author: Ryan Hayden Take your Bibles with me and turn to 1 Samuel 20. 1 Samuel 20. Tonight we are going to look at the story of Jonathan's three arrows.

I'm going to read the text, explaining it as I read it, and then I'm going to come back and look at how each character in this story faced a different temptation - and what this can teach us.

Story

I'm going to break this story into six different parts - just so you can follow along.

This story starts with a...

1. A Burning Question (1-4)

Let's read the first four verses:

[!bible] 1 Samuel 20:1-4 - KJV

1. 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?
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.

In chapter 19, if you remember, Saul is trying to kill David. Remember, David's wife Michal tells him he needs to flee and so he runs away from Saul and he runs to Samuel the prophet in a place called Naioth.

And Saul was trying to kill David. Saul sent messengers to get David - and those messengers saw Samuel and David and were overtaken with the spirit and started prophesying.

Saul does this three times, and three times, the same thing happens. Finally, Saul himself goes and Saul is overtaken by the spirit and he starts ripping his kingly clothes off and prophesying.

So it's clear that as long as David is with Samuel in Naioth, he's safe from Saul. So why did David go back to the king's court if he knew that Saul was out to kill him?

I think there are two reasons:

First, I think he may have wanted to see if Saul was still out to get him. It's possible that because of Saul's spiritual experience, that his mind was changed and that it was safe for David to come home. But David wouldn't know if he didn't go.

But I think the bigger reason is that David wanted to see if Jonathan was on Saul's side or David's side.

In that past, Jonathan had warned David. But here, he didn't. And I think that may have bothered David so much he wanted to find out.

David just wants answers:

• He wants answers to why Saul is trying to kill him.
• He wants to know what he did wrong.
• He wants to know if Jonathan is with him. If he has lost his best friend.

And Jonathan tells him he doesn't know anything about it and that he would know if his father wanted to kill David. Jonathan is deceived.

So Jonathan tells David, whatever you want.

And that brings us to the next section, where...

2. A Plan is Hatched (5-9)

Let's read verses 5-9

[!bible] 1 Samuel 20:5-9 - KJV 5. 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. 6. 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. 7. 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. 8. 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? 9. 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?

There is a religious feast coming up. David would normally be in attendance at the King's table. But David and Jonathan work out a plan.

David get's Jonathan's permission to go home to Bethlehem and have a sacrifice with his family, and then to hide out in the field.

In the meantime, Jonathan will be able to gauge Saul's attitude. His heart towards David. Has Saul changed? Is he really out to kill David? We are going to find out.

The next thing that happens is...

3. A Covenant Renewed (10-17)

Look at verse 10:

[!bible] 1 Samuel 20:10 - KJV 10. Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?

David is basically saying "Ok, this is good plan, but how do I find out about what King Saul does?"

And Jonathan, probably looks around the palace and thinks "not here." We need more privacy to talk this over.

So they go out into the field.

Let's read what happens there in verses 11-17:

[!bible] 1 Samuel 20:11-17 - KJV 11. And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. 12. And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee; 13. The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father. 14. And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not: 15. But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. 16. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David’s enemies. 17. And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

The first thing Jonathan does in the field isn't discuss there plans, it is to renew their covenant - the special promise that they had made to each other.

Remember, in chapter 18, Jonathan put his robe on David and made a covenant with him?

Well, here he renews it. He promises again. Jonathan's part of the promise is that David would "go in peace" and David's part of the promise is that He wouldn't hurt Jonathan or Jonathan's family.

I'll talk about this a little later, but in those days, when a new king came to power, it was customary to kill the old kings whole family off - and basically David was promising not to do that. Jonathan absolutely understood that David was going to be the next king.

In verses 18-23...

4. The plan is finalized (18-23)

[!bible] 1 Samuel 20:18-23 - KJV 18. Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. 19. And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. 20. And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. 21. And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the LORD liveth. 22. But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away. 23. And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between thee and me for ever.

Jonathan cooks up this elaborate signal to tell David whether everything is ok or not. He was going to shoot three arrows for target practice, and depending on what he said to the boy who went and fetched them, would mean David was either safe to come home or needed to run away as a fugitive.

So the next part of this story is...

5. The plan is tested (24-34)

They have made this elaborate plan. David is going to be absent from the feast. How is King Saul going to react?

Let's see. Verses 24-34

[!bible] 1 Samuel 20:24-34 - KJV 24. So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. 25. And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, and David’s place was empty. 26. Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. 27. And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day? 28. And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem: 29. And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king’s table. 30. Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness? 31. For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die. 32. And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done? 33. And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. 34. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.

On the first day of the feast, David isn't there. And Saul does nothing about it. He assumes David isn't there because he is ceremonially unclean. (Remember, this was a religious feast and David could have touched a dead body or something.)

So nothing happens on day one. But on day two, David is out of excuses and Saul asked Jonathan "Why isn't the son of Jesse eating with us today or yesterday?"

He calls him "the son of Jesse" as a derision. Its like he's saying "where is the nobody" (Never mind that he was the general and king's son in law.)

And Jonathan says "He asked permission to go have a feast with his family."

This sends Saul into a rage and Saul just starts in on Jonathan. He calls Jonathan "the son of a perverse rebellious woman" and uses course language to curse his son.

