David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:1-23)


David and Jonathan became like brothers to each other, but Jonathan's father - King Saul - tried to kill David as he was jealous of him. Jonathan tried to reassure David that his father was not plotting against his life, as he - his own son - had heard nothing of it. But David did not believe this, and devised a test which would reveal Saul's true motives. David would fail to turn up to eat a "New Moon" feast with the King, with the excuse - if anyone asked - that he was going to Bethlehem to participate in an annual sacrifice there with the rest of his family. Instead, he would hide in a field, away from Saul. David said that if Saul was content with his absence, then he would feel safe, but that if the King was angry, then it showed that he wished him harm.

They devised a signal so that David would know the King's reaction: Jonathan would shoot three arrows into the field where David was hiding, then send a boy to collect them up. If the arrows were "on this side of you", then David was safe. But if they were "on the other side of you", then it was not safe for David, and he was to flee. They agreed that, whatever the outcome, the friendship between the two of them would remain.

When the time came, Saul was angry at David's absence. He flared up at Jonathan, and demanded that someone go and find David so he could be killed. He accused Jonathan of being the son of a "perverse and rebellious woman".  Later on, Jonathan fired the arrows, and David fled from the danger.


Themes

• Friendship - there was a very special bond of friendship between Jonathan and David, which would continue whatever Saul's plans were. Jonathan would still remain close to David regardless of his father's own wishes, and David would still be close to Jonathan even though his father Saul wanted to kill him.
• Jealousy - Saul was jealous, and had been angry with David ever since the people had attributed greater battle victories to David than to him.
• Signal - a secret signal would tell David of Saul's intentions.
• Cunning - not for the first or the last time, David shows a cunning side to himself!

Contemporary Issues

• True friendship.
• Family loyalty, or not.
• Helping others.

Revision