirit of the Lord has come up on him, so he is the king elect, if you will, but he will not assume the throne until Saul dies and that will not take place till the end of the Book of First Samuel.

First Samuel Chapters 18, 19, and 20 deal with the time that David served in the court of Saul, if you will, in the very presence of Saul and it was a very difficult time, it will end with a break in the relationship between David and Saul and that separation will last until Saul’s death in Chapter 31. The bright spot in these Chapters is the relationship between Saul’s son Jonathan and David, a friendship was established there and a bond of love, a commitment and that would endure until Jonathan’s death and beyond as David shows kindness in agreement with the promises and covenant that he and Jonathan made with one another.

This Chapter show David to be a very popular figure in Israel, popular in the household of Saul himself, Saul’s daughter will become David’s wife as we will see, Jonathan, Saul’s son loves the David with a strong binding love, the servants of Saul respect and look up to David, the people in Israel honor David and Saul is filled with jealousy and with desired to have David killed if possible. Go through these Chapters, you can’t help, but be impressed that God is sovereign over all. Romans 8:28 hadn’t yet been written, but its truth was already in force, God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God and those are called according to his purposes, whatever Saul tried to do in destroying David, whatever he did with an evil intend, God sovereignly turned it around for good for David and David comes out of it stronger, good lessons for us to be reminded of, we can’t change other people, we can’t do anything about their evil deeds. The harmful things they would intend to do to us, but we can’t be sure that we walk faithfully before the Lord and allow him to work his purposes in our lives.

Chapter 18 is about Saul’s hatred of David, so now it begins, now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself. Remember Chapter 17 concluded with David being in the presence of Saul, he has killed Goliath, in fact when he came into the presence of Saul, he is carrying Goliath’s head, Chapter 17 verse 57, and so the Chapter 18 begins when he finishes speaking with Saul. Where do we go from here? Well in this context Jonathan develops a great love for David and it is a love that is returned, Saul took him that day verse two and did not let him return to his father's house. Remember before he had if you will had become available to Saul to play for Saul on occasion, then he would go back and care for his father’s sheep and so on until he was called to serve Saul again, now he comes to be a permanent part if you will of the king’s household in the broader sense those that are permanently there to serve at the biding of the king.

Verse three, then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, this is remarkable, this is the king’s son, this is if you will the air appearance, looking at things from the human perspective and he takes his royal robe if you will and gives it to David. Further more he takes his armor including his sword, his bow and his belt and gives them all to David. He greatly honors David and it may indicate even at this early stage Jonathan recognizes that David is the next king of Israel, this becomes more clear in the comments that Jonathan will make later, but even here what he really does is give him all the things that go with being the king’s son, the robe, the armor, the weapons he gives them to David. Jonathan has already demonstrated he is a man of great faith back in Chapter 14. Remember, he brought about a great victory for the armies of Israel over the Philistines by stepping out with his armor bearer and no one else and going and challenging the Philistines and that was the beginning of a great victory for the armies of Israel over the Philistines.

In Chapter 13 we are told David is a man after God’s own heart. So it’s not unusual that you would have these two godly men drawn together in such a special relationship. Verse five tells us that David was very popular with the servants of Saul as well. David went out wherever Saul sent him, and prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war. And it was pleasing in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. So even in the household, King Saul, the servants of Saul have great respect for David. Verses six to nine tells you about the jealousy that enters the picture, the first five verses seems like to be you know a wonderful setting and a wonderful picture, Saul is impressed with David and arranges to have become a permanent part of his household. Jonathan loves David, the people love David, the servants of Saul love David, while you come to verse six and problem enters the picture. It happened as they were coming when David returned from killing the Philistines, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with tambourines, so they come to celebrate victory, the problem is what they sing, their song in verse seven. “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands." Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?" Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on.

