Well, it’s been 3 weeks since we looked at the story of David and Goliath and a lot has happened since then. If you remember David came along at just the right time for Saul and the Israelite army. The Israelites were being humiliated by the Philistines and their champion Goliath, but David, with God’s help brought about a stunning victory.
Now you might think that King Saul, would be fairly grateful to David for that sort of victory, and so he was, for a while. He gave David command over some of his troops, until David began to develop a reputation for military skill. So much so that he rose quickly through the ranks. But then one day Saul hears the young women in one of the towns singing a popular ballad. "Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands." And that little green imp, envy, rises up in Saul’s mind so that, from that day on, David is in trouble. Saul is out to get him.
You see, Saul thinks David is a threat to his kingship. He’s becoming more and more popular, the more battles he fights, so as time goes on Saul becomes more and more afraid of him; afraid that the people might decide to change their allegiance to David. Remember that Saul is a king by popular acclaim. And so, on a number of occasions when an evil spirit takes hold of him, he attempts to kill David.
Now in fact David poses no threat to Saul at all. One of the signs of David’s godliness is that he’ll have nothing at all to do with overthrowing the king that God has put in place. He’s thoroughly consistent about this throughout his conflict with Saul. He will do nothing to harm him, even when the means lies close at hand. Nor will he let any of his men harm him. So Saul has it all wrong. It’s his paranoia speaking, not his reason.
But at the same time there’s another scenario being acted out in the royal court. Saul’s son, Jonathan, has also seen David’s exploits and realises that here is someone who has something special. Now, we’re not told what it is that Jonathan sees in him. All we’re told is that after listening to David talking to Saul (at the end of ch17) "the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. (18:1)" Jonathan develops such a respect for David in that first encounter that from that day on Jonathan counts David as his greatest friend, as what we would call a soul mate. In fact we’ll see when we get to ch 20 that its Jonathan who suggests a covenant of undying friendship between them.
You have to admire Jonathan as you read through this account. He’s the one who’s going to lose out if David becomes king, not Saul. Yet he never shows any hint of jealousy or resentment. In fact he comes across as a totally godly man, just like David in fact, willing to give up his rights for the one that God has chosen and gifted for the kingship.
I’m reminded here of John the Baptist. We read it in the Gospel reading this morning. When told how Jesus had started baptising and everyone was going to him, he likened himself to the best man whose job is to stand with the bridegroom rejoicing at his good fortune in marrying the bride. He sums up his position in the simple sentence: "He must increase but I must decrease. (Jn 3:30)" So too, Jonathan is prepared to give up his rights for the sake of the one God has anointed as the future king of Israel.
As a result, what happens as these few chapters develops is that a great friendship develops between Jonathan and David that transcends personal ambition and family circumstances. Jonathan may be the King’s son and David the probable usurper, but Jonathan can see in David the spirit of God at work and is more interested in that than in his own personal ambition. And in that he’s a great contrast to his father.
We noted back in chapter 2 how sometimes good fathers produce bad sons, but the opposite is equally true: sometimes bad fathers produce excellent children.
In fact Saul has a love hate relationship with David. In his good moments he loves him and appreciates all that he’s doing for Israel; so much so that he offers him his daughter in marriage and eventually David accepts and marries Michal. But then in his bad moments he reverts to a paranoid fear of David that leads him in the end to attempted murder. And that’s the situation that leads us to today’s passage.
Saul has sent men to David’s house to kill him, but his wife, Michal, arranges for his escape. David then flees to Samuel who protects him for a while. Then David leaves Samuel and goes to find Jonathan to ask him for help.
Now there’s an interesting thing here in 20:2. When David complains to Jonathan about Saul’s treatment of him, Jonathan doesn’t believe him. In fact he seems genuinely surprised. Have you ever been in that sort of situation? Someone complains about someone you know well and you just can’t believe it. It sounds so out of character for the person you know. And that’s what’s happening here. Jonathan himself holds no enmity towards David; the opposite, in fact. so he just can’t credit the thought that Saul would be trying to kill him. At least not until Saul tries to skewer Jonathan with his spear the same way he’d tried with David.
