March 6, 2011

Your Covenant Partner (I Samuel 20)

Preacher: Bryce Morgan Series: Crying for a King (Samuel) Topic: I Samuel Scripture: 1 Samuel 20:1–20:42

Crying for a King

 

Your Covenant Partner
 Samuel 20:1-42
March 6th, 2011
Way of Grace Church

 

 

I. Introduction

 

Would you turn with me this morning to I Samuel 20 (pg. 243). This morning, God has brought us once again to the book of I Samuel. Listen to what the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 15:4 about the significance of the Old Testament for followers of Jesus Christ:

 

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

 

And so, as we return to I Samuel, we should come with hearts that are ready to hear from God and hearts that are eager to discover the hope He wants to give us through His word.

 

 

II. The Passage: “The Lord is Between You and Me Forever” (20:1-42)

 

Now, as we look back at chapter 20, let me briefly remind you of where we left in our study of this book. Saul has failed and been rejected as Israel’s first king. God has raised up David as the new king. But even though David has done nothing to threaten Saul’s throne, Saul’s fear and jealousy of David have driven him to seek David’s life. At the end of chapter 19, we learned about Saul’s failed attempts to capture David while the young man sought refuge with the prophet Samuel in Ramah. So that’s where pick up here in 20:1…

 

Now there are a lot of verses here, so I am going to simply read through this text, and interject just a few comments after each of the four major divisions in this chapter. Then we come back and talk about the significance of this story.

 

 

A. David Turns to Jonathan for Help (20:1-11)

 

Look with me at chapter 20, verse 1:

 

Then David fled from Naioth in 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?” 2 And 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.” 3 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.” 4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” 5 David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that harm is determined by him. 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” 9 And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?” 10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?” 11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.

 

Here we see that David is no longer uncertain about the fact that Saul wants him dead, but he is struggling to understand why? What has he done, except fight Saul's battles and faithfully minister to Saul through his music? So David comes up with a way to test Saul and see if he is still out for blood.

 

Jonathan seems a little in the dark here, but he is resolute in helping David. The covenant David mentions here is the one established between the two men in 18:3, 4. Look at v. 12...

 

 

B. Jonathan Turns to David for a Future (20:12-23)

 

And 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, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13 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. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die; 15 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.” 16 And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord take vengeance on David's enemies.” 17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap. 20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 And behold, I will send the young man, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever.”

 

Sorry here they are out in a field, somewhere near Gibeah (Saul's home), and reassures David that he will find out his father's intentions toward David and communicate that information to David as soon as he can. But Jonathan also wants David to affirm that their covenant relationship will continue throughout the generations. You see, it was the common practice in those days (and in many generations) to wipe out the family of the previous monarch, so there would be no threat to one's throne. David, of course, swears not do such a thing to Jonathan or Jonathan's descendants.

 

Then in verses 18-22, Jonathan goes back to the matter at hand and explains to David the secret code he will use with David to communicate whether Saul is for or against David. They have to do something like this in case Jonathan is followed by Saul's goon squad. So look at the next section with me, verses 24-34...

 

 

C. Saul Turns to Jonathan with Anger (20:24-34)

 

So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul's side, but David's place was empty. 26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean [ritually clean that is].” 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David's place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has 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 has not come to the king's table.” 30 Then Saul's anger was kindled 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, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” 32 Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. 34 And Jonathan rose 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 disgraced him.

 

So this is the new moon, which is the beginning of a new month according to lunar calendar the Hebrews used. And according to the law given by Moses, this was a festival day, a time of religious observance.

 

And when we get to verse 30, we see that David's test has worked, even though the outcome is not the outcome anyone hoped for. Saul is ticked off. For some reason, Saul believes David  should come back to the royal court, especially on a feast day. And of course, that would have been a perfect time for Saul to lay another trap for David. But David does not come.

 

And when Jonathan gives his father the prepared story about David returning to Bethlehem, Saul is incensed that Jonathan simply stands by and does nothing, even though David is a direct threat to Jonathan's future throne. In fact, Saul is so mad, he goes back to his favorite method for expressing his frustrations: that's right, throwing spears. But this time, Jonathan, and not David, is the intended target. Let's keep going and pick up again in verse 35...

