In this episode of Add Bible, we delve into the profound story of 1 Samuel chapter 20 and explore the dynamics of Saul, David, and Jonathan. Immerse yourself in the tensions and loyalties within a royal court as we hear the complete chapter read by guest Morgan Jackson. As the narrative unfolds, listeners are drawn into the pivotal moment where Jonathan defends David, illustrating a friendship forged in the face of potential disaster. We reflect on the implications of Jonathan’s decisions and their resonance in our friendships today.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today we come to 1 Samuel chapter 20. I hope you’re enjoying the drama of Saul and David and Jonathan. And we’re going to listen in to our guest reader, Morgan Jackson, the Senior Vice President of Faith, comes by hearing as he reads all 42 verses of 1 Samuel chapter 20. 1 Samuel 20
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Then David fled from Naoth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father that he seeks my life? And he said to him, Far from it. You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing, either great or small, without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so. But David vowed again, saying, Then Jonathan said to David, Whatever you say, I will do for you. David said to Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening. If your father misses me at all, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the clan. If he says good, it will be well with your servant. But if he is angry, then know that harm is determined by him. Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father? And Jonathan said, Far be it from you. If I knew that it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you? Then David said to Jonathan, Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly? And Jonathan said to David, Come, let us go out into the field. So they both went out into the field. And Jonathan said to David, The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness. When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? But should it please my Father to do you harm, The Lord do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die. And do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth. And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, May the Lord take vengeance on David’s enemies. And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul. Then Jonathan said to him, Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty. on the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand and remain beside the stone heap and i will shoot three arrows to the side of it as though i shot at a mark And behold, I will send the boy, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I say to the boy, Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them, then you are to come. For as the Lord lives, it is safe for you, and there is no danger. But if I say to the youth, Look, the arrows are beyond you, then go, for the Lord has sent you away. And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever. So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul’s side. But David’s place was empty. Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, Something has happened to him. He is not clean. Surely he is not clean. But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today? Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. He said, Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers. For this reason he has not come to the king’s table. Then Saul’s anger was kindled 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, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die. Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, Why should he be put to death? What has he done? But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him, so Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. And Jonathan rose 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 disgraced him. In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David and with him a little boy. And he said to his boy, Run and find the arrows that I shoot. As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, Is not the arrow beyond you? And Jonathan called after the boy, Hurry, be quick, do not stay. So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, go and carry them to the city. And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. Then Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring forever. And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
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In 1983, I wrote in my journal chapter 20, but I didn’t write one thing, not even a one-liner. So let’s go to one of my other journals. In 2007, I wrote, In the natural, Jonathan would have been the next king, for he was the son of King Saul. He could have done all he could to secure his throne, particularly killing David. But God had already designated the next king as David. Nothing Saul, Jonathan, or David was going to do would interfere with God’s plan. Jonathan gives up power, authority, riches for his friend David. Who am I loyal to? Friendship. I have had good friends over the years. How about you? I had a good friend in my growing up years in Baltimore, Maryland, and another good friend in my teenage years in Colorado Springs. In college, I had another good friend. He was my best man in our wedding. But unfortunately, though my age, he has already gone home to be with the Lord. I’ve had good friends in my adult years as well. But would I be as good a friend as Jonathan was to David? Verse 17 shows the depth of their friendship. And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul. Yes, Jonathan and David had a very deep friendship. And Jonathan is willing to give up power, authority, riches, the very throne he is likely to inherit for his friendship with David. The chapter closes with the two saying goodbye. Then Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring forever. And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. I think our takeaway today is pretty obvious, isn’t it? Friendship. Who have been your friends? Do you think about them? Have you stayed in touch with them? Maybe today you’ll even reach back to some of those friends you’ve had in your life and give them a greeting or say hello. And for those current friends in your life, give them a call. Give them a text. Send them an email. Say, thank you for being my friend. I did have a journal entry back in 2002 on 1 Samuel chapter 20, and it reads like this. This was the passage I read when my mom was in peril. You shall not die rang in my ears that morning as she teetered between life and death. She did not die that day, but she did not recover either. Two weeks later, she is dead. I did not recall verse 3, there is but a step between me and death. This was true of my mom. She took that step two weeks later and is now in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you for the assurance that when we die, we can be in your presence if we’ve accepted you as Lord and Savior of our lives. And Lord, we also thank you for the friends, the friendship that you have allowed us to have over our lives so far. Thank you for our friends. Thank you for being a friend to us. In Jesus’ name, amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. Maybe you wonder if Old Testament prophecy is true, came true already, or is coming true in the future. First, most prophets had a recurring theme. God loves us. Because he loves us so much, he gave us commandments, rules, statutes to live by. If we live by them, we can be blessed beyond what we can think or imagine. But when we choose to disregard, ignore, and set aside his rules, we are subject to his curses. We live under curses until things get so bad we cry out to God. He’s always there, waiting for our cry. Most often, but not always, He responds with grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness. We get back in line, then the cycle repeats. The Old Testament prophets cover this cycle over and over. Sometimes we wonder how the Israelites could have been so foolish. Yet, in our day, we have the same choice. We know God loves us. We generally know the rules, and we’d know them a lot better if we were more consistent in our time in God’s Word. Yet, we decide, like those in the Old Testament, to ignore them and live out our lives. Things don’t often go well, so we finally cry out to God. As we see in the Old Testament, prophecy comes true as God restores rebellious, disobedient people like us back into right relationship with Him. But it is not always the case. Sometimes he has enough and does not deliver them. So yes, Old Testament prophecies are true, they came true, and they will come true in the future as we cycle through the same life choices the Israelites made. Thus, the value of reading all the Old Testament prophets. Maybe we will learn what they tried to teach. God loves us. Keep his rules, love him back, and enjoy his blessings. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. To support AdBible, visit EzraProject.net, the donate button. For a one-time gift of $39 or more, we will send you a free copy of one of our day-by-day through the Bible books. 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