Be Trustworthy - 1 Samuel Chapters 18 and 20 - May 18, 2008

Sunday School Lesson – Be Trustworthy – May 18, 2008

This is lesson three (3) in our series of study.

Our scripture is 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:4-7; 20:10-13, 16-17.

Trust is vital to all relationships such as marriage, business, friends, fellow church members, GOD, parents, doctors, pastors, teachers, persons with authority and the list goes on and on.

Trust is vital when we drive a car, cross a bridge, enter a building, fly in a plane, ride on a train, ride in a boat or ship, eat food, drink water or any beverage, take medicine, and this list goes on and on. Did anyone responsible make a compromise and cut a corner which puts you or loved ones in danger?

Once trust is compromised or lost it is very difficult to rebuild. But once something or someone has proven to be trustworthy, it brings delight to us. Even an inanimate object such as an automobile that has faithfully served us, is always thought of with great joy but a lemon is thought of with disgust.

Our scripture this week deals with two (2) friends making a covenant with each other. A covenant is only as good as the individuals willing to honor the agreement.

I remember the time when a person’s word was his or her bond. All you needed was a handshake to seal a deal but not today. It all goes back to integrity and trust.
Intertwined with our scripture is jealousy which is another attribute of human nature. King Saul was jealous of David’s success and feared that David would try to be king. But David maintained his loyalty, trustworthiness and respect for King Saul.

Let’s read 1 Samuel 18:1-4: (Commitment)

1 When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan committed himself to David, and loved him as much as he loved himself.[1] 1 Sm 20:17; 2 Sm 1:26 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[2] 1 Sm 20:8,16; 23:18 because he loved him as much as himself. 4 Then Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David,[3] Gn 41:42 along with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.

Last week we studied about King David. This week we will study David when he was a young lad. David had killed Goliath and he found favor with King Saul. When David
finished a conversation with King Saul, Jonathan, King Saul’s son, bonded with David as a friend. The words used are “loved him as much as he loved himself” could cause us to think of a homosexual attraction. But the word used for love in this scripture expressed a deep, personal commitment of self to a relationship with pure and noble intentions of trust and obedience. The Hebrew word used for love in this scripture has no sexual connotation.

These two (2) men bonded in a special friendship with each other that lasted a life time.

King Saul kept David and did not let him return home. A king had the power to conscript a citizen for the good of the nation. Jonathan made a covenant with David. To seal the covenant Jonathan gave David his robe, his military tunic, his sword and his belt.

Let’s read 1 Samuel 19:4-7: (Loyalty)

4 Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul. He said to him: “The king should not sin against his servant David. He hasn’t sinned against you; in fact, his actions have been a great advantage to you. 5 He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine,[4] 1 Sm 17:42–51 and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?”[5] 1 Sm 20:32; Dt 19:10–13 6 Saul listened to Jonathan’s advice and swore an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.” 7 So Jonathan summoned David and told him all these words. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as [he did]* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. before.

First some background:
GOD was with David and gave him military success after military success over the
Philistines. The Israelites had a song they sang when David and his men returned from battle: “Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands.”
This did not set well with King Saul and he became very jealous of David and wanted to have him killed. Jealousy blinds us to seeing the good that a person does and blinds us to the fact that GOD is working in his or her life. Saul would send David on assignments where he hoped he would fail but GOD was with David and David always came back the victor.

King Saul offered his older daughter, Merab (MEE rab), to David in marriage if he would serve him more bravely and fight the battles for the LORD. Saul’s motive was to place him in battles so the Philistines would kill him. GOD gave David success but Saul reneged on Merab marrying David. Saul gave her in marriage to someone else. Then Saul learned that his younger daughter, Michal (MY kul), was in love with David so he offered her to David. David married Michal thus becoming the son-in-law of King Saul. Saul was pleased and then afraid. David was now in the family and GOD was with David, so his prospects for being king were much better.

King Saul told Jonathan and all his attendants to kill David. Jonathan was loyal to David and warned him of his father’s request to kill him.

Jonathan had to make a decision between being loyal to his dad and being loyal to David. Jonathan realized that David’s heart was pure toward his dad and that GOD was with David. So Jonathan told David to hide while he tried to talk some sense into his father.

Here is where our scripture picks up.

Jonathan spoke well of David to his father. Jonathan reminded his father what David had done for Israel and that David had been loyal to the king. David was popular with the people but had never tried to use his popularity to put the king down. Jonathan took the risk of making his father very angry with him but Jonathan was a loyal friend of David.

This is a critical point. Jonathan had the ear of the king. It would have been easy for Jonathan to agree with the king and put David in more jeopardy. This is a message to us. When we do not like someone or are jealous of someone, if others speak against him or her we have a choice to join in, defend him or her or remain silent. The power to help David or hurt him was in Jonathan’s hands. He chose to help David because he was his friend with the risk of making his father angry.

