Jonathan’s Discovery

27. July 2009 by Bernice Davis.

Hello:

On Friday, we left off with David and Jonathan making a covenant that David would always be kind to the house of Jonathan and that Jonathan would provide protection for David.   The New Moon festival was coming up and David was supposed to be seated at the king’s table with Saul.   David felt that Saul was going to take this opportunity to kill him so he asked Jonathan to allow him to hid and to send word if he felt that Saul was trying to kill him during this festival.   This is where our story picks up today.

Here is the text:

I Samuel 20:18 Then Jonathan said to David: “Tomorrow is the New Moon festival. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. 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. 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. 23 And about the matter you and I discussed–remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.”

24 So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon festival came, the king sat down to eat. 25 He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty. 26 Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean–surely he is unclean.” 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?” 28 Jonathan answered, “David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. 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.” 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? 31 As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he must die!” 32 ”Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David. 34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the month he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.

Well, as you can see in our text David’s suspicions were correct and Saul had intended on killing David during this festival.    When Jonathan questioned his father as to what was David’s sin, Saul threw his spear at his own son to kill him and Jonathan left from the dinner table in fierce anger because he was grieved with his father’s shameful treatment of David.   David was innocent and had done nothing but great things for the kingdom and against the enemies of Israel.  

Saul was fiercely jealous at David’s talents and success so much that he would risk losing a great warrior against the enemies of Israel so that he could get rid of what he thought was his competition.    David was innocent.   This plan came from God.   Saul had been rejected and God’s favor was now resting on David and Saul hated the feeling of not having God’s anointing on him anymore and he took it out on David.   His problems were not with David they were with God but were self-induced.     Saul had his chance and God had moved on but Saul refused to relinquish his kingdom and fought to regain his popularity by getting rid of David.   

WOW!!!!!!!!!!    So many of our battles are not because we have done anything wrong but because people can see that the hand of God is on us and that there  is something so different which makes people intimidated and insecure by our destinies.    God has a plan for each and every one of us but it is usually the bitter person who does not like what they have cause to happen in their lives that create so much drama in our lives.

Well, tomorrow, we will see what Jonathan will do with his new found information that his father wants David dead.

Stay encouraged and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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