It is good to know as the anointed children of God that God has the final say regardless of how jealousy and fear co-opt others who may be planning and aiming for our downfall. His yes is louder than all of their attempts to sabotage what God wants to do in us!
2. The Responsibilities of a Friend (1 Samuel 19:2–5)
| King James Version | New Revised Standard Version |
| 2 But Jonathan Saul’s son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: | 2 Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; therefore be on guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret place and hide yourself. |
| 3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee. | 3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; if I learn anything I will tell you.” |
| 4 And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good: | 4 Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you; |
| 5 For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? | 5 for he took his life in his hand when he attacked the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against an innocent person by killing David without cause?” |
Jonathan’s actions stand as a sterling example of what godly friendship looks like. As soon as he heard about the danger David was facing, he immediately sprang to action. We will examine closely what friendship in action looks like.
Friends warn other friends of imminent and approaching danger. In verse 2, Jonathan warned David of the threat upon his life. As friends, we have the obligation to warn our friends when they are headed toward destruction. Conversely, we also see through the actions of David in our story that as a friend we also have the responsibility of being approachable and open to listening to the sound counsel and advice of our friends. Can you recount a time in life when you wished someone would have pulled you by the coattail or shared sound godly advice with you when you were heading down the wrong path?
In verses 2 and 3 Jonathan understood the value of his friendship and the peril his friend was in; thus, he devised a plan to help. This suggests godly friendship may require proper prior planning at times to help the ones we love. This is especially true when our friends may be facing grave danger. Prior planning is essential. Even the secular world realizes this reality. In 1983 the Ad Council launched a campaign entitled “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.” The whole ad concept was aimed at preventing drunk driving, but it centered around the responsibility of friends to plan to protect each other. This is what Jonathan did for David.
In the first part of verse 4, Jonathan spoke highly or well of David. That’s an impressive feat in and of itself. However, when we factor in the dual realities that David was not around and Saul was certainly not a fan of David, Jonathan’s complimentary speaking about his friend is all the more exemplary. As godly friends, we too should talk up our friends, especially when they are not around, and remain vigilant in talking them up even when the audience changes. God has divinely designed it so friends are able to give each other confidence for life by speaking life and encouragement to them. Have you ever experienced a chameleon crony? One who was friendly and spoke well of you when in your company, but then as soon as the audience switched, they changed their tune and dished dirt on you? How did it make you feel? If able, share the experience with someone, and use your testimony as a lesson of the importance of being a godly friend.
Jonathan also settled down his father Saul and persuaded him not to harm David in verse 5. Real friends broaden our outlook to see and consider perspectives beyond our own. Jonathan reasoned with Saul to consider that while he may not be fond of David, the man had been good for Israel. No doubt Jonathan remembered how David slew Goliath and was mighty in battle against their Philistine enemies. Sadly, Saul was blinded by his jealousy-fueled rage and oblivious to these realities. Like a true friend, Jonathan overlooked Saul’s anger and offered him a different perspective.
In these same verses, we also see in the actions of Jonathan the attributes of what it means to be a friend to God. Jonathan appealed to his father on the basis of morality, values, and a firm sense of choosing right over wrong. Jonathan chose principles (the right thing) over personality. He chose to stand for the right thing and did it even when it put him at odds with his father—literally the king of Israel. This is an absolute mark of a friend to God. God’s friends can be trusted to choose to do the right thing regardless of who that puts them at odds with. Sometimes standing up to family and loved ones is difficult. Truthfully, it is downright hard. However, in those moments of difficulty, God is counting on us to choose the right thing (principle) over whom the choice may put us at odds with (personality).
3. Resolution and Restoration (1 Samuel 19:6–7)
| King James Version | New Revised Standard Version |
| 6 And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain. | 6 Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death.” |
| 7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past. | 7 So Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. |
In the final verses of our lesson, the crisis was averted (for the moment). Saul listened to the reason of Jonathan, and with a broadened perspective and at least a momentary fear of God that outweighed his fear of David, he decided to call off the manhunt on David’s life. As soon as he heard his father promise to spare David’s life, Jonathan returned to David and delivered the good news. Promise kept. True friends always make every effort to keep their promises. The lesson ends with a beautiful picture of restoration with David returning to the palace and serving the king as if nothing had ever happened. David’s return to the palace was demonstrative of his loyalty and dedication to his friendship with Jonathan and the desire for greater service. His service to the king after receiving his pardon is a great lesson to close this scriptural exposition. After all, like David, we had drawn the wrath of a great King (God) and through the efforts of a Son (Jesus) we’ve received a pardon too! Now the King has made room for us in His Kingdom, and we all should serve to the best of our ability. Beloved of God, since our friend Jesus intervened for us, let us intervene for our friends and serve the Lord with rigor (Rom. 12:11).
This story is one of the interesting narratives in which we discover the staunch differences between David the king after God’s own heart and Saul the king doomed from his coronation. Saul was willing to (continually tried to) kill David even though he had dealt Saul no ill action. In fact, David had been nothing but helpful to Saul. He fought his battles, married his daughter, and was as loyal to Saul as Lassie was to Timmy or Robin to Batman. On the other hand, as we will see with David, despite all of the offenses he’d suffered and would suffer from Saul, David refused to harm him even when he had the opportunity to do so. This suggests to us that the person God calls friend is long-suffering