Saul was not a godly man, he had jealous for himself, for his honor, for his position, he is threatened by David. You would think, well Jonathan too would be troubled by this and perhaps jealous, I mean I am the king’s son, what about the songs for me? The victory that I brought? Already forgotten, but that jealousy is not there in Jonathan but it is there in Saul. Saul’s jealousy expresses itself in open anger. Verse 10, that came about on the next day that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul. Remember we have talked about this earlier, when the spirit of God left Saul, an evil spirit from the Lord came upon him and what had happened was a demonic spirit, a fallen angel is given now permission to afflict Saul, that doesn’t mean it’s 24 hours a day, but this demonic spirit comes upon Saul at times and if you will controls him, so in verse ten when this evil spirit God came mightily upon Saul, he raved in the midst of his house, David was playing the harp with his hand, as usual; a spear was in Saul's hand. Saul hurled the spear for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall.” But David escaped from his presence twice. This happens on two occasions this is a serious matter, I mean it’s just not losing your temper, Saul is a man of war, he has got a spear and his anger is so great to David that his intension is to pin David to the wall with the spear and put an end to him. This fits consistently with what the scripture would say because Satan and his demons are permanently, consistently always hostile towards God and the people of God. Here is David God’s anointed king to be, the man after God’s own heart. That makes him a terrible enemy of the devil and the demons. Saul under the control of demonic spirit becomes an agent in the hands of the devil like Jesus holds the religious leaders of his day in John eight, you are of your father the devil and you always do his works. So here you have Saul attempting to kill David. Verse 10, the evil spirit came upon him, he tried to kill him, you come down to verse 12, now Saul was afraid of David. See what happens here, Saul is the one with all the power, he is the king, but there is a fear of David for the Lord was with him, but he had departed from Saul. The Lord was with him, he had departed from Saul. You know the wicked flee when no one chases and that’s the situation here. Down in verse 14 David was prospering in all his ways, why? For the Lord was with him. Verse 12 Saul is afraid of David, for the Lord was with him. David is prospering, verse 14 for the Lord was with him. That’s really becomes the theme of these Chapters, the Lord is with David and so that is a constant threat to Saul because he is no longer with Saul. So verse 13 Saul removes him from his presence and appointed him as his commander of a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. Saul wants him out, he puts him out in charge of a portion of the army, but David will prosper there verse 14 so verse 15, when Saul saw that he was prospering greatly, he dreaded him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, and he went out and came in before them.

And so Saul begins the scheme, he has tried to overtly kill him twice and now he has got a plan, I am going to have him marry my daughter, but remember he had promised his daughter in marriage to the man who killed Goliath in Chapter 17. So now he can fulfill that promise and serve Saul in the doing of it. Verse 17, Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife, only be a valiant man for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, "My hand shall not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him." So Saul’s intention here is he tells David I am going to give you my oldest daughter Merab as your wife. Now of course if you are going to become the son-in-law of the king, you have to prove yourself to be a valiant man. Saul’s intention is to prove his valor and worth, you will go out with a portion of his army to do battle with the Philistines, you will be killed by the Philistines and that takes care of David. You know sinful man never gives up on his scheming to think that he can outwit God, outmaneuver God, do something to frustrate the purposes and plans of God and this will be true of Saul till the day of his death. David manifest a remarkable humility, verse 18, "Who am I, and what is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?" and he say this is an honor that I am not worthy of. I mean I come from a lowly family. I am not an important person and I should become the king’s son-in-law, if that had been me, I would have said, well it’s just the Lord’s working of course, you know who the next anointed king is, don’t you? I mean he has already been anointed by Samuel, but David maintains a godly humility that respects the position that God has given to Saul and even though David is the king elect, if I can use that expression. He is not the king yet and he maintains the proper attitude and humility towards that position, Saul doesn’t keep his promise verse, 19 when it came time when David had to be given Merab as wife, Saul gives her to someone else. So you see the conflict that develops, but Saul has another daughter, she loves David, David loves her. Saul thinks so, alright I will give him Michal, so verse 20, now Michal, Saul's daughter loved David. When they told Saul, the thing was agreeable to him and here we go with the scheme again, Saul thought, "I will give her to him that she may become a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So two things, she can be a snare because she is my daughter, so even though she marries David she will be doing what dad would want so she could be problem to him from the inside of the house and I have got a plan here, that make it David out of the way very quickly because I will have the Philistines again to finish David off.

