The Bond of Friendship - The Book of 1 Samuel

In this Bible Story, David and Jonathan make promises to one another. Jonathan would protect David from Saul, and David would show favor and love to Jonathan and his family for all his days. Jonathan learned that Saul’s hatred for David still burned hot, so he warned David and he fled to the wilderness. This story is inspired by 1 Samuel 20. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 20:38 from the King James Version.

Episode 88: David and Jonathan met together outside of the city, for David was afraid to enter it anymore lest Saul find him and make another attempt on his life. Though Jonathan could hardly believe that his dad still meant to kill him, he agreed to cover for David. Jonathan also agreed to investigate his father’s heart and report what he found back to David, all he asked was that David would show kindness to his descendants, even after God had made him king.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray, and Jonathan cried after the lad make speed, haste,
stay not. Then Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows and
came to his master first Samuel twenty thirty eight. Dear God,
as my life continues to grow and evolve, I thank

(00:21):
you for blessing me with covenant relationships like David and Jonathan's.
When I am on the verge of stepping into my destiny,
bless me with friendships that have the inside scoop on
whomever is trying to cause me harm or hinder my purpose.
I pronounce love and favor as the main companions in
my friendships. I declare that the inner circle of friends

(00:45):
surrounding my life are purpose driven, then destiny minded. Thank you,
Lord that you are bringing the right people into my
life at the right time. From this day forward, I
will make the conscious decision to invest into my relationships
and ensure that our bond of friendship will be strong

(01:07):
and purposeful. Even when it seems like I'm in a
season of hiding and preparing, I will remain confident that
distance and time won't break the God connections surrounding my life.
In Jesus' name, Amen, thanks for making prayer a priority

(01:28):
in your life to hear the Bible come to life.
Stay tuned for the Bible in a Year, brought to
you by Bible in a Year dot com.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
The Bond of Friendship. In our last story, we learned
how Saul sought to take David's life. Jealousy enrage filled soul,
and he sent men to murder him, but Jonathan saved
David and David escaped to Samuel. In this story, we
learn how Jonathan and David's friendship grows stronger. Jonathan protects

(02:11):
and nurtures David from the heavy hand of Saul, as
inspired by the Book of First Samuel.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year podcast. In our story yesterday, we
saw how Saul's jealousy spilled over in his desire to
destroy David. Saul could not take the praise and adulation
and adoration that was growing in the hearts of the
people for David. He knew he was losing his kingdom,

(02:41):
so he tried to kill David again and again. David
fled into Samuel's territory, and David was protected not only
by God, but by Saul's own household, his son Jonathan,
and David's wife Michael, the daughter of Saul. And today
we will see how Saul continues to pursue David, and
how Jonathan once again protects the life of his dear friend.

(03:03):
Let's listen now to today's reading.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
David and Jonathan sat sitting on a stone facing the
city below. Subtle tears welled up in David's eyes as
he watched the city from afar. What have I done
to deserve this from him? David said, shaking his head.
Jonathan sat there silently for a moment, allowing David to

(03:27):
feel the sting of betrayal. He put his hand on
David's shoulder and said, you shall not die, my friend.
My father does nothing without telling me first. I will
know if he tries anything else. David was not convinced.
He was still soaking up the view of the city.
He loved the people as his own sheep. The sun

(03:50):
was beginning its descent and a mild orange filled the skies. David,
still looking forward, said, your father knows we are close
than brothers. He would not tell you of his plans
to kill me again. I'll do whatever you want Jonathan said,
tomorrow is the new moon, and your father is expecting

(04:12):
me to feast with him in the elders. I will
hide instead, and you will tell him I am in
Bethlehem making a sacrifice with my clan. If your father
is fine, then we will know he means me no harm.
If your father is angry, we will know his heart.
David paused for a moment. He felt his tears returning.

(04:35):
He regained his composure and stood up. You and I
have made a promise to be friends. However, if you
find any guilt in me, you should kill me yourself.
Jonathan sprang to his feet and said, nonsense. Come, let
us go out into the field. So the two walked
through the fields. Jonathan put his arm around David and said,

(04:59):
I we shall send word of Sal's temperament. Jonathan paused
and became very serious. Listen, God will show you favor
wherever you go. He will exalt you as king and
destroy all those that make you their enemy. Please show
love to my house when God removes your enemies. David

(05:22):
took Jonathan's words very seriously, and the two of them
made a covenant with one another there in the field.
Jonathan promised to serve David and protect him, and David
swore to show Jonathan in his entire household love and favor.
Jonathan spoke again, saying, in the next three days, I

(05:43):
will go out into the field for target practice where
you are hiding. I will shoot three arrows towards you
and send my servant to go and retrieve them. If
you hear me yell the arrows are on that side,
it means the coast is clear for you to return.
If you hear me yell go further, then that means