Are we loyal friends? If we have two (2) good friends, who in turn are not necessarily good friends with each other and one friend makes some unkind remarks about the other, what do we do? We do not want to cause a problem with the friend we are speaking with but the remarks are unjustified. Do we speak up to defend the other friend or do we remain silent for fear of offending the friend who is doing the talking or join in?

Jonathan pointed out the positive things David had done and changed his father’s mind. King Saul said David should live.

Jonathan got word to David that all was well with the king. David had to trust Jonathan that he was telling him the truth because it could have been a trap to lure David out of hiding to be killed. David trusted his friend and was reunited with the king and Jonathan.

Let’s read 1 Samuel 20:10-13: (Honesty)

10 So David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?” 11 He answered David, “Come on, let’s go out to the field.” So both of them went out to the field. 12 “By the Lord, the God of Israel, if I sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day and I find out that he is favorable toward you, and if I do not send for you and tell you,[4] Lit and uncover your ear 13 then may God punish Jonathan and do so severely. If my father intends to bring evil on you, then I will tell you,[5] Lit will uncover your ears and I will send you away, and you will go in peace. May the Lord be with you, just as He was with my father.

The conversation between Jonathan and Saul was short lived. Soon King Saul was out to get David. Jonathan again intervened with a plan. (Read 1 Samuel Chapters 19 and 20.)

More background:
King Saul is no dummy. He realized that Jonathan was looking out for his friend David so he did not tell him of his plan to kill David. Saul sent his men to David’s house to watch it and to kill David in the morning. David’s wife, Michal, learned of the plot and told David. She let him down through a window and David escaped. Michal put an idol in their bed and some goat hair on the idol. The men asked for David but Michal told them he was ill. The men reported this to the king. He told the men to bring David in his bed to him so he could kill him. The men went to get David in his bed and discovered the idol with the goat hair. Saul was mad at Michal but she, in essence, said David spared her life in order to escape. David escaped to find refuge with Samuel the prophet in Naioth (NAY oth) at Ramah (RAY mah). Saul sent men to kill him but they started prophesying. Saul sent more men but they also prophesied. Saul went and he prophesied. This was GOD’S way of protecting David. David returned to meet with Jonathan. David told Jonathan that his father was going to kill him. Jonathan cannot believe it because his father told him everything and he had not heard of such a thing. So David devised a plan to reveal truth to Jonathan and himself.

Now back to our scripture:
Jonathan found it hard to believe that his father was out to kill David because his father had not shared this plan with him. So Jonathan agreed to go along with David’s plan and to tell him whether or not his father was angry with him. This would allow David to know what to do.

This was David’s plan: A special New Moon festival was coming up and David was expected to have dinner with the king. The feast would be a two (2) night event. If the king missed David, Jonathan agreed to tell his father that David was asked to join his family in Bethlehem to celebrate. If the king said okay or did not seem to care then that was a good sign the king was not planning to kill David. However, if the king became angry, then that was a sign that he was planning to harm David.

Jonathan said he would communicate the reaction of his father to David. Jonathan and David made a covenant which went beyond their personal commitment to each other but this covenant included their families.

Jonathan told David toward evening he would communicate the disposition of Saul toward him by pretending to do some archery practice. They would meet in the field where David had hid earlier. Jonathan would use the stone of Ezel (EE zel) as a target and shoot three (3) arrows into the air. He would bring a small lad with him to retrieve the arrows. If the king seemed calm toward David, Jonathan would shoot the arrows and then tell the boy, “Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here”. Then David would know he was safe. However, if he told the boy, “Look, the arrows are beyond you” then he must go because his father was angry with him. This again is trust between two (2) friends. Jonathan was heir apparent to the throne and had every reason for David to be killed. But Jonathan remained loyal and trustworthy to David.

Saul missed David at the dinner and asked Jonathan where he was. Jonathan encountered the rage of his father and knew without a doubt that he wanted David dead. Jonathan was trustworthy and let David know that his father intended to kill him. Jonathan shot the arrows and shouted to the boy “Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!

The boy left the area and Jonathan and David met to say good bye and both wept.

Let’s read 1 Samuel 20:16-17: (Consistency)
16 Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David,[7] 1 Sm 18:3; 23:18 saying, “May the Lord hold David’s enemies accountable.”[8] Lit Lord require it from the hand of David‘s enemies 17 Jonathan once again swore to David in his love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.[9] 1 Sm 18:1

[In the commentary on the last scripture I went beyond this scripture. So I underlined the point in the commentary where this scripture fits.]

Jonathan and David agreed to a broader covenant which included their families. During these times when a new king took over the throne from a previous king, the family, relatives and loyal subjects were subject to being either killed or exiled. This new covenant was to ensure that whoever was king they would care for the other’s family.

Jonathan expressed his loyalty and love for David.

The end result to me is very sad. Jonathan died in battle as did his father. But because of Saul’s ruthless pursuit of David, Jonathan was a victim.

Jealousy can send us into a rage and result in us not thinking rationally. It can compromise our trustworthiness.

As Christians are we loyal and trustworthy?