Brethren, let's be turning to
1 Samuel chapter 20. 1 Samuel chapter 20. Now, in this
text, it recalls the covenant that Jonathan made with David. It will be evident here as we
go through this message that the kindness that Jonathan shows
to David is done in the context of this covenant. Everything
that he does here for David, and what he says is in regards
to this covenant that was made between the two of them. And
because of this covenant, we are made to see that there's
no possibility that Jonathan's not going to do what he said
in this covenant. He's going to show David kindness. He's going to speak truth to
David, and this kindness is to be shown to their offspring,
one another's household, if one of them should pass before the
other. And so all of this is done in
and because of this covenant that was made. Having said that, what we'll
look at tonight, and as we go through and look at this covenant,
we'll be looking at how this pictures for us the covenant
that our Lord has established for us, so that the blessings
we see in this covenant speak to the blessings that are given
to us in our Lord Jesus Christ, because there's a covenant made
between the Father, God the Father, God the Son and so in that covenant
we receive all the blessings of God. In Hebrews chapter 6
in verse 18 through 20 We're told that by two immutable things,
or two unchangeable things, things that cannot be altered or changed,
in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong
consolation, that we would be comforted by the hope which we
have been given in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what he says
there. We might have a strong hope or
a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon
the hope set before us. God set that hope before his
people, the Lord Jesus Christ. Which hope we have as an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that
within the veil." Well, Christ is our anchor. And he, as our
good shepherd, has gone before his sheep, leading them out.
He went through the veil, that veil of death. He entered in
to obtain, to make that way of salvation for his people in him. in himself and he is sure and
certain so that he is our anchor in that inheritance within the
veil. We are anchored to him. He's
our hope. It's fixed in the Lord Jesus
Christ, not in what we do or don't do, not in what we say
or don't say. It's in the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's the anchor. Whither the forerunner is for
us entered, even Jesus, made in high priest forever, after
the order of Melchizedek. And so we're already anchored,
brethren. We're anchored. in the inheritance
of the saints in light. We're anchored in the Lord Jesus
Christ, and that's a precious thought. A precious thought.
When so many things are tied to winds and whims and who knows
what in this world, we have an anchor of the soul, the Lord
Jesus Christ, and you cannot be touched or plucked or removed
from his hand. We are fixed firmly in him. Now,
let's flip back. Before we get to chapter 20,
let's look back in chapter 18. Chapter 18 and verse 3. This is where this covenant between
Jonathan and David is first mentioned. And this is just about all that's
mentioned of it. Then Jonathan and David made
a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. So that's really
all that we're told at this time about this covenant. And the
covenant appears to be a covenant of friendship. It's a covenant
of friendship between the two. And what this meant for David
is he has a true friend in the king's court. If you've ever
seen or studied history or seen these movies where they have
an old-timey king's court, it's important. It's needful for you
to have an advocate in the king's court, someone to speak well
for you before the king. And David had Jonathan as one
who could stand in the king's court and advocate for David,
could speak well for David. And he could also hear if someone
was speaking ill of David and let David know what was going
on. So David had a true friend in
the king's court. And the love of Jonathan for
David was such that we're told in verse 4, chapter 18, verse
4, and Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him
and gave it to David and his garments, even to his sword and
to his bow and to his girdle. And this seems to intend for
David that David now had clothes befitting or proper for the king's
court. David was a shepherd boy. David
didn't have nice clothes. He didn't have the kinds of clothes
that people wore in a king's court. And this was a new court,
of course, of Saul. But still, Jonathan took off
his clothes so that David now had clothes befitting of a prince. And when he showed up, he would
look just like the prince, Prince Jonathan, because he was wearing
the clothes that Jonathan had worn. And so this would certainly
have helped David and made him comfortable to go into that court
with boldness, to appear before the king and to know that he
would be heard and that he wouldn't be mocked or laughed right out
of the place or sent out of that place because he wore a proper
attire to be there, to be there in the presence of the king.
Now, Turning our attention to the covenant blessings that we've
been given in the Lord Jesus Christ, that's so of us. We have been properly attired. We have been given the clothes
of the court, clothes with which we may stand before Holy God. and be accepted and received
of the true and living God. And that attire that we wear
is righteousness. We've been fitted with the robe
of righteousness, the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, because
he is righteous, and he has made us righteous in himself. As our head, as our surety, he
fulfilled all the righteousness of the law. He settled our debts
so that before the law, we are righteous. The law is nothing
negative to say against us. We are righteous. Therefore,
being righteous, God imputes righteousness to us, because
that's what imputation is. It's an accounting of what you
are. If we weren't righteous, God
wouldn't impute righteousness to us. But because we are righteous,
we have the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. We
are clothed in His robe of righteousness, in His clothes. He's put them
upon us so that we are before the throne of Holy God. And when
you see Him on the throne, He's the King. He's ruling. He's in
session. He's judging. And the scriptures
say that we stand before God's throne faultless, faultless because
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, David was a soldier of the
king. And he was going to be dwelling in the king's courts.