So Saul told his servants verse 22 "Speak to David secretly, tell him how much, the king delights in him, and all his servants of the king love you David; therefore, become the king's son-in-law.'“ So the servants go and talk to David you know Saul just really thinks the world of you and all Saul’s family in the servants of the house or they will just think are great, you really should become the king’s son-in-law, so they tell this to David, but David says in verse 23, he said is it trivial in your sight to become the king's son-in-law, since I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?" You know the songs that the women sang when Saul and David came back after David killed Goliath haven’t gone to David’s head.

You know he still has his feet on the ground, I am lightly esteemed. You know it doesn’t matter thought all the claim is getting, you know I am really nobody in Israel. How am I going to become the king’s son-in-law? And I am poor, so the servants tell Saul what David said. David said, well you know I don’t need Saul’s daughter, I don’t need money. You just tell David I would like him to kill a hundred Philistines, bring the evidence of their death, Old Testament must be gruesome, war is gruesome, but the goal is go kill a hundred Philistines. Saul doesn’t care about a hundred Philistines being killed, he cares about one man being killed, David. So his intention is when David goes out to kill the hundred Philistines, you know who is going to get killed, David. Everything is in his plan to get rid of David.

Saul develops that confidence because he is not a godly man that I am in this position by the appointment of God and I will be here until he is done with me. Now it’s constantly I have to get rid of my rival, so his plan at the end of verse 25 is Saul plan to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines, when they tell David this, no problem he is excited, so he goes out before the time that was set up, do this by this day, David gets out there and gets it done, if you want me to kill a hundred Philistines, you are the king David kills two hundred.

So verse 27, David and his men went out, struck down two hundred men among the Philistines. So at the end of verse 27, Saul gave him Michal his daughter for a wife. When Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him hen Saul was even more afraid of David. You know things are unraveling, my plans are going nowhere. Now David’s stature is rising, he just gone out and killed two hundred Philistines and now my own daughter that I thought would be on my side to be a snare to him, she loves him. So he is even more afraid of David, then the commanders of the Philistines went out to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul. So his name was highly esteemed.

You cannot hold David down, the Lord is with David, to oppose David is to oppose the Lord and his purposes, so God is working here, Saul the king of Israel, but what then the king of Israel do against the plans of God? Nothing, so the Chapter ends with David having grown in stature in spite of Saul’s intentions. Chapter 19 talks about Saul’s persecution of David. Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death. At the end of verse 29 of Chapter 18, Saul was David's enemy continually. Now he being his enemy, manifest itself in different ways clearly we have seen the way it’s going, but behind the scene it’s always Saul’s hatred of David, he is jealousy of David, he is jealousy towards David.

So now Chapter 19, Saul decide to enlist more overtly the help of others in killing David, so Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death, he is absorbed with this, David has to die. The problem is now his daughter Michal loves David and she is his wife and the son Jonathan loves David and is committed to see that David life is protected. Jonathan, Saul's son, greatly delighted in David. So Jonathan told David saying, "Saul my father is seeking to put you to death. Now therefore, please be on guard in the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself. "I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you; if I find out anything, I will tell you.” What Jonathan is going to do is intercede with his father Saul on David’s behalf. Verse four, then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you. “ For he took his life in his hand he struck the Philistine, referring to Goliath and the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?" Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and Saul vowed, "As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” So Jonathan called David and tells him you know my father’s attitude towards you has changed and he promised me he won’t put you to death. So come back and you will be restored to fellowship, and he is in the presence again as Saul as formally.

