When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan committed himself to David, and loved him as much as he loved himself.

Transcription

1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview July 31, 2016 Faithful Background: 1 Samuel 18: 1-20:42 Lesson: 1 Samuel 18:1-5; 20:35-42Motivation: Great relationships are often forged in the heat of great trials. The trials of this passage arose out of Saul s driven nature. David and Jonathan s friendship arose out of their mutual calling from God. Examination: I. True Friends (18:1-5) When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan committed himself to David, and loved him as much as he loved himself. 2 Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him return to his father s house. 3 Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as much as himself. 4 Then Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt. 5 David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the soldiers, which pleased all the people and Saul s servants as well. (18:1-5). A. Commitment Jonathan committed himself to David. (1) HCSB: p. 474: 18:1 Jonathan committed himself to David is literally Jonathan s life was bound together with David s. The same expression occurs in 1 / 11

2 Gn. 44:30 in reference to Jacob and his son, Benjamin. Both David and Jonathan were valiant warriors who had taken stands of faith against incredible opposition (1 Sam 14:6-14; 17:31-51), so it is not surprising they would become close friends. As much as he loved himself could also be translated as much as he loved his own life. The phrase is repeated in verse 3 and 20:17. B. Companion Saul kept David with him (2) HCSB: p. 474: 18:2 Before the victory over the Philistines, David would sometimes return to his father s house in Bethlehem to look after family matters. Now, the king wanted David to remain constantly with him. C. Covenant Jonathan made a covenant because he loved him as much as himself (18:3). Believer s Study Bible, p. 402: 18:1 Neither the word for love here, ahav (Heb.), nor the relationship of the two men suggests any abnormality. The word ahav was a technical term in covenant texts for the bonding together by pacts of loyalty and reciprocal responsibility. It refers, then, to a relationship between two parties who could depend on one another. According to v. 4, Jonathan bestowed his garments and his weapons upon David. This relatively common practice in antiquity indicated transfer of position. Apparently Jonathan acknowledged God s choice of David early in the friendship. By this symbolic transfer of garments and weapons, he demonstrated his own acquiescence to God s will (cf. 20:30). D. Conquest David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. (18:5). 1. Friendship based on Proximity - Since Saul kept David in the palace, it was natural that he would have a close association with Prince Jonathan. Speaking of God s sovereignty, Luke writes in Acts 17:26 that God has appointed th e boundaries of where they live. God has placed you in proximity with potential friends with whom He wants you to be salt and light. 2 / 11

3 2. Friendship based on Place - Jonathan s commitment to David may also represent the prince s acknowledgement that David, not Jonathan, was God s choice to succeed King Saul. 3. Friendship based on mutual Passion- Both young men were warriors committed to the defense of the realm and of God s honor. II. Treacherous Heart (18:6-30) In his book Ordering Your Private World, Gordon McDonald uses Saul as the prototypical driven individual: A. Gratified Only by Accomplishment Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands (7) The people realized that the Lord is with David (16:13). Unfortunately, Saul was paying a penalty for his pride because the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul (16:14) Saul had sown in pride and was now reaping the fruit of his disobedience. (Zech. 4:6; Gal. 6:7-8). Saul s only measuring stick was numbers. His worth was tied to what he did. Compare this attitude to John the Baptist who knew what God had called him to do and needed no comparison with another (John 5:33; Matt. 3:11; Phil. 4:13; Gal. 4:7; I Pet. 2:9) B. Known to be Highly Competitive but they only credited me with thousands (8) Saul was continually keeping score. He initially competed with Samuel and now with David. To a driven person, there s no such thing as a friendly game of anything. A called individual is competing against nothing but the potential God has put in him/her. (I Cor. 1:24-31; I Tim. 6:6-10) C. Preoccupied with Symbols of Success David was playing the lyre as usual, but Saul was holding a spear (10) David had no problem entertaining in the court one day, fighting giants the next, and tending sheep the next! His significance rested in his relationship with God, not in where he lived or what he possessed. Saul, on the other hand, had to have court musicians (16:23), choice fighting men 3 / 11

