Sunday, July 23, 2023

1 Samuel 20:1

1 Samuel 20:1 says, And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?  David fled to Ramah, where he meet Jonathan and asked him what he had done to Saul to make him want to kill him.  Though we should do our best to find out why the people of the world at times seem so angry at Christians that they want to destroy them, there may never be an answer.  David had done nothing against Saul, and we as followers of Christ should do nothing to harm others, unless it is necessary to defend our faith and keep God from being dishonored.  Saul had not openly done any of this, other than assuming the duties of a priest, which David had not been directed by God to correct.  Verse two adds, And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.  Jonathan refused to believe it when David said Saul was trying to kill him.  Jonathan said Saul, his father, discussed all his plans with him, and asked David why his father would keep his plan to kill David from him.  He underestimated the integrity of his father, and people today often underestimate the integrity of those that they look up to, especially if it is a close family member.   Verse three continues, And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.  David explained to Jonathan that it was because Jonathan was friends with David and to avoid him suffering from grief at knowing his plans to kill David that Saul had told Jonathan nothing about his plans.  People today still want others to see them in the best light, and often do things in secret that they don't want others to know about.  David assured Jonathan that he was one step from death at the hands of Saul.  All we can do is tell people the truth of our situation if we are in danger because of our faith today.  Verse four states, Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.  Jonathan then told David that he would help him anyway that he desired.  This is all that we can do today if our fellow Christians reach out to us for help.  Verse five adds, And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.  David said the next day was a new moon and the time for a holy feast that he should not fail to eat with Saul but proposed that instead of doing that, he would hide himself in the field until the third day.  Matthew Henry points out that even though the Spirit of God had departed Saul, he was still going through the motions of observing the holy feasts.  We as Christians do not want to be guilty of going the motions of worship if the Holy Spirit is not guiding us.  Verse six continues, If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.  David told Jonathan if Saul asked about his absence, to tell him that David begged his leave but he had to return to Bethlehem for a yearly sacrifice there.  This was a part of a test to determine Saul’s intent toward David and sometimes we may have to test the intentions of others toward us, but we should do so only under God's direction.  Verse seven says, If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.  David said if Saul said that David returning to Bethlehem was a good thing so that he could have peace in his soul, then everything was okay between them.  If on the other hand Saul was really angry with David, then nothing was good between them.  Saul would have no reason to be angry with David if David was doing what he believed God was calling him to do.  If people become angry with us because we don't do what they want or maybe even expect us to do, we might want to question their real attitude about us.  Verse eight adds, Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?   David then asked Jonathan to deal kindly with him and do this for him, and he then said if Jonathan thought there was any iniquity in David in relationship to Saul that Jonathan should just go ahead and kill David himself.  That would eliminate any need for Jonathan to bring David to Saul.  We need to have enough faith to lay our life on the line if necessary to prove our innocence in a particularly dangerous situation, especially if we are asking someone to help us that might also put them in danger, as Jonathan could be doing by helping David.  Verse nine states, And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?  Jonathan still didn't want to believe David.  He said if his father proposed evil against David that he would know it.  As stated before, it is sometimes hard to know the evil that may be in someone's heart simply by outward appearance.   Verse ten adds, Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?  David said if Jonathan didn't help him, who would.  If we are ever a person's last hope of finding out the truth in a situation, we need to pray that we will always be willing to help them, even at the risk of bringing danger to ourself.   Verse eleven continues, And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.  Jonathan then told David that they should both go out in the field. Jonathan may still not have believed David concerning Saul’s intent, but he was still willing to stand with him.  Ultimately, that is all we can be expected to do for our Christian brothers and sisters today.  Even if we don't really understand what they are facing, if they ask us for help, we need to be willing to stand with them by our faith in God.

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