FRAMEWORKS:
1 Samuel 20: David & Jonathan – David
leaves
v.1-4
David challenges Jonathan over his father's intentions
v.5-9
David challenges Jonathan over his father's behaviour
v.10-13
Jonathan says he will sound out his father
v.14-17
They make a covenant
v.18-23
They Plan how to convey the result
v.24-29
They Await Saul's Reaction to David's Absence
v.30-34
Saul's Anger flares against Jonathan & he tries to kill
him
v.35-42
The next day they fulfil the plan and David leaves
v.1-4
David challenges Jonathan over his father's intentions
v.1
Then
David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked,
“What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father,
that he is trying to kill me?”
v.2
“Never!”
Jonathan replied. “You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn't
do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would
he hide this from me? It isn't so!”
v.3
But
David took an oath and said, “Your father knows very well that
I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, ‘Jonathan
must not know this or he will be grieved.' Yet as surely as the
Lord
lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.”
v.4
Jonathan
said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you.”
[Notes:
This
chapter is one of interaction between David and Jonathan, all
about Jonathan's father and his ongoing intention to cause harm
to David. When Saul comes after him, David finds Jonathan and
basically says, ‘What is it about your father, why does he want
to kill me?' Jonathan makes light of it but David insists his
father is out to get him.]
v.5-9
David challenges Jonathan over his father's behaviour
v.5
So
David said, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast, and I am supposed
to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until
the evening of the day after tomorrow.
v.6
If
your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David earnestly asked
my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an
annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.'
v.7 If
he says, ‘Very well,' then your servant is safe. But if he loses
his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me.
v.8
As
for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him
into a covenant with you before the Lord
. If I am guilty,
then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”
v.9
“Never!”
Jonathan said. “If I had the least inkling that my father was
determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?”
[Notes:
In
the face of Jonathan's protestations, David challenges him – I'll
absent myself and if he gets angry, you'll know that what I say
is true. Jonathan maintains that he would know.]
v.10-13
Jonathan says he will sound out his father
v.10
David
asked, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
v.11
“Come,”
Jonathan said, “let's go out into the field.” So they went there
together.
v.12
Then
Jonathan said to David, “I swear by the Lord,
the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this
time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward
you, will I not send you word and let you know?
v.13
But
if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord
deal with
Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and
send you away in peace. May the Lord
be with you
as he has been with my father.
[Notes:
Jonathan
promises to find out and let David know the outcome.]
v.14-17
They make a covenant
v.14
But
show me unfailing kindness like the Lord's
kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed,
v.15
and
do not ever cut off your kindness from my family—not even when
the Lord
has cut off every one of David's enemies from the face of the
earth.”
v.16 So
Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May
the Lord
call David's enemies to account.”
v.17
And
Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because
he loved him as he loved himself.
[Notes:
They
reaffirm covenant.]
v.18-23
They Plan how to convey the result
v.18
Then
Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will
be missed, because your seat will be empty.
v.19
The
day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you
hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel.
v.20
I
will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting
at a target.
v.21
Then
I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.' If I say to
him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,'
then come, because, as surely as the Lord
lives, you
are safe; there is no danger.
v.22
But
if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then you
must go, because the Lord
has sent you
away.
v.23
And
about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the Lord
is witness
between you and me forever.”
[Notes:
Jonathan
suggests a plan whereby he can convey to David the outcome without
anyone else knowing.]
v.24-29
They Await Saul's Reaction to David's Absence
v.24
So
David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the
king sat down to eat.
v.25
He
sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and
Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty.
v.26
Saul
said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened
to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.”
v.27
But
the next day, the second day of the month, David's place was empty
again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why hasn't the son
of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
v.28
Jonathan
answered, “David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem.
v.29
He
said, ‘Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice
in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have
found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.'
That is why he has not come to the king's table.”
[Notes:
David
absents himself and Saul enquires of Jonathan why he is not there.]
v.30-34
Saul's Anger flares against Jonathan & he tries to kill him
v.30
Saul's
anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a
perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided
with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the
mother who bore you?
v.31
As
long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor
your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him
to me, for he must die!”
v.32 “Why
should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his
father.
v.33
But
Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that
his father intended to kill David.
v.34
Jonathan
got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the
feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father's shameful
treatment of David.
[Notes:
The
outcome is a burst of anger and a verbal outburst concluding in
Saul throwing his spear at Jonathan. Jonathan gets the message!]
v.35-42
The next day they fulfil the plan and David leaves
v.35
In
the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with
David. He had a small boy with him,
v.36
and
he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the
boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
v.37
When
the boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan
called out after him, “Isn't the arrow beyond you?”
v.38
Then
he shouted, “Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!” The boy picked up
the arrow and returned to his master.
v.39
(The
boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.)
v.40
Then
Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them
back to town.”
v.41
After
the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone
and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the
ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David
wept the most.
v.42
Jonathan
said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with
each other in the name of the Lord
, saying, ‘The
Lord
is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and
my descendants forever.'” Then David left, and Jonathan went back
to the town.
[Notes:
The
communication plan is put into action and Jonathan lets David
know the result. In the event, after the boy has gone, the two
are able to get together and they grieve as they recognise this
must be the end of their friendship as David must leave.]
CONTINUE
TO CHAPTER 21