4 (14:52), and obedient servants (16:17). (I Sam. 17:47, II Chron. 20:12-15; Matt. 20:25-26) D. Feared for a Volcanic Force of Anger Saul was furious (8), he threw it (the spear), thinking, I ll pin David to the wall (11) What s on the inside will come out if we re squeezed hard enough. Many Christians are in denial about their anger. When they erupt (like Saul), they think That s not the real me; I was provoked into doing something uncharacteristic. Unfortunately, we usually hide the real self until we re put under enough pressure. (Luke 9:23) Ephesians 4:26 says Be angry and do not sin. (Rom. 14:23) Sin is elaborated as prolonged anger (26), corrupt words (4:29) and bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting, and slander. (4:31), Ps. 51:4. Rather than volcanic anger, a Christian should be characterized by a tender heart and forgiving spirit. (Eph. 4:32) E. Known for Having Limited or Undeveloped People Skills So Saul watched David jealously (9), Saul was afraid of David (12), When Saul observed that David was very successful, he dreaded him. (15). Saul s people skills were a mess! He alienated Samuel (15:35), threatened to kill his own son (14:44) and lived in fear of David. In many ways, Saul appeared to be an effective leader: he had a lengthy reign (Acts 13:21), united the tribes (14:47) and won victories. (14:48). In modern terminology He was miserable to work with but he got things done. Christ clearly taught that His followers were to relate as well as accomplish. (Matt. 5-7). People will not remember as clearly what you do as they will remember the spirit in which you did it. (Phil. 4:5-6) F. Seen as Abnormally Busy But Saul was thinking, My hand doesn t need to be against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him (17) Saul seemed to always be plotting! It is necessary for a driven individual to be extraordinarily busy. Saul s life could be entitled The Barrenness of Busy-ness. He seemed to always be engaged in activity, but had little to show for it in spiritual terms. (Rom. 12:9-16) David, on the other hand, was always available (10), always at peace (14), and usually successful (16) II Cor. 5:14. The difference between the two men was their relationship with God. (Ps. 46:10; Phil 4:4) 4 / 11

5 G. Possessed with a Limited Regard for Integrity I will give her to him, Saul thought. She ll be a trap for him, and the hand of the Philistines will be against him (21) 1. Saul took credit for other s victories (13:4) 2. Saul broke the law (13:9) 3. Saul acted presumptuously (14:18) 4. Saul threatened his son (14:44) 5. Saul cheated (15:9) 6. Saul lied (15:13) 7. Saul blamed others (15:15) 8. Saul took the law into his own hands (18:11) 9. Saul plotted to kill David (18:21) Saul is a great study in situational ethics. There was never any absolute right or wrong; integrity was defined as doing what was best for Saul at that moment. That s the ethic of the 5 / 11

6 driven person! A Christian, on the other hand, realizes the need for submission to authority and obedience (15:22-23; John 14:15). By placing themselves in obedience to a higher standard, people called by Christ have a commitment to morality, integrity and purity. (Matt. 5:37) H. Involved in an Uncontrolled Pursuit of Expansion to take revenge on his enemies. Actually, Saul intended to cause David s death at the hands of the Philistines. (25) (Rom. 12:17-21) A driven person uses people to build his/her plans; a called person uses his/her plans to build people. For a driven person, there s no end to ambition. A called person has no ambition other than to please Christ. (Ps. 75:5-6; Phil. 3:13-14) What Is Success? (Josh. 1:8; I Ki. 3:10-12) The road to success is always under construction; Some aspects of success seem rather silly as Make yourself indispensable and you ll be moved up. Act as if your indispensable and you ll be mo God may allow His servant to succeed when He has disciplined him to a point where he does not n III. True Friends (I Sam. 19:1-24) A. Jonathan Be on your guard in the morning, and hide in a secret place and stay there. (2) Saul instructed his family and servants to try to kill 6 / 11

7 David (1). Jonathan attempted to hide David (2) and to persuade his father to swear an oath not to kill David. Although Saul swore the oath (6), he later broke his word (9, 11). B. Michal If you don t save your life tonight, you will be dead tomorrow. (11) Saul s son and daughter turned against their father to aid his perceived enemy. Such is the fruit of a driven man! Saul realized in verse 17 that Michal aided David to deceive her own father. C. Samuel So David fled and escaped and went to Samuel at Ramah and told him everything Saul had done to him. (18) Believer s Study Bible, p. 404: 19:24 The account in vv is of strategic importance for two reasons. First, Samuel s identification with a group of prophets at Naioth in Ramah is the initial hint of an association of prophets, which possibly continued into the days of Elijah and Elisha as the sons of the prophets (cf. 1 Kin. 20:35, 41; 2 Kin. 2:3-15; 4:1, 38: 5:22; 6:1-7; 9:1; Amos 7:14). This group apparently existed to train men called of God for the prophetic office. Second, the events recounted demonstrate to Saul that David was God s choice to be king. The inability of Saul s emissaries to apprehend David, coupled with their actually reversing their purpose and praising God, soon became Saul s experience also. From this point, David s future was indicated not just by Samuel s word or by David s popularity with the people, but by the expressed will and purpose of God. IV. Trusted Friend (20:1-42) A. A Friend is Available David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan (1) One can turn to a friend in troubled times and know that he/she will receive you. (Ps. 46:1) B. A Friend is Loyal Listen my father doesn t do anything, great or small, without telling me. (2) Jonathan liked David very much (19:2) and chose to aid him at the expense of his own father. C. A Friend is Giving Whatever you say, I will do for you. (4) 7 / 11

