1 Samuel 20

That's what we're going to be looking at tonight, it's page 243.

We've been going through the book of 1 Samuel in our evening services over the last few months

and seen God's work through raising up the prophet Samuel first,

and then we've seen sort of the rise and fall of Saul, Israel's first king,

and we've seen David more recently come on the scene as God's chosen and anointed,

the future king of Israel.

But now, more recently, Saul has been plotting against David and opposing him.

I wonder if you've ever been in a situation where it feels like the world is against you,

where the people around you are out to get you.

Maybe you have a fault-finding boss or professor who seems to be constantly criticizing you,

constantly ignoring your request for help, trying to fire you or fail you.

Maybe you've been in a situation where you don't trust the people that you're living with.

You feel like you wonder if they're stealing from you.

They talk behind your back.

They undermine you.

They accuse you.

Perhaps you've been betrayed by a friend or a family member.

Maybe you've been in a situation where someone literally wants to hurt you,

where you've literally had to relocate for your own physical safety.

Maybe you just feel alone and isolated.

You know, when it feels like the world is against you,

when people in authority over you can't be trusted, where do you turn?

This is a situation that David was in at the beginning of this passage tonight.

In the last two chapters, Saul, who is both the king of Israel, the ruler, and also David's boss,

David worked in King Saul's court.

Saul has tried to pin him to the wall with a spear on three separate occasions.

Saul set him up by sending him out to fight against the Philistines,

hoping that they would kill him, giving him no military support.

Saul spoke to his son and his servants and told them to kill David.

Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him all night and kill him in the morning.

So David's on the run.

And at the beginning of this chapter, David goes to the one person that he knows he can trust.

Now surprisingly, this person is also King Saul's son, Jonathan.

What we'll see in this chapter is Jonathan's loyalty to David.

His steadfast, sacrificial loyalty to David.

And this chapter is one of the most amazing stories of friendship, of brotherhood, of loyalty, anywhere in the Bible.

So I want to walk us through the story.

It's pretty long, so I'm going to read some of it and summarize other parts.

And then I'm going to ask us what can we take away from this picture of loyalty and friendship.

So verse 1, David fled from Naoth and Ramah and came and said before Jonathan,

What have I done?

What is my guilt?

And what is my sin before your father that he seeks my life?

In other words, is there any rhyme or reason to what Saul is doing?

Is there anything that I need to understand?

Is there anything I can do to avoid making him mad at me?

Now at first, Jonathan's a little bit naive.

Verse 2, he said to him, Far from it you shall not die.

Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me.

And why should my father hide this from me?

It is not so.

But David vowed again, saying, Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes.

And he thinks, 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.

Jonathan said to David, Whatever you say, I will do it for you.

So David then proposes a plan for Jonathan to sound out Saul's motives at the king's monthly dinner party

while David remains safely in hiding for a day or two.

Verse 8, David says, Deal kindly with your servant.

For you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you.

Now flip back a page for just a second to chapter 18 and verse 3.

It says, Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as his own soul.

And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David and his armor.

And even his sword and his bow and his belt.

Now that might sound a little odd.

You might be wondering, What exactly is this covenant between David and Jonathan?

In modern times, some people have speculated, perhaps Jonathan and David had, perhaps there was a sexual dimension to this covenant between Jonathan and David.

But that's actually not what's going on at all.

There's nothing sexual going on between them.

What is going on is that Jonathan was the king's son.

Which meant he was in line as the heir to the throne.

He would receive the power and authority that belonged to his father, King Saul.

But Jonathan also knew that God had said to Saul,

Saul, you have disobeyed me.

And so I am not going to let your kingdom continue.

And God had instead chosen David to replace Saul as the future king of Israel.

And Jonathan knew this because Samuel had proclaimed it as the prophet of God.

And Jonathan says, You know what?

I'm going to be loyal to what God says.

Even when it conflicts with my own self-interest and my father's plans for my life.

I'm going to be loyal to what God says, even if it means giving up everything that belongs to me.

And so that's why Jonathan takes off his royal robe and gives David his armor and all the symbols of his authority.

He was symbolically transferring his royal and military authority to David and saying,

It belongs to you because God has chosen you.

Now Jonathan and David do express deep affection for each other.

It says their souls were knit together in loyalty.

At the end of this chapter, chapter 20, they embrace each other and weep when they part.

Their brothers, their comrades, their friends.