Verse seven ended, but Saul has not changed you know unregenerate people, they go up and down, up and down, but their pardon is always consistent opposition to the things of God. Sometimes more overt, sometimes bless overt, but it’s always the same and Saul is the same man and so the change is short lived, another turn in David’s life, in verses eight to ten there was war again, David went out and fought with the Philistines and defeated them with great slaughter, so they fled before him. Verse nine, now there was an evil spirit from the Lord on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand. Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, David slipped away out of Saul's presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night. You know Saul is an agent in the hand of the devil, the demonic spirit comes upon him David has to die, it doesn’t excuse Saul, that’s of his sin he becomes part and partial of the devil’s work and you know be neutral, I am not on God’s side, but I am not going to serve the devil even, there is no middle ground, if you are not with me, it’s against me Jesus said and that principle is true through the Old Testament. Who he is not on God’s side is on the devil’s side and Saul has chosen sides and so another attempt on David’s life.

What happens is David leaves Saul’s presence and he goes home to Michal and so verses seven to 11 you have that account of Michal delivering David from her father’s hand if you will, Michal tells David the end of verse 11 "If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death.". Saul has messengers watching the house and the plan is to capture David and kill him. So Michal let David down through a window of the house, and he escapes, then Michal takes the household idol, puts some goats hair on it, puts it in bed so it would looks like David in bed, you don’t the pull the blankets up, make it look like he is sick. So when Saul sends for David, Michal says Saul he is sick, he can’t come to Saul right now. They go back and tell Saul and the Saul says well then you carry him here on his bed. So they come to carry the bed and you know what’s in the bed the, the idol with the goat’s hair. Verse 17, Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go?”.

Isn’t it interesting? The man after God’s own heart, the man on whom the spirit of God now dwells is the enemy of Saul, that tells you something about Saul, does it not? And Michal said to Saul, "He said to me, 'Let me go! Why should I put you to death?'“ I mean Michal would even be afraid of her own father, you see, all this is done, Saul is going to tried to kill his own son Jonathan, so he is a man to be feared. So she is not ready to just tell Saul, well he is my husband and I wanted to protect him from you because in his anger and rage he might kill her, so she said, I didn’t have any choice, he told me if you don’t help me to escape, I am going to put you to death and here right now David flees, now he is on the run and he goes to Samuel, that’s where would you go? Samuel is God’s prophet, God’s priest.

Verse 18, David fled, escaped and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to and David and Samuel went and stayed at Naioth. It was told to Saul that David is at Naioth in Ramah. So Saul sent messengers to take David, now you have this account. One of these accounts where the Lord intervenes in these marvelous ways. As these messengers come to take David captive, here is David with Samuel, the messengers come verse 20, Saul sent messengers to take David, when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and they also prophesied. So now they become part of Samuel’s band if your will and thus the spirit of God uses them to prophesy. When Saul was told this verse 21, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. Saul sent messengers the third time, they also prophesied. So finally Saul says I am going myself and you know what Saul did? He prophesied.

I mean, you know for the Lord to protect his servant is no big deal for God. You know I may say, what am I going to do now? Saul is coming. So what? I just speak the word and turn him into a prophet and he will be there as part of Samuel’s band. David is the same as can be because God is protecting him. Verse 24, Saul prophesied, he stripped off his clothes, and he prophesied before Samuel, lay down naked all day all night. So he said Saul is also among the prophets. You think Saul would begin to get the message won’t you? You know this is a warning, God if David is your man, then I submit to your will, but the unregenerate man, ungodly men never give up, they go to their dying day thinking they will yet be successful against the Lord.

Well these events give David chance to flee in Chapter 20, it’s about David and Jonathan and the bond of love that they have and David will be leaving here and his relationship with Saul will not be restored after Chapter 20, they will be separated and Saul’s desire will be to kill David until the day Saul dies and then David becomes the king and in this Chapter Jonathan demonstrates an absolutely unselfish love which is the kind of love we ought to have, we just recently studied in First Corinthians 13 and so love is to be unselfish.