8 D. A Friend Is Accountable If I have done anything wrong, then kill me yourself (8) E. A Friend Is Committed Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David (16) F. A Friend Loves he loved him as he loved himself (17) G. A Friend Communicates (18-25, 35-40) Even when it is bad news, a friend is honest and forthcoming. H. A Friend Is Consistent (26-34) you are siding with Jesse s son (30) Saul showed his volatility and Jonathan demonstrated his loyalty. V. Tested Friends (20:35-40) In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointed meeting with David. A small young man was with him. 36 He said to the young man, Run and find the arrows I m shooting. As the young man ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. 37 He came to the location of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, but Jonathan called to him and said, The arrow is beyond you, isn t it? 38 Then Jonathan called to him, Hurry up and don t stop! Jonathan s young man picked up the arrow and returned to his master. 39 He did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. 40 Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the young man who was with him and said, Go, take it back to the city. (20:35-40). 8 / 11

9 A. Covenant Promise- Jonathan was bound by an oath to warn David of Saul s intentions (20:9, 16) B. Covert Plot- The evil spirit upon Saul had placed not only David under a threat of death, but also Jonathan (20:30). As a result, Jonathan devised coded instructions designed to warn David (20: 18-24). C. Compassionate Plan Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the young man who was with him and said, Go, take it back to the city. (20:40) HCSB : p. 480: 20:40 Though the coded signal had been sent and Jonathan could have departed, perhaps he could not bear to leave without talking to David first, so he sent the young man away. The yearning for a personal farewell led them to abandon the caution afforded them by their system of signals. VI. Timeless Friends (20:41-42) When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more. 42 Jonathan then said to David, Go in the assurance the two of us pledged in the name of the Lord when we said: The Lord will be a witness between you and me and between my offspring and your offspring forever. Then David left, and Jonathan went into the city. (20:41-42). A. Timeless Friends have Mutual Respect HCSB: p.480: 20:41 David s position shows the stone Ezel probably lay south of Gibeah, so that when Jonathan came out with his servant, they would not immediately see him. David 9 / 11

10 bowed three times as a sign of his respect and admiration for Jonathan, and they kissed each other a common sign of greeting and farewell among close friends in that culture. They wept because both sensed they might not see each other again. B. Timeless Friends have Mutual Security HCSB: p : 20:42 Go in the assurance is literally Go in peace. Jonathan could say this to David because of what they pledged in the name of the Lord on His authority and with Him as a witness. The two of them would always remain friends and they would do all they could to ensure their friendship extended to their offspring. David then left heading southward (21:1), while Jonathan went into the city, where soon he would have to face his father again. Application: 1. God can place you in proximity to people, but an effort is required to make friends. 2. Friendship is not based on convenience or circumstances but upon commitment. 3. True friendship stands the tests of adversity and time. Leader Pack item 6 Map: the Kingdom of Saul ; item 8 King Saul vs. King David Biblical Illustrator, p. 54 Jonathan: All We Know Notes: **You may access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: g ; 10 / 11

11 Dates: /29 Family Mission Trip (Loop Only); 7/31 School Supply Collection; 8/6 Inspirational Writers Conference; 8/8 HUB Battlefield; 8/13 Oasis Single Mom s Conference; 8/19-20 HUB LBS Volunteer Leader Hunt; 8/21 Back to School Sunday & Welcome to the Loop; 8/21 SPF Birthday Bash; 8/24 Midlink Preview Night; 8/27 Parent Conference; 8/31 AMP/WIRED Back 2 School night; 9/9-11 SPF Family Stoney Creek Ranch; 9/11 Fall LBS Luncheon; 9/12-14 ION Conference; 9/17 Men:Serve; 9/ th gr. Event & Parent Hang out; 9/18 Make It Your Church Orientation; 9/25 SPF Birthday Bash; 9/25 MS Family Park Day. 11 / 11