Then he lays it out there and says "As long as David is alive, your kingdom will never be established, go and fetch him so he can die."

Now, Jonathan knows. There is no doubt where Saul's mind is at.

And Jonathan tries to stand up for David, he asks "What wrong has he done?"

For asking that - Saul throws a Javelin at him. At his own son. Trying to kill his own son. Saul is not thinking right here.

And Jonathan gets up in anger and leaves and refuses to eat because he is ashamed of his father and grieved for his friend.

Now, the last scene in this little story shows us...

6. The Aftermath (35-42)

Let's read it

[!bible] 1 Samuel 20:35-42 - KJV 35. And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. 36. And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37. And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? 38. And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. 39. But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40. And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city. 41. And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. 42. And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

So Jonathan does what he told David would do. He shoots his three arrows in the field where David is hiding and he calls out "The arrow is beyond thee" when the boy is looking for them.

This is the sign that it's not safe for David to come home. Imagine sitting there in the field like David - listening carefully to hear what Jonathan said, knowing that the fate of your life hung on the next words out of his mouth and with those words, knowing that it is all over.

• You can't go home.
• You can't go to your wife.
• You can't go to your job.
• You can't see your men in the army again.
• You are now a fugitive.

Jonathan sends the boy away and when he is gone, David comes out of hiding and they have a good cry and promise again never to hurt each other.

David wouldn't see Jonathan again for years. He'd see him only one more time right before he died.

This was the end of so much and the beginning of the rockiest part of David's story.

Applications

Now, I want to quickly makes some applications.

I think just like Jonathan shot three arrows in this text, there were three different tests that the three people in this story were facing.

Let's start with Saul.

1. Saul's Test - the test of Discontentment

I feel for Saul in this story. I really think what Saul was wrestling with was discontentment with the will of God.

You see, back several chapters before - before David even came on the scene - God had told Saul through the prophet Samuel that He was going to lose his kingdom and that his kingdom was not going to be passed on to his family.

This was the result of Saul's own disobedience, but it was also God's will. It was clearly God's will. And Saul refused to accept God's will and was very discontent with this situation.

Maybe you know in your heart that God has said "no" to something, and you refuse to be content with that. You insist on trying to do something God doesn't want you to do in your own strength.

When Paul said "I can do all things through Christ which strengthen's me" he wasn't talking about winning a marathon, he was talking about living contented in the will of God.

Saul would not accept God's will for him and when you do that, it sort of poisons your brain. Saul became jealous of David. He became fearful of David. He was so taken over with rage that he went after his own son.

He became more and more irrational. More and more distrusting. He didn't just attack David (which was bad enough) he started attacking people he loved.

So if you are tempted to be discontent with God's plan for your life. If you are letting that discontentment turn into jealousy and even sour your spirit to the point where you attack good people - then you need to learn the negative lesson here from King Saul.

It does not end well for him. The root of bitterness sprung up and troubled him and it will trouble you. So you have to kill that thing and accept God's will.

That's the first test. Saul's test. What about...

2. David's Test - the test of faith

If Saul was tested in this story with discontentment - I think we see David tested in this story with faith.

Up until this point, David had done everything right. He was chosen by God. Anointed. He killed the giant. He managed the tests of the court and the army.

And up until this point, things were going pretty well for David. He was the King's son in law. He was a leader of Israel. Best friends with the King's son.

But there is about to be a whole lot of pain and suffering and hardship in David's life. Not because he did anything wrong, simply because that was part of Gods' plan for him.

For a period of around 7 years, David is going to be on the run, living as a fugitive, then as a mercenary. It's going to seem less and less likely that he'll ever be king.

But that was a part of God's preparation for David. David had to learn to trust God and only God. David had to learn to lean on God when things were good and when things were tough. David had to learn to obey God and God-given authority - even when it made no earthly sense.

Listen, maybe you are obeying God and you are on a bleak road right now. Things seem tough. Things seem scary.

David said in verse 3 that there is but a step between me and death. David felt like he was on a tight rope or walking a plank, and if he made one wrong step he was going to die.

But God was in all of that. Just because you are going through a tough time doesn't mean you are out of God's will - very often God leads us into difficult circumstances.

Jonathan shot three arrows, there are three people, and three tests. So far we've talked about Saul's test and David's test - but I want you to consider Jonathan's test tonight.

3. Jonathan's Test - the test of loyalty

If Saul was tested with discontentment in the will of God and David was tested in his faith. I think Jonathan had a test here of loyalty and allegiance.

You see, from chapter 18 until now, it is very clear that Jonathan knows that David is going to be the next king of Israel. Jonathan knows that God is with David. That he is God's anointed.

Unlike Saul - who is discontent with God's will and rejects it - Jonathan embraces God's will and accepts it.

He is loyal to David

• Even when David is a rejected fugative.
• Even when loyalty to David puts a rift in his own family.
• Even though that means giving up his earthly success.

And I think there is a picture there for us. It's a picture of our loyalty to Christ.

You see, just like David was rejected by Saul - Christ is rejected by the world.

The norm in this world is for Christ and His followers to be rejected and even persecuted. Will you be faithful to Christ?

And just like being loyal to David and standing up for what was right put a rift in Jonathan's family - faithfulness to Christ will often divide brother from brother, father from son.