And you know, just as a side point, deep affection is part of God's plan, not just for married couples,

but also for same-sex friendships.

You know, God didn't, in particular, God did not design men to be loners who never express any emotion to each other.

God designed us to flourish in bonds of brotherhood, as a band of brothers.

And with brotherly and sisterly love towards one another.

As we're bound together by a common pursuit of God's purposes in our lives.

So that's what we see with David and Jonathan, that they're bound together by a common pursuit of God's purposes in their lives,

by their loyalty and their friendship.

And Jonathan being willing to sacrifice his own position and his own future for the sake of what God had said.

And God's plan for David.

So, Jonathan's pledged allegiance to David as the future king of Israel.

And Jonathan stands by his word to protect him even when David is in mortal danger.

Now go back to chapter 20.

Go down to verse 18.

Jonathan and David work out a signal.

Basically, David's going to go in, Jonathan says, verse 18,

Tomorrow's the new moon, the monthly dinner party, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty.

On the third day, go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself.

And basically, Jonathan says, you go into a field, and here's our signal.

We're going to have this signal.

I'm going to shoot three arrows.

And you're basically either going to know it's either going to be all clear or run for your life.

And they're creating this signal so that nobody is able to see, that they're basically to protect David.

So that nobody potentially even have to see them communicating.

Anyway, so verse 24, David hides in the field.

Jonathan goes to the dinner.

That day, nothing happens.

Saul doesn't say anything.

Second day, Saul says, verse 27, he says,

Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal?

Either yesterday or today.

Now already, in the way that Saul speaks of David, there's a hint of his attitude.

He calls him the son of Jesse.

In other words, he doesn't even call him by his real name.

That son of a farmer.

Verse 28, Jonathan replies,

David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.

He said, let me go.

Our clan holds a sacrifice in the city.

My brothers commanded me to be there.

So now if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.

For this reason, he hasn't come to the king's table.

In verse 30, everything comes to a climax.

Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan.

And he said to him, you son of a perverse and 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 this earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established.

Therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.

We see here the darkness of Saul's heart.

His murderous rage.

Not just at David, but at Jonathan.

For defending David.

We see his blame shifting.

His jealousy and envy.

And his desperate, fearful desire to cling on to all the power that he has, even if it means killing one of his most loyal and faithful servants.

But you know, even more than that, we see what's at stake for Jonathan in being loyal to David.

And the answer is absolutely everything.

Jonathan's future career.

The approval of his parents.

His inherited identity.

His very own life.

Everything's at stake.

And yet Jonathan is unhesitating and unwavering in his loyalty to David.

At the beginning of chapter 19, Saul was angry at David.

Jonathan tried to step in the middle as a mediator.

He sort of got Saul to calm down and got them to be happy and agree together.

Saul agreed not to harm him.

But you know, there wasn't any possibility for him to do that anymore.

He had to choose.

One side or the other.

He had to choose to be loyal to Saul and kill and basically abandon David to be killed.

Or to be loyal to David at the risk of his own life.

And Jonathan completely identified himself with David.

Jonathan said to Saul, but why should he be put to death?

What has he done?

Jonathan stands up for righteousness.

Instead of holding on to his own self-interest.

Even when everything was on the line, he didn't back down.

And so Saul began to treat Jonathan the same way that he had treated David.

He throws a spear at him to strike him and kill him.

Just as he did to David.

Basically all the anger and rage that was directed against David was now directed against Jonathan as well.

And Jonathan left the king's table.

He could no longer have a safe place in his own home.

Now what do we take away from this story of Jonathan's sacrificial loyalty to David?

First, I think Jonathan and David's relationship is a model for our human relationships.

Human beings, we were meant to flourish in relationships like Jonathan and David.

Relationships characterized by loyalty and steadfast love.

You know, we live in a commercial world.

Right?

A consumer world where you pay for everything.

Right?

We have all these sort of short-term contractual arrangements.

Where we enter into relationships with one another as long as it benefits us.

Sometimes that's even how people approach friendships.

Or dating relationships.

I'll enter into this relationship as long as it seems to be benefiting me.

And then I'll move on.

When it doesn't.

Now the Bible is very realistic.

Proverbs 20, verse 6 says,

Proverbs 20:6

Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,

but a faithful man who can find.

Let me ask you, is there someone like Jonathan in your life?

Is there someone who stood by you

even when everyone else has turned against you or left you alone?

Maybe it's a parent.

Maybe it's a spouse.