Here is a man who recognizes that David is the next king of Israel, he will acknowledge that. He just asks David to be merciful to his household and to his children, when he becomes king and treat them with kindness and he has a great affection and love for David. I mean Jonathan, he may go, well I could be king. My dad is king, I am next, I don’t need David in the picture, but he is a godly man and that gives him a spirit of willingness to accept the will of God for him and for David in a delight in being part of that. So the first eleven verses talk about David talking with Jonathan and remember, David has chance because all day and all night Saul is laying there naked, prophesying. So David has an opportunity to escape and meet with Jonathan. Jonathan at this stage, remember here, we don’t know what Jonathan has been doing in the interval here, but when he went and interceded with his father on behalf of David, his father vowed and promised him that he wouldn’t hurt David. So David came back and was part of Saul’s household, but things have unrivaled. So in verse one David fled and came to Jonathan and said, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?" Jonathan said to him, "Far from it, you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. Why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!" So you see Jonathan is in the dark about what has happened and his father hasn’t confided in him, further after their evident agreement or his promise that he wouldn’t hurt David.

David tells him in verse three "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.’ But truly as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is hardly a step between me and death.” Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." how can I help? So David’s plan is there is a new moon feast over several days, put on by the king. David would be expected to be there, he is not going to come. When Saul asks Jonathan where is David, you tell him that I had to go and observe a family feast with my family in Bethlehem. If your father says oh good that’s fine, we will know then he doesn’t intend to kill me, if he gets angry and loses his temper you know he means evil against me and so that’s summary of what happens down through verse 11. Then they have to say, now how are we going to communicate this? If indeed Saul intends to kill David how is Jonathan going to get back to David without leading members of Saul’s household to David? S1o they come up with the plan in verses 12 and following that enables them to renew the covenant that they have between them. Look at verse 12 Jonathan said to David, "The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, beholds, if there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send to you and make it known to you?" 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.

In other words I am going to - I promise you before the Lord I will tell you the truth of whether my father intends to harm you or not. Now over verse 13 the rest of the verse at the end of the verse there the last statement and in verse 14, and may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. "If I am still alive, will you not show me the loving kindness of the Lord that I may not die? "You shall not cut off your loving kindness from my house forever, not even when the Lord cuts off everyone of the enemies of David from the face of the earth." So you see Jonathan has full confidence, there will come a time when all of David’s enemies will be dealt with by the Lord and David will end up victorious, he will be the king.

Jonathan acts for mercy for his household, he has no misunderstanding here. Someday David will be the victor and I need mercy from David and he is fully confident in what God is going to do and there is no fighting against it, there is o jealousy, there is no bitterness, they make a covenant with one another, can we ever be delighted? Not delighted in what God is going to do, I mean if we delight in the Lord, do we not delight in his purposes and plans? It sure reveals something of Jonathan’s godly character. Verse 17, Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life.

I mean Jonathan is serious here, he is unshakably convinced David will rule and so he wants the promise of David of course because they love one another, they enter into that covenantal agreement that will impact David’s action towards Jonathan’s family at a later day after Jonathan’s death as you are aware. So verse 18, Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, you will be missed because your seat will be empty. "When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place. And so what they are going to do? I tell you go down to the stone, we are familiar with well familiar stone, it’s an open, it’s a field area, I am going to come out there with one of my servants, young servants, I am going to shoot some arrows and if I tell the servants, go up to the side that means everything is okay. Come out from your hiding, we will go and see my father. I tell the servants no, the arrow is beyond you, then you know you have to flee. This is also no one will know, I can arrange to communicate with you and not even any of the servants from my father’s household will know because it becomes a serious matter now if Saul is committed to kill David and Jonathan becomes aware that he can’t trust any of the servants of the household with the fact that he now going to bring information to David because he could be followed and so on.

