1 Samuel 20:41-42 Outcast

 ”As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘May the Lord be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ ” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.“ I Samuel‬ ‭20‬:‭41‬-‭42‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. They wept together: David and Jonathan loved each other and had a strong bond of friendship. Jonathan and David probably envisioned working together, as partners, as friends; both before and after the time David became king. But now all that was gone because David couldn’t stay and Jonathan couldn’t go, so they wept together.

b. But David more so: If Jonathan had reason to weep, David had more so. The pain of being apart was bad enough, but it was worse for David because he was cut off from everything and destined to live the life of a fugitive for many years.

i. “Behind you is the sunny morning, before you a lowering sky; behind you the blessed enjoyment of friendship, wife, home, royal favor, and popular adulation, before you an outcast’s life.” (Meyer)

c. Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD: Jonathan knew he might never see David again. In fact, David and Jonathan will only meet once more, shortly before Jonathan’s death. Yet as David now left for a life of hiding and danger, Jonathan could send David away in peace because they both agreed to honor each other not only in life, but also to honor each other’s families beyond their own lifetimes.

d. So he arose and departed: David will not return to “normal life” until Saul is dead, and David is king. This was a pretty bleak road for David to walk, but it was God’s road for him.

i. Was David in God’s will? How can anyone set out on such a bleak road and be in the will of God? Because God often has His people spend at least some time on a bleak road, and He appoints some of His favorites to spend a lot of time on that road – think of Job, Joseph, Paul, and even Jesus.

ii. This bleak road was important in David’s life because if God would put David in a place where people must depend on him, God must teach David to depend upon Him alone. Not himself, not Saul, not Jonathan, not anyone except God

iii. This bleak road was important in David’s life because if David would be safe now and promoted to king later, David must learn to let God be his defense and his promoter.

iv. This bleak road was important in David’s life because if David would be set in such a great position of authority, David must learn to submit to God’s authority, even if it were through a man like Saul.

v. “Let God empty you out that He may save you from becoming spiritually stale, and lead you ever onward. He is always calling us to pass beyond the thing we know into the unknown. A throne is God’s purpose for you; a cross is God’s path for you; faith is God’s plan for you.” (Redpath)

Outcast

Like David I experienced being an outcast and it hurts deeply which caused pain and tears. Several years later my mother sent me a letter with her private phone number and with this, healing began. Families have many dynamics and I suggest before making any decisions ask yourself WWJD?

Examine the dynamics carefully and determine if anyone has anything to gain over the situation. But first and foremost, lift it up to the Lord in prayer.

Have you ever been an outcast?

Blessings 

1 Samuel 20:35-40 Loyalty

 ”And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” And Jonathan cried out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”“ ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭20‬:‭35‬-‭40‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Is not the arrow beyond you? It took courage for Jonathan to communicate with David, even secretly – because he knew that if his father became aware of it, he would focus his murderous rage against Jonathan again. Jonathan had a noble commitment to David as a friend.

i. “But there is something still nobler - when one dares in any company to avow his loyalty to the Lord Jesus. Like David, he is now in obscurity and disrepute; his name is not popular; his gospel is misrepresented; his followers are subjected to rebuke and scorn. These are days when to stand up for anything more than mere conventional religion must cost something; and for this reason let us never flinch.” (Meyer)

b. Jonathan and David knew of the matter: A small thing – the signal of a single arrow – told David his whole life was changed. He would no longer be welcome at the palace. He would no longer be welcome among the army of Israel. He could no longer go home. David was now a fugitive on the run from an angry, jealous king determined to destroy him. (Guzik)

Remember earlier:

”But if I say thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’—go your way, for the Lord has sent you away.“ I Samuel‬ ‭20‬:‭22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Loyalty 

Jonathon proved his loyalty to David by signaling “go your way”, run for your life!

Jesus desires loyalty too!

”“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.“ ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“What Christ is to you on earth, that you will be to Christ in heaven. I shall repeat that truth. Whatever Jesus Christ is to you on earth, you will be to him in the day of judgment. If he be dear and precious to you, you will be precious and dear to him. If you thought everything of him, he will think everything of you.” (Spurgeon)

Is Jesus Christ dear and precious to you?

Blessings 

1 Samuel 20:24-34 Hatred

 ”Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty. Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean.” And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?” So Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.” Then Saul’s anger was aroused 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? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David. So Jonathan arose 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 treated him shamefully.“

‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭20‬:‭24‬-‭34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. But David’s place was empty: David was expected to be at this special feast of the New Moon, and so his absence was clearly noticed. At first, this did not trouble Saul greatly because he thought, “Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean.” Ceremonial uncleanness might cause a person to miss a feast such as this but the ceremonial uncleanness only lasted a day (Leviticus 22:3-7). So when it happened the next day…that David’s place was empty, Saul demanded an explanation.

i. Meyer on the son of Jesse: “Speaking of him derisively as ‘the son of Jesse,’ thus accentuating his lowly birth, and ignoring the relationship that bound him to the royal family.”

b. Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem”: Jonathan covered for David, trying to give Saul a plausible (and truthful) explanation for David’s absence.

i. “It seems probable that he went first to Bethlehem, as he bade Jonathan to tell his father, verse 6, and thence returned to the field, when the occasion required; else we must charge him with a downright lie, which ought not to be imagined (without any apparent cause) concerning so good a man.” (Poole)

c. Saul’s anger was aroused…. You son of a perverse, rebellious woman: Jonathan knew from this response that Saul’s heart was settled on evil against David. If Saul’s heart was different towards David, he might have been disappointed but not furious.

d. He shall surely die: Certainly, this was Saul’s intention, despite his previous oath (As the LORD lives, he shall not be killed, 1 Samuel 19:6). Despite Saul’s intentions, David would not die at the hands of Saul or any other enemy. Man proposes, but God disposes.

e. Why should he be killed? What has he done? Jonathan responded by defending not only David but right in this cause. His support of David wasn’t blind support; it was based on what was rightbefore the LORD. Jonathan’s support of David enraged Saul and Saul cast a spear at him to kill him. This shows how deep Saul’s hatred of David was – he would kill his own son for siding with David.