Maybe it's a sibling.

Maybe it's a friend.

Maybe it's a brother or sister in Christ.

If you have someone like that in your life,

thank God.

Thank God for putting that person in your life.

who will stand by you

and be loyal to you

and take care of you

even in your darkest hour.

Let me also challenge us.

Have you been that person to someone else

when everyone else has turned against them or left them alone?

Dale Ralph Davis

was one of the commentators on this passage.

He said something which I think is very wise

and very challenging.

He says,

Life does not consist in achieving your goals,

but in fulfilling your promises.

You know,

we live in a society

that defines success

by achieving your goals.

But the Bible defines success

in God's eyes as

living up to your promises.

So Jonathan and David's relationship

is a model for human relationships.

For friendships.

But also,

Jonathan and David's relationship

is more than that.

It's also a picture

of our relationship with God.

On the one hand,

God requires

our undivided devotion,

our loyalty,

our steadfast love.

Love,

what's the first and greatest commandment?

Love the Lord your God

with all your heart,

with all your soul,

with all your mind,

with all your strength.

Without holding anything back.

Jesus Christ

calls for

undivided loyalty.

He says,

no man can serve two masters.

You can't serve God

and money.

He says,

don't be anxious about your life,

about clothes,

about food.

The nations of the world

seek after all these things,

but as for you,

seek first

the kingdom of God

and his righteousness.

He also says,

whoever loves father or mother

more than me

is not worthy of me.

Whoever loves son or daughter

more than me

is not worthy of me.

And whoever does not take his cross

and follow me

is not worthy of me.

Strong words.

Just like Jonathan's sacrifice

in order to be loyal to David,

God's anointed king,

we're called to sacrifice

in order to be loyal to Jesus.

You know,

sometimes following Jesus

will be unpopular.

You might lose the approval

of some of your peers

or even your parents

or extended family.

There's a guy

who went to college with me.

He

became a Christian

his freshman year.

He was from another country,

from another religious background.

And when he became a Christian

and told his mother,

his mother threatened

to commit suicide.

You're dishonoring the family.

You're abandoning

the religion of our ancestors.

You're rejecting

the way we brought you up.

She prohibited him

from going to church

or Christian meetings.

He was patient

and for a while

he honored her request.

In the meantime,

the Christians he knew

would come to his dorm room

and pray with him.

He wasn't going

to any Christian meetings,

but the Christians

came to him.

It's a good thing to do.

But eventually he decided

that since he believed,

since he had trusted

in Jesus Christ,

that he couldn't stay,

he needed to meet together

with other Christian believers.

And so he went back to church.

And he,

it took a long time

and he always did

what he could

to honor his parents.

He was an excellent student.

He was really a genius,

more than almost anyone else

I've known.

He was patient

and honoring

toward his parents,

but his loyalties

were first and foremost

to Jesus Christ.

Gradually his parents

became more open

to learning.

What was this thing

that had made

such an effect

on his life?

In our story tonight,

Jonathan,

he was on track

for a high-level

leadership position,

the highest of all,

to be the king of Israel.

And the rug was pulled out

from under him

for no fault of his own.

It was his father, Saul,

who disobeyed

and messed everything up.

And yet he wasn't envious.

When God chose David,

he gladly gave

his full loyalty

to the person

that God had appointed

to take his place.

It's pretty amazing.

It's not what people

normally do.

In the New Testament,

this is exactly

what happened

to John the Baptist.

Right?

He was called by God

to be a prophet.

He gathered

a group of followers.

He was the leader

of a movement.

movement.

But when he saw Jesus,

he said,

look,

the Lamb of God

who takes away

the sin of the world.

He says,

I'm the voice of one

calling in the desert.

Prepare the way

for the Lord,

but he's the Lord.

And so he said,

he must become greater

and I must become less.

John the Baptist said,

don't follow me anymore.

Follow him.

There's a cost

of following Jesus.

But you know,

there's also

an even greater reward.

Because this passage

isn't just about

the cost

of being loyal

to Jesus.

It also is about

the cost that Jesus

paid to be loyal

to us.

You know,

most of this chapter

is about

Jonathan's steadfast

love for David.

When David was in trouble,

but actually later on,

the roles would be reversed.

Because David

would rise to power

and Jonathan

and his descendants

would be completely vulnerable

and powerless.

Go to verse 14.

There's this speech

that Jonathan makes

from verse 12 to 17

that sort of

sticks out

in the middle

of the story.