So that’s what happens, verse 24, David hid in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. The king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; Jonathan rose up, Abner sat down by Saul's side, David's place was empty. Nevertheless Saul did not speak anything that day, for he thought, "It is an accident, he is not clean, surely he is not clean." So he couldn’t come and eat at the feast, he had to go through the ritual of cleansing himself, so he will be here the next day after he has fulfilled that obligation. It came about the next day, verse 27, the second day of the new moon that David's place was empty; so Saul said to Jonathan, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?" Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem, for he said, 'Please let me go, since our family has a sacrifice in the city, my brother has commanded me to attend. We remember David is the youngest here, so older brothers commanded me, I have to be there, so you want your family and that’s his reason. So yeah, now if I found favor in your sake, let me go and se is my brothers. So I gave him permission, that’s why he is not here.

Now you see Saul’s anger, verse 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? "For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Saul knows God’s plan and he is determined that God’s plan will not come to pass. Jonathan, as long as David is alive you and your kingdom can’t be established. Is Saul worried about Jonathan? He is worried about himself, his name, his control and you know why? So when Saul says bring David to me that I can put him to death Jonathan says verse 32 "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Know what Saul does, verse 33, Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; and you see the anger of Saul, he is willing to try to kill his own son.

I mean this is not a family’s path, here you have got seasoned soldier with a spear and his intention is to pin his own son to the wall, you think he was worried about - verse 31 - neither you nor your kingdom will be established as long as David is alive. But a few minutes later, he is willing to try to kill that son, it’s not about Jonathan, it’s about me. I thought of when I read this, Herod on the throne at the time of the birth of the Christ, well within days of his own death, he is on his death bed in effect, had one of his own sons put to death because word was brought to him that his son saw himself stepping into maybe the position. You this makes no sense, you are going to be dead in a few days, but unregenerate people, they do not function rationally.

So Jonathan knows his father would intend to put David to death, no doubt because my father would put me to death when it comes to that. So he gets up in fierce anger and didn’t eat any more at the feast. He was grieved over David because his father had dishonored him. You may think he is not filled with anger and grief because my dad just tried to kill me. He is filled with grief because of the situation with David and his father dishonored him. It came about in the morning, Jonathan goes out according to the plan with David, takes his lad as it is referred to on our text, shoots his arrows and according to the signal, no the one is beyond you, so he tells then the servant, go get back that arrow quickly, hurry up I want you to take this stuff back to the city, so he gives him his bow and arrow and sends the servant back, after the servants gone and David comes out and Jonathan tells him what has happened, verse 41 When the lad was gone, David rose from the south side and fell on his face to the ground, bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, but David the more. Jonathan said to David, "Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord will be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.'" Then he rose and departed, while Jonathan went into the city.

And now from Chapter 21 to Chapter 31 David will be a fugitive fleeing from Saul and not until the death of Saul in Chapter 31 will things be safe for David again. You know interesting things go on in these portions of scripture, we don’t take the time to look at them all. Come over to Psalms 59, remember in Chapter 19 when David’s wife Michal protected David because the servants of Saul were waiting to kill him and so she put the idol with the goat’s hair in the bed. Well David wrote a psalm reflecting his feelings on that occasion and that is Psalm 59 titled, a prayer for deliverance from enemies, a Miktam of David, see the title of the Psalm there in the small print above the Psalm. A Miktam of David when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him. So you know you read that account in First Samuel 19. We can take the time, we haven’t taken the time to come over and read Psalm 59 and see what is going on, we just get a summary of the events that happened, but what's going on in David heart and mind? He is turning to the Lord.

Deliver me from my enemies oh my God, set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me, deliver me from those who do iniquity, save me from men of bloodshed, behold they have set an ambush for my life, fierce men launch an attack against me not for my transgression nor for my sin. You know why they want to kill David? Because God has chosen to anoint him as king, David haven’t done anything wrong, God anointed him as king, that makes him the enemy of the enemies of God. You see David’s confidence in the Lord. Just jump down to verse eight, But You, Oh Lord, laugh at them; you scoff at all the nations.