(06:03):
Saul is still seeking your life and you should flee.
The two of them embraced in parted ways. David loved
Jonathan's soul as much as his own, and there were
no closer friends in all of Israel. The Moon Festival
had begun and David's place at the king's table was empty.
Saul paid little attention to David's absence, thinking he may

(06:26):
have just been ill. However, when the second day of
the festival passed, Saul asked Jonathan, saying, where is the
sun of Jesse. Jonathan cleared his throat and replied, David
asked me if he could go back to Bethlehem to
make a sacrifice with his clan. His brothers demanded it.
Saul drove his knife into the table. You stupid son

(06:50):
of a whore, he yelled. Do you think I'm a fool?
I know you want him to be king in your place.
You shame yourself and your mother. As long as David lives,
you will never be king. Saul shoved his chair back
and pointed to his servants, go find David so I
can slaughter him myself. Jonathan stood up and yelled back

(07:13):
at his father, why should he be put to death?
As Jonathan was speaking, Saul took his spear and hurled
it at Jonathan. He missed and the spear was driven
into the wall behind him. The room was silent. Saul
was huffing in anger. Jonathan met his father's gaze with
complete rage in his eyes. Jonathan did not fear Saul,

(07:36):
for he knew that the lord was with David. Jonathan
said nothing and left the room in a silent fury.
The next morning, Jonathan went out into the field with
his servant for target practice. He shout three arrows into
the distance where he knew David was hiding. He turned
to his servant and said, start running. You will find

(07:58):
the arrows as I shoot them. So the boy ran,
unknowingly in David's direction. The boy was close to where
the arrows were, but Jonathan yelled, keep running. The arrow
is still ahead of you. Hurry, hurry, do not wait
even a moment. So the boy ran faster, but the
command to run was really for David. He bowed in

(08:19):
Jonathan's direction and fled into the wilderness to escape the
judgment of Song. Although David wasn't hiding, God's desire to
use him was not finished. Neither would there be separation
between his heart and Jonathan's.

Speaker 3 (08:37):
Today's scripture begins with David and Jonathan having a conversation.
The mood is heavy because Saul is trying to kill
David and remove the threat to his own kingdom. But Jonathan,
though he is Saul's son, is loyal to David. He
knows that God has annointed this man to be the king.
Proverbs tells us that there is a friend that sticks

(08:59):
closer than a bruther, and certainly this is the relationship
between these two men, David and Jonathan. They are like brothers.
It is a beautiful example of the closeness and the
commitment that is stronger than even the bonds of family.
Jonathan wants to reassure David and says his father would
not do anything to David without telling Jonathan first. But

(09:21):
David has already had his life threatened by Saul on
multiple occasions. He is understandably anxious, and he's certain that Saul,
knowing the closest between these two, would hide his plans
from Jonathan. Jonathan promises to do whatever he needs to
do in order to help David, so David devises a plant.
Jonathan will tell his father that David has decided to

(09:44):
go to Bethlehem to offer sacrifices with his people there.
If Saul seems okay with that, David can rest easy.
But if he flies off into one of his now
characteristic tirades, Jonathan will know that he means harm to David.
So Jonathan tells David that he will do as he asks,
and he tells David how he will use a code
to get him the word of his safety. He would

(10:06):
shoot erraors for practice, and if he tells his servant
who goes to retrieve the errors, that they are farther out,
David will know to run. These two men swore an
oath to each other, and David promised to show kindness
to Jonathan's offspring, no matter what would happen to Jonathan.
In First Samuel twenty verses thirteen to fifteen, this is

(10:27):
what Jonathan says in God's word. 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 in my house forever. When
the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of
David from the face of the earth, Jonathan knew that

(10:48):
God had chosen David to be the king. Jonathan would
not stand in God's way. He would support God's man.
He only wanted to ensure that his offspring, his children,
and their children would not suffer for the sins of
their father or their grandfather. And so at the New
Moon festival, Jonathan tells his father that David wanted to

(11:09):
go to Bethlehem to offer sacrifices, and Saul's response couldn't
be more clear. He is incensed and turns his anger
to his own son, cursing him for his loyalty to David. Saul,
in a fit of rage, accuses Jonathan of not caring
that someone else would be the king and not Jonathan,
and he's right. Jonathan would have been the rightful heir.

(11:33):
But Jonathan is not interested in power. He only wanted
to obey God, and clearly God's plan. God's purpose was
for David to rule. So Jonathan sends his message to David,
who bows in his friend's direction. He is deeply indebted
to his friend as he flees into the wilderness. David's

(11:53):
path to the throne would twist and turn even more
before he would finally become king, and tomorrow will hear
how he continues to run for his life. Dear God,
we thank you for faithful friends, for the people in
our lives that love us, care for us, and always
seek our best. Thank you in this passage of scripture

(12:14):
that we can learn about the loyalty of Jonathan and
David and practice that same kind of faithfulness with our
family and our friends. Help us to be friends that
others can trust with their very lives. In Jesus' name, Amen,
thank you for listening to today's Bible in a year podcast,
I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey dot com app,

(12:36):
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