And I didn't read it

as we were reading

the story.

I skipped over it.

But if you read

the story,

these verses stand out.

And so it's what

I want to end with.

Particularly,

go to the end

of verse 13.

Well,

I'll read the whole thing.

Verse 12.

Jonathan said to David,

the Lord,

the Lord,

the God of Israel,

be witness.

When I have sounded out

my father about this time

tomorrow or the third day,

behold,

if he is well disposed

toward David,

shall I not then send

and disclose it to you?

But should it please

my father to do you harm,

the Lord do so

to Jonathan and more

also if I do not

disclose it to you

and send you away

that you may go in safety.

So basically,

he promises his loyalty

to David.

May the Lord be with you

as he has been

with my father.

Then verse 14.

He says,

If I am still alive,

show me the steadfast

love of the Lord

that I may not die.

And do not cut off

your steadfast love

from my house forever

when the Lord cuts off

every one of the enemies

of David

from the face of the earth.

And Jonathan made a covenant

with the house of David

saying,

May the Lord take vengeance

on David's enemies.

And Jonathan made David

swear again.

By his love for him.

You see,

when David

would one day

ascend to the throne,

everyone who was

a potential rival

was liable to be eliminated.

In the ancient world,

that's the way

it normally went.

There's even

examples of this

that happened

in other places

in the Old Testament.

Some king comes to power,

a new dynasty.

What does he do?

He kills off

every male associated

with the old dynasty.

He cleans

house.

Fires everyone.

Kills them.

That's what they did

back then.

The Bible talks about

a lot of things

not approving them.

It just,

that's how it happened.

But it was different

between David

and Jonathan's household.

David says,

As you have been loyal to me,

I will be loyal to you.

And you will have a place

in my house forever.

And in 2 Samuel chapter 9,

2 Samuel 9 · chapter mention

David keeps his promise.

By then,

Jonathan has died,

but David takes care

of Jonathan's descendants,

of his family.

He doesn't wipe them out,

even though they were

part of Saul's family.

Potential rivals.

He takes care of them

and gives them

an honored seat

in his kingdom.

And,

just like David,

Jesus Christ

extends to us

his

steadfast

love,

his

loyalty,

by including us

in his kingdom.

You know,

this is how God

is described

in the Old Testament.

Abounding

in steadfast

love

and faithfulness,

same words

that are used

in verse 14

and 15.

And this is how

Jesus Christ

is described

in the New Testament,

full of grace

and truth.

Now,

sometimes when we hear

that,

we think,

we think of truth

as sort of an abstract

thing.

But it's the same

idea,

full of mercy,

of grace,

and full of truth

and faithfulness

because he keeps

his word.

He holds

to his word.

And Jesus

keeps his word

to us.

Now,

earlier I quoted

two verses

from Jesus

where Jesus

talks about

the cost

of following

him,

but I actually

only quoted

half the verses

because at the

end of the

verse,

there's a promise.

So when Jesus

says,

seek first

the kingdom

of God

and his

righteousness,

he also

says,

and all

these things

will be added

to you as

well.

And when

he says,

whoever doesn't

take up his

cross and

follow me

isn't worthy

of me,

he also

says,

whoever finds

his life

will lose

it,

but whoever

loses his

life for my

sake will

find it.

Jesus is

saying,

whatever you

have to give

up to follow

me,

I'm going

to give you

something far

better and

far more

enduring.

Jesus said

to his

disciples,

truly I

say to

you in

the new

world,

when the

son of

man will

sit on

his

glorious

throne,

you who

have

followed

me will

also sit

on twelve

thrones

judging the

twelve tribes

of Israel.

That's a

promise to

the twelve

disciples.

And then he

gives a

promise to

every one of

his followers

who has

had to leave

something in

order to

follow him.

He says,

everyone who

has left

houses or

brothers or

sisters or

father or

mother or

children or

lands for

my name's

sake will

receive a

hundredfold and

will inherit

eternal life.

You may need

to give up,

maybe a lot,

to follow

Jesus.

I don't know

what that's

going to look

like for

each of you.

But if you

join yourself

to Jesus,

there's one

thing that you

will never

lose.

You'll never

lose a place

in his kingdom,

a place at

his table,

a place in

his house,

a place where

you belong as

part of his

family forever.

And there's a

peace in

knowing that

you belong to

him.