We're told that Saul wouldn't let him go home anymore, maybe
for a visit. But he would not be living there
anymore. He would be living in the king's house now with the
king's soldiers. And now he, being dressed appropriately,
would appear as a proper subject of the king. I'm reminded, when
I was going through this, of the parable of the wedding. And there was only one person
thrown out of that wedding. And it was that man which had
not on a wedding garment. He disregarded the attire. He didn't care for it. He figured,
I'm good enough. I've got proper clothes enough.
I don't need a wedding garment. I don't need what they're wearing.
I'm sufficient in what I'm coming in. That's what he thought. That's
what he thought. And when the king entered, he
saith unto him, friend, how camest thou in hither? not having a
wedding garment. And he was speechless. And what
he's saying there is, how did you think it was proper for you
to just come in here not wearing the wedding garment of my people?
And that speaks to the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
said the king to the servants, bind him hand and foot and take
him away, and cast him into outer darkness. There shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth." How does one get a wedding garment? That's what I would want to know.
How do we get that wedding garment? Well, I can 100% tell you it's
not by our works under the law. It's not by our works in religion. but rather it is 100% with certainty
given freely, sovereignly by the King, by the Lord Jesus Christ
who gives it to whom he will. And all those who believe him,
who have no righteousness of their own, who wouldn't dare
walk into the presence of the King in their own garment, but
know I must come before the King in the wedding garment, the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ, that one is righteous. Because that's
the confession of the saints of God. All those that are chosen
of God confess, Lord, I need your righteousness. I don't want
to come in my own righteousness. I don't want to stand before
you having my own righteousness. But that righteous, not that
righteousness which is of the law, but that righteousness which
is of Christ. Because that's the one whom you
sent to save your people from their sins. And so it's given
freely. And I know that because in Matthew
22, 14, when he finished that parable, he said, for many are
called, but few are chosen. It's given freely, sovereignly,
by our God through the Lord Jesus Christ, and it speaks to the
righteousness of Christ. If that's your hope, if that's
your confession, if that's your heart, is Christ, that He's your
anchor, He's your hope, He's your salvation, that's a testimony
that God has given you the wedding garment. that he has fitted you
with the robe of his righteousness. That's a manifestation of his
grace, because only his people confess that. Now, there's a
few details that I want to look at first with you about this
covenant of friendship between Jonathan and David, which then
opened to our view the great comforts that are established
for us in the covenant of grace, because that's what we're in,
brethren. We are before God in the covenant of grace. Under
the covenant of works, we fail. We come short of the glory of
God. We don't have a hope of righteousness
in the covenant of works. But in the covenant of grace
established for us by the blood of Jesus Christ, we are accepted
of God. We are righteous before him. And we have these many blessings. of our God, who promises to be
kind to us, and to give us his word, and to bring us to himself. So first, in this covenant of
friendship here, let's go back to 1 Samuel 20, and in verse
8, verse 8, the beginning of verse
8, this is Jonathan Therefore thou shalt deal kindly
with thy servant, for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant
of the Lord with thee. Now, in light of the covenant
that we've been established in by the Lord Jesus Christ, we've
been brought into a covenant with our Lord, with our Lord,
and God shall deal with us in perfect kindness." In kindness,
He deals with His people because of the covenant established between
the Father and the Son. In Jeremiah 29 verse 11, and
you can turn there if you want, this is good to see, in Jeremiah
chapter 29, in that chapter Jeremiah is writing to the Jews
who had been taken captive already and brought into Babylon. These
were one of the first people to be carried off into exile
in Babylon. And there was other prophets
telling them that you're going to be delivered. You're going
to be brought out of this right away. The Lord's coming, and you're
going to be brought out. Don't settle down. You're being
brought out of this. Well, that wasn't true. That
isn't what the Lord was telling his prophets at all. And so he
had Jeremiah write to them. And what he told the people there
is that God will provide for you. God will provide for you. Trust him. Wait upon him. And settle down. Just settle
down there and the Lord will provide for you. What he's saying
is, you settle down there, my grace is sufficient for you. It probably was hard for them
to think, for them to think this is going to be a long time. This
is going to be 70 years. They didn't know that yet, but
it was going to be that way. And they probably felt like it
was unfaithful to settle down there. that it would be wrong
for them to hope that the Lord was going to keep them there
for 70 years. Rather, they thought it would be right to hope that
they were going to be delivered any moment then. But it was a
false word that they were hearing in that regard. But the Lord
promised them, saying, I've not forgotten about you. Just settle
down, have children, have houses, and grow vineyards, and I'll
return in 70 years. And he says, verse 11, for I
know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts
of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. And that's a great comfort to
us in the world. At any time in the world, there's
always things going on. There's always struggles and
conflicts and wars and problems and disagreements at all times.
But the Lord says, you keep your eye on me. And I'll provide for
you. My grace is sufficient for you.