 

 

D. Jonathan Turns to David with a Warning (20:35-42)

 

35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy. 36 And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him...

37 And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” 41 And as soon as the boy 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. 42 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.

 

And so, no doubt with a very heavy heart, Jonathan takes his little helper and returns to the field in order to communicate, through the agreed upon signal, to communicate to David the bad news about Saul's wrath.

 

Realizing they are not being followed by Saul's men, Jonathan sends the young boy away and goes to David. The intensity of the grief that is being experienced by these two men is so palpable  in  verse 41. Remember, David is not only Jonathan's friend, but also his brother-in-law. And David is being driven, not only from his friend and his king and his troops and his position, but also from his wife. David will now be, for many years, a fugitive...a man on the run.

 

 

III. Perspective: Clinging to the Covenant

 

So, I think most of us would agree this has all the elements of a good story: tension, intrigue, moving scenes of friendship and sorrow. But how does this story encourage us so that “we might have hope”, as Paul wrote in Romans 15? Is this story here simply to give us some interesting historical highlights? Maybe this story is important because we should see it primarily as a meditation on friendship; on what it means to be a faithful friend.

 

Well, I think if we describe the significance of this story merely in terms of historical highlights or faithful friendship, we will miss the real heart of what is being communicated here.

 

Consider again...consider with me these verses:

 

[v. 8]Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you.

 

[v. 14] If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die; 15 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.” 16 And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord take vengeance on David's enemies.” 17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

 

[v. 23] And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever.”

[v. 42] 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.’”

 

What we see repeatedly throughout this story is not that David runs to Jonathan because Jonathan is just a really good friend. No, he runs to Jonathan because Jonathan is bound to him by covenant.

 

What is a covenant? A covenant is a binding agreement or compact between two or more parties. These kinds of agreements or contracts always contain promises and vows. That's what we see David referring to in verse 8, that covenant made back in chapter 18. But we also see Jonathan making or 'cutting' a new covenant with David in verse 16, one that would formalize the commitment of David to Jonathan, not only in the present, but when David would become king; and not only to Jonathan, but also to Jonathan's children...and his children's children. It is a covenant of “steadfast love” as we see in verses 14 and 15.

 

And notice this is not merely a civil contract. This was not simply a business deal ratified by a human court. No, this is a covenant, forged in the fires of faith. Their covenant is a covenant of the Lord (v. 8); the Lord will enforce this covenant (v. 16); the Lord is the tie that binds in this covenant (v. 23); it is sworn in the name of the Lord (v. 42).

 

David's world is falling apart all around him, and where does he run? He runs to his partner in this covenant. He clings to the comfort and confidence of this covenant. The stunning significance of this arrangement would not be lost on the first readers of Samuel. Surely God must be in all this when Jonathan, the crown prince himself, is not simply helping David, but is sworn to his cause by covenant. That's all God. By God's grace, David can find comfort and confidence in this covenant. This covenant, these covenants, are gifts from God.

 

This morning, where is your comfort...where is your confidence? When the world seems to be falling apart, where do you run? Many of us find comfort and confidence in our family or our job or in certain expectations about our future. While these things can be wonderful, they are not reliable when it comes to true comfort and confidence.

 

Listen to an example of an unreliable contract. This is from a local posting about a West Valley business:

 

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY: This company also goes by the name AA Auto Shippers and A Plus Auto Shippers. They are terrible. We signed a contract and paid almost $1,000.00. They did not honor this contract. They changed where they wanted to pick up the car, they took the car and then threatened that they would not deliver it unless we paid them an additional $150.00. The car was clean before shipping, but it arrived dirty, windows down, gone through and covered inside and out with diesel exhaust. Unreal. This group is a bunch of thieves. DO NOT USE!

 

You see, a contract is pointless if one party is not reliable. When we cling to the things of this world, we are trying to cling to an arrangement with an unreliable partner. We are promised one thing, but get another. We are promised pleasure, but end up with pain. We are promised security and commitment, but end up with betrayal. We are promised hope, but end up with disappointment.

When your world is falling apart all around you, where do you run? Where do you run, when, verse 3, “there is but a step between [you] and death”…because there is, even now this morning. In light of the endless days of eternity, death is right on our heels.