Anyway, David convinces Jonathan that he’s telling the truth and that his life is in mortal danger if he comes before the king. So Jonathan agrees to find out whether Saul is still angry with David. Jonathan will go to the feast and find out whether David is missed. If Saul gets angry when he finds out David is missing them they’ll know that his life is still in danger. If not then it’ll be all right for David to appear. They make this elaborate arrangement for a signal to let David know the answer. Why they can’t just meet up again and pass the message face to face isn’t quite clear, since that’s what happens in the end anyway. But perhaps this is just one of those boy’s own adventure style arrangements that young men come up with in the heat of the moment.
Well, as it turns out, David is right, his life is still in mortal danger. The time has come for David to leave. So Jonathan goes out and sends the arranged signal. Then, as I said, the whole point of the signalling process is lost because David comes out of his hiding spot and they say their farewells. And that’s it. This is the last time they’ll be together apart from a brief meeting in 23:15 when David is being chased by Saul.
Yet there’s more to it than that. David and Jonathan have formed a friendship that will last for life; in fact beyond Jonathan’s life. They’ve made a covenant with each other that will bind them for as long as they live.
Let’s go back to vs 12-17. Here’s another interesting thing we find in this passage.
Jonathan is the king’s son. He’s the heir apparent. If you remember, he’s the one who commands the third of the army that Saul doesn’t have command over. Yet who is it who suggests this covenant? Who is it who asks the other to show him the faithful love of the LORD? It’s Jonathan isn’t it?
Now as the king’s son, it may have been Jonathan’s place to initiate a covenant between them, but the terms of the covenant place David as the one in a position of power and blessing. Jonathan is the King’s son, yet he treats David with a respect that shows he sees something in him that makes him greater than Jonathan. Jonathan knows that David will be king. He says as much in their final encounter in ch23. Perhaps he recognises as well, that God’s Spirit is at work in him. Perhaps he’s even heard stories of David being anointed by Samuel. But whatever it is, as I said before, what’s most important to Jonathan isn’t personal ambition but his love for David.
Here’s one of those parallels that we’ll see from time to time between David and Jesus. David is the one chosen by God as king, filled with his Holy Spirit. And as such he commands the love and loyalty of those godly men and women who recognise God’s spirit within him. So too, Jesus commands our love and respect, our obedience, because of who he is, the only begotten Son of God. And when faced with a choice between our personal ambition and following Jesus Christ, what’s our response going to be? hopefully it’ll be the same as Jonathan’s: to choose to follow Christ, the anointed on of God, rather than to seek to follow our own desires and purposes.
In one sense there’s a sense of equality and mutuality in this relationship. David and Jonathan are both young men fighting side by side for Israel against their enemies. But in another sense it’s a relationship of inequality. David is the anointed king, the one chosen by God to lead his people in place of Saul. He’s the one filled with the Holy Spirit for leadership, who stands head and shoulders, spiritually, above his peers. And Jonathan sees that and embraces it. In fact he seals the covenant between them with a blessing on David, that God would seek out his enemies, which, ironically, now included Saul.
Finally I just want to put to death a modern popular myth about David and Jonathan. They’re often paraded by the gay movement as a prime example of homosexual lovers in the Bible. It’s suggested that when it says that Jonathan loved David it’s meant in a sexual way. The trouble is there’s nothing in the text to suggest such a portrayal. The word that’s used for Jonathan loving David is the same word that’s used earlier for Saul’s response to David (16:21). I guess our local equivalent for the relationship between them is the idea of mateship. They’re kindred spirits, equally impulsive, equally brave, equally convinced that God was behind Israel; both leaders of men. And they’re close friends brought together by a mutual commitment to loyalty and friendship. I think we’ve come to a sorry state if we think that the only way two men, or two women for that matter, can have a close relationship is if it’s sexual.
In fact the way the story ends shows how far from the truth such suggestions are. Their friendship is sealed by the covenant they make in ch 20, yet this is the last time they spend any time together. But that doesn’t mean their friendship is over. David holds it in so much esteem that after Jonathan’s death he seeks out his son and agrees to care for him.
So here we have the story of a friendship that transcends personal ambition, family differences and even the circumstances of war. It’s a friendship based on a recognition of God’s will for his people Israel, expressed through one man, David. It’s a friendship that lasts because the parties to the friendship are committed to it despite their own needs and desires. And it’s a friendship that can be a model, not just for our friendships, but for our commitment to Jesus Christ, the one who is the true and eternal King, not just of Israel, but of the whole world.
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