Go to the

conclusion of

chapter 20,

verse 41 and

42.

basically Jonathan

goes out to

the field,

shoots the

arrows,

gives a

signal to

David that

all is not

well with

Saul and

that he

needs to

flee.

As soon as

the boy who

had gone to

fetch the

arrows had

gone,

David rose

from beside

the stone

heap and

fell on his

face to the

ground and

bowed three

times.

And they

kissed one

another and

wept with

one another,

David weeping

the most.

Then Jonathan

said to

David,

go in

peace,

because we

have sworn

both of us

in the name

of the Lord

saying,

the Lord

shall be

between me

and you

and between

my offspring

and your

offspring forever.

And he

rose and

departed and

Jonathan went

into the

city.

We see a

tearful parting

of two close

friends.

David still

running for

his life,

Saul still

out to get

him,

he's still

facing great

trials and

tribulations,

his future

is still

completely

uncertain,

at least

from his

own

experience.

experience.

But Jonathan

says,

go in

peace,

because the

Lord is

between us

forever.

Have you

ever felt

like the

world is

against you,

you don't

know who

you can

trust,

but there's

at least

one person

in the

world that

you know

you can

trust,

and because

of that

person being

there,

you have

peace.

in the

midst,

in the

midst of all

the turmoil,

in the

midst of all

the uncertainty,

there's a

peace in

knowing that

someone is

there for you,

and isn't

going to leave

you.

And Jesus

says,

I am that

person

who will

never leave

you,

who will

never die,

who will

never betray

you,

more than

anyone else in

the world,

because everyone

else,

at the

very least,

they'll one

day die,

and they

won't be

able to

help you

anymore,

or they

might move

away,

and circumstances

might change,

and sometimes

people disappoint

you,

even closest

friends.

But Jesus

said to his

disciples,

I've told you

these things so

that in me,

you might have

peace.

In the world,

you'll have

tribulation,

but take heart,

I've overcome

the world.

So whatever

trouble,

you may be

facing,

whoever else

may be

against you,

or seeking

to undermine

you,

Jesus is

offering you

his friendship,

his peace,

his steadfast

love.

And if you

receive him,

and if you

trust him,

he will never

leave you,

nor forsake

you.

Tonight,

we're going to

celebrate communion,

where we see

what Jesus

sacrificed to

bring us into

his kingdom

forever.

we're going

to take the

bread and

the cup

that remind

us of

Jesus'

death

on the

cross,

his body

that was

broken,

his blood

that was

shed for

us.

It's a

reminder of

Jesus'

steadfast love

for us,

the price

that he

paid,

the sacrifice

that he

made,

so that

we could

be included

in his

family,

so that

we could

know his

love,

so that

we could

be forgiven.

It also

calls us

every time

we take

the bread

and the

cup,

it calls

us to

reaffirm

our loyalty

to him

as well.

You know,

the apostle

Paul says,

he says,

before you

take the

bread and

the cup,

examine

yourself.

And it's

good to do

that,

periodically.

The Bible

says if

you're living

in what

the Bible

calls unrepentant

sin,

that means

if there's

some era

of your

life where

you're

shutting

God out,

and you're

saying,

I don't

want you,

I'm not

going to

listen to

you.

Don't

come in.

Paul warns

us,

don't take

the bread

and the

cup with

that kind

of attitude.

But if

that's what

God is

showing you,

if God

is showing

you some

part of

your life

where you've

been disloyal

to him,

where you've

fallen short

or failed,

this is an

opportunity to

not just

stay in a

place of

guilt and

shame.

Don't

just stay

isolated and

feeling far

away from

God,

draw near to

him.

Because Jesus

has drawn

near to you

and he is

drawing near

to you

tonight.

So Jesus

is inviting

you to

admit your

sin,

admit where

you've

fallen short,

ask his

forgiveness,

receive that

promise of

forgiveness,

and receive

his renewing

power through

the Holy

Spirit.

And when

you take

the bread,

remember

just as

surely as

you hold

that piece

of bread in

your hand

and put it

in your

mouth,

you can

know that

surely,

that Jesus

Christ has

forgiven your

sins if you

turn and

trust in

him.

So if you're

trusting Jesus,

come and be

renewed.

If you've

fallen short,

we're just

going to take a

moment of

silence.

If you need to

confess the sin

to the Lord,

if there's

something God's

brought to

mind,

if you need

to renew

your commitment

to Christ,

let's just

take a moment

of silence

to do that.