 

Like David, we need to find our comfort and our confidence in a reliable covenant partner. We need to run, not to the prince of Israel, but the Prince of Peace. Listen to these words:

 

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.  (Luke 22:19, 20)

 

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come…12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption…15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance… (Hebrews 9:11, 12, 15) [Jonathan could only do so much…Jesus can do it all…”eternal”!]

 

Have you ever thought about the sheer wonder of the fact that God makes covenants with human beings? Wouldn’t it be enough for God to say, “Come to me in faith and you will live”. Well, He does say that. But he has also chosen to communicate that call through the comfort and confidence of a covenant.

 

Imagine you are in need of a job and you have two job offers on the table which are exactly the same in every way, except that one is presented as a two-year contract guaranteeing all the details of the job offer. Which job would you accept? In a world of temperamental managers and corporate layoffs, I think most of us would choose the one in which we could find comfort and confidence because of a contract.

 

God has made a covenant with His people through the blood of Jesus Christ, and He calls us to cling to the security of that covenant. In spite of the fact that WE are the unreliable covenant partner, God takes the whole thing upon himself and has given us Jesus to be our reliability. He promises us forgiveness of sins, He promises us fullness of life, He promises us Himself…and His promise is sure.

 

Is this your comfort? Is this your confidence?

 

So what does God expect of you and me, since we are unreliable covenant partners? He expects us to do exactly what Jonathan does here in light of his recognition that David truly is God’s anointed.  God calls each of us to recognize that Jesus truly is God’s chosen king, and in light of that recognition he calls each of us to forfeit our own kingdom.

 

Jonathan could have been caught up in the delusions of his father. He could have believed that somehow, the throne would be his. But in light of God’s anointed king, Jonathan could see both the futility of pursuing his own kingdom and the comfort and confidence of entrusting himself to the kingdom of David. David did not have to be on the throne to hold sway over his subjects, and Jonathan was his subject.

 

What will you do? What are you doing? Is your comfort and confidence in your own kingdom?

Or is it in the strength and assurance and perfection of the new covenant. Give up your kingdom, and cling to God’s king. Run…run…run to your covenant partner, to Jesus.

 

 

IV. Practice: “Dealing Kindly” Because of Covenant Love

 

And what should your lives look like if our comfort and confidence is in the steadfast love of God’s covenant through Jesus? Well, I believe the New Testament calls us, time and time again, to reflect or redirect the covenant faithfulness and steadfast love that we receive from our partner in this new covenant.

 

David pleads with Jonathan, saying “deal kindly with me”. Jonathan pleads with David, saying “do not cut off your steadfast love from my house”. And both of these men will grant these requests, and they will do so because of the comfort and confidence of their covenant.

 

If we find true comfort and confidence in the most secure covenant of all time, shouldn’t we be people of kindness and love, especially in all of our relationships of commitment?

 

Husbands, are you dealing kindly with your wives? Are you showing them the steadfast love of the Lord? Wives, are you dealing kindly with your husbands? Is the covenant faithfulness of God expressed in your one-flesh covenant? Does your spouse find comfort and confidence in their relationship with you?

 

Parents are you dealing kindly with your children in light of the sacred obligations God has laid on you as parents…in light of the precious privilege God has given you as parents? Do kindness and steadfast love mark you as a father or mother? Do your children find comfort and confidence in their relationship with you?

 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, are you dealing kindly with one another as co-beneficiaries of God’s covenant promises, of God’s covenant love through Jesus? Are we extending the steadfast love of Jesus to one another? Do we find comfort and confidence in our relationships with one another?

 

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

 

May we rest in the hope of God’s covenant promises through Christ, and may we deal kindly with one another and will all people because our comfort and confidence is in Him. Let’s pray together.

 

*****

 

After this encounter, Scripture tells us that David only saw Jonathan one more time, in I Samuel 23, when Jonathan came to encourage David in the wilderness. After that, the next time we hear about Jonathan, we are hearing of his death. Listen to David’s words about Jonathan as he grieves for him in II Samuel 1:26:

 

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.

 

Shouldn’t these be our words to Jesus in light of His covenant kindness and love? I pray these are the very words that rise from your heart because you have run to Him…

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