(Guzik)

i. “Jonathan made one vain attempt to reason with the furious monarch; he might as well have tried to arrest the swelling of Jordan in the time of flood.” (Meyer)

Hatred

Saul became impulsive because of his hatred and jealousy towards David and cast a spear at his own son! 

”He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly.“ Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭29‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

It’s ok to get angry but….

”“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,“

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

When I feel my heart getting bitter I pray for the Lord to remove my bitterness and on occasion I go for a walk.

I’ve found this method of controlling anger helps.

Do you get angry?

Blessings 

1 Samuel 20:18-23 Crucial Time!

 ”Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target; and there I will send a lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come’—then, as the Lord lives, there is safety for you and no harm. But if I say thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’—go your way, for the Lord has sent you away. And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the Lord be between you and me forever.”“ I Samuel‬ ‭20‬:‭18‬-‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. I will shoot three arrows: After Jonathan learned his father’s heart and intention towards David, he would communicate to David through a signal. Jonathan would take target practice and where he shot the arrows would tell David the answer.

b. Three arrows: These would bring one of two messages. Either Saul’s heart has changed towards David and there is safety for you, or Saul was still determined to kill David and the LORD has sent you away.

i. This was a crucial time in David’s life. Either he would be welcomed back to the palace and his home or he would be a fugitive until Saul gave up the hunt for David. A lot depended on the message brought through a few arrows. (Guzik)

Crucial Time!

As the world turns and moves towards destruction it’s a crucial time In history when we should be warning people that Jesus is the way ”…..the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.“ John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.“

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Yesterday when driving to town we came within a second of meeting our Maker because of a reckless driver. The Bible tells us, warns us that our days are numbered.

If yesterday was our numbered day, I know for sure, that I would have went home to Jesus in heaven.

When your number is up, do you know where you will go?

Charles Spurgeon said, “Men are either going to Heaven or to Hell—and it is time that we came to close grips with them about this all-important matter!”

Blessings 

1 Samuel 20:14-17 The Promise!

 ”And you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die; but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let the Lord require it at the hand of David’s enemies.” Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.“

‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭20‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. You shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever: Jonathan was aware of the political dynamic between the family of David and the family of Jonathan. In those days when one royal house replaced another it was common for the new royal house to kill all the potential rulers from the old royal house. Jonathan knew that one day David and his descendants would rule over Israel and he wanted a promise that David and his descendants would not kill or mistreat the descendants of Jonathan.

b. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David: Jonathan and David agreed to care for one another. Jonathan agreed to care for David in the face of Saul’s threat and David agreed to care for Jonathan and his family in the future. David fulfilled this promise to Jonathan (2 Samuel 9:1-8 and 21:7).

The Promise!

The house of Jonathon and David make a covenant, a promise to each other. 

I’m reminded of a promise that the Lord made to us too!

”Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”“

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“You that are familiar with the Greek text know that there are five negatives here. We cannot manage five negatives in English, but the Greeks find them not too large a handful. Here the negatives have a fivefold force. It is as though it said, ‘I will not, not leave thee; I will never, no never, forsake thee.’” (Spurgeon)

“Here it is - ‘For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ This is the reason why we must not be covetous. There is no room to be covetous, no excuse for being covetous, for God hath said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ We ought to be content. If we are not content, we are acting insanely, seeing the Lord has said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’” (Spurgeon)

“I cannot under the influence of this grand text find room for doubt or fear. I cannot stand here and be miserable to-night. I am not going to attempt such a thing; but I cannot be despondent with such a text as this, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ I defy the devil himself to mention circumstances under which I ought to be miserable if this text is true. Child of God, nothing ought to make you unhappy when you can realize this precious text.” (Spurgeon)

Child of God, is this text precious to you?

Blessings 

1 Samuel 20:12-13 The Lord Be With You!

 ”Then Jonathan said to David: “The Lord God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you, may the Lord do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the Lord be with you as He has been with my father.“ ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭20‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. When I have sounded out my father: Jonathan will find out his father’s heart and will report it toDavid, to say if it is good or bad towards David.

b. And send you away, that you may go in safety: Jonathan knows that if his father Saul intends evil against David it means that David must go away. He would not be welcome again in the palace and he would not be safe again at home. By giving David an early warning of this, Jonathan will help David go in safety.

c. And the LORD will be with you as He has been with my father: Jonathan wanted to give David more than a warning; he wanted to also give him encouragement. “David, even if you must leave the palace and your home behind and flee as a fugitive, the LORD will be with you. You can be sure of it.”

i. Jonathan shows his spiritual maturity when he says, “as He has been with my father,” because one might think that the LORD was really against Saul instead of for him. Jonathan knew that God was really for Saul because God offered Saul opportunities for repentance.

The Lord Be With You!

Last night we led the Life Recovery Bible Group and during the men’s small group I felt the nudging by the Holy Spirit to set aside the lesson questions and to do open share. After everyone discussed their week of trials, tribulations and blessings I then changed our prayer format and allowed everyone to pray for each other. Several of the guys prayed, may the Lord be with you this week!

Have you ever been with a group of Christians and you all prayed for each other according to their needs?

Blessings