David is confident that his God is sovereign over all the nations and so he is confident, verse nine, because of his strength I will watch for you, for God is my stronghold. My God in his loving kindness will meet me and so on, down to the end of the Chapter, Oh my strength I will sing praises to you; for God is my stronghold, the God who shows me loving kindness. So we do get insights into the man after God’s own heart, we get insight into his heart as the sweat psalm of Israel reflects in a case like this.

Now let me just note a few points with you and then we are done. Coming out of these three Chapters and really we had looked the three Chapters, so just some summary points. In Chapter 18 we saw the plans of God cannot be frustrated, everything Saul did to oppose David worked out to David’s benefit, like Joseph in Egypt, remember you meant it for evil, God meant it for good. Well so this was Saul, he means it for evil, God means it for good because everything that Saul does against David results in him being more steamed, when Saul sends them out to battle with the Philistines so that he would get killed by the Philistines, David kills the Philistines, the people honor David and so it is as easier for me read about David’s enemies that away. Read Psalm 59 and see what David is going through in his mind and the fierceness of the opposition and so on as these events takes place in these Chapters and we are reminded, oh what will I do? Well concentrate on conducting yourself in a godly manner. What would a godly man do? How should I conduct myself? I can’t do anything about those who would hate me. Those who would oppose me, those who might want to ruin you. What can you do? Be godly and allow God to do what pleases him. Secondly, God does protect his children. Chapter 19, David was in great danger on several occasion, but he is always safe. Any chance David would get killed here? You know why? Because God already anoint him king. I mean what’s going to happen to David? He was just as safe when Saul was flowing to spear at him as he could have been you know sitting in his own bedroom watching television. I mean safe, so a good reminder, we are always safe under God’s protection.

Number three, and this is related to Jonathan in Chapter 20, a godly friend is a great blessing. I mean think of what an encouragement and blessing Jonathan was to David. Going through this time, but Jonathan was there and Jonathan stood with him and if you will humanly speaking at great cost to himself because I won’t be king, I won’t have that honor and I know all the enemies of David are going to die and that’s why Jonathan asks for mercy for his own household because he realizes that without David’s gracious commitment to him and his family, his own family will end up destroyed, but he is a great friend of David and willing to put David above himself, that’s true love.

Remember when we talk about love in First Corinthians, true biblical love rejoices when others are honored, when others get the honor that you thought maybe should belong to you and in some senses maybe at did, when you love them you are glad for them and here is Jonathan exemplifying that, David is going to get to be king and Jonathan is glad for him. Jonathan gave him his robe, gave him his armor, gave him his weapons and now encourages him and helps to secure his safety and that’s good demonstration, good example of self-sacrificing love.

What would we expect from a godly man? Here you have two godly men, Jonathan and David. There is no conflict there, there is conflict between David and Saul, it could have been the same conflict between David and Jonathan, the difference is godliness. We have a sovereign God, how much of my own trial and difficulty could I be free from if I just said God I am confident in you, like David writes in Psalm 59 you know you scoff at the nations. I think not just Saul king, you scoff at the nations and I am the object of your loving kindness, what work would we want? Let’s pray together.

Thank you Lord for your great grace, what a blessing it is to review this portion of Israel’s history, of David’s life. Thank you for David a man after your own heart, thank you for Jonathan, one who demonstrated faith in you, one who demonstrated genuine love for your servant, self-sacrificing love. Thank you for his willingness to stand with David in the testimony that he has been down through the centuries of time. Lord, what a sad picture it is of Saul, a man with such opportunity, a man that you dealt with so graciously, but a man relentlessly opposed to your purposes and your plan, a man who avoided the spirit, a man who becomes an instrument in the hands of the devil and his agents. Lord we thank you that you are sovereign in the world, we belong to you because we belong to your son, our rescuer and your care for us in every circumstances and situation, we pray to you in Christ’s name, amen.