I will feed you. I will bless you. I remember
you. I've not forgotten you. I will
keep you. It's the Lord who does that for
his people. He has a gracious purpose for
us. And we shall bear fruits of righteousness
unto our God in and by the Lord Jesus Christ through faith. Through faith. And he assures
them of these blessings there in Jeremiah 29, verse 12 and
13. Then shall ye call upon me, and
ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken, or hear you. and ye shall seek me and find
me when ye search for me with all your heart." You know, there's
a real blessing in going through the fiery trials and the manifold
temptations because it brings us to cry out to God and to seek
Him and to pray to Him and to trust Him and to look to Him
as opposed to having what this flesh thinks is good for us and
peaceful and comforting. We see here it's better to be
at the feet of Christ and cry to him. Additionally, then, in
this covenant of friendship, Jonathan promises that he'll
be truthful to David. Let's go back there in chapter
20, verse 9. Jonathan said, if I knew certainly
that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee,
then Would I tell it thee? Now, thee were in the palace.
They were in Saul's palace there, so to speak, where they would
be heard. So they go out to a field. And
there David binds himself with this oath to speak the truth
to David. Look at verse 12 and 13. And Jonathan said unto David,
O Lord God of Israel, or by the Lord God of Israel, when I have
sounded my father about tomorrow, any time or the third day, meaning
this was the first day, tomorrow's the second or the third day from
here, and behold, if there be good toward David, And I then
send not unto thee and showeth thee, the Lord do so and much
more to Jonathan. But if it please my father to
do thee evil, then I will showeth thee, and send thee away, that
thou mayest go in peace, and the Lord be with thee, as he
hath been with my father. All right, so we come now to
where there's truth to be spoken in this covenant. Well, turning
our thoughts to the covenant of grace then, how does our Lord
speak to his people? By the word of truth. God is a spirit, and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. That being so, then it's certain
in this covenant of grace that Our Lord establishes us with
two blessings that provide for us to worship God in spirit and
in truth. One, He gives us His Holy Spirit,
who gives us life, the life of Christ for His people. We're
given that spirit, whereby, being spiritually alive, we understand
the things of God, and we worship God in that spirit. We worship
God in the new man, not in the old man of flesh. This new man
created in us by the seed of Christ cannot sin. The new man cannot not believe. All the new man can do is believe
the Lord. and rejoice in his word. This
old man of flesh doesn't, right? The spirit's willing, but the
flesh is weak. But in the new man, we delight
in the Lord. We believe the Lord. We rejoice
in the Lord and confess, Lord, you are just and right in all
that you say and do. And we see how the Lord has provided
for us in his word, which is the second thing. He gives us
the word of truth. And the Spirit of God takes the
things of Christ in this Word of Truth and shows them unto
the believer. whereby we see the mystery is
unlocked, that this whole word is speaking of Christ and showing
us the Lord Jesus Christ, that we need his salvation, we cannot
do it ourselves, and God all along always intended and purposed
to save his people by his daughter and son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
always. And we see that now, that's given
to us. That's given to us here in this word. John 15.26 says,
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from
the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from
the Father, he shall testify of me. Their covenant of friendship
was established in truth. Brethren, in the covenant of
grace, we are established in the truth of God, the Lord Jesus
Christ, the word of truth. And he's given us his spirit
to know him. And then one more thing from this covenant of friendship,
though it was established between Jonathan and David, it extended
to their houses, to their seed. Extended to their seed. First
Samuel 20. Look at verses 14 and 15. And thou shalt not only, while
yet I live, show me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not.
All right, Jonathan's saying, when you're made king, David,
when you're king, don't put me to death like a tyrant would,
because I'm going to serve you. I'll serve you, because I know
that you're the anointed of God. I'll serve you, I'll bow to you.
Verse 15, but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from
my house forever, no not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies
of David, every one from the face of the earth. And so it
is in the covenant of grace that all that the Father has given
to the Son, is given to you, the son's people, his bride,
his church, whom he purchased with his own blood, so that Christ
is our inheritance, and we are partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. We have a habitation, we have
a place prepared for us in and by the Lord Jesus Christ and
that's given to us so that the house of Christ shall stand forever
and forever be provided for because of this covenant of grace between
the Father and the Son. We're told that Christ has opened
the veil for us. He's opened that veil for us
and led us, his seed, into the presence of his Father. Turn
with me to Colossians chapter 3. Colossians 3, let's look at verse
1 and a few verses following. If ye then be risen with Christ.
I mean just that statement there alone has packed in all the blessings
that we have in Christ. How that He bore us in Himself
when He went to the cross. where we died in him to the law,
and have satisfied the law, and we are reconciled, all things
are reconciled in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says, if you've
been risen with Christ, we were buried with him and raised again
with him, if you're risen with him, seek those things which
are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set
your affection on things above, not on things on the earth, for
ye are dead. And your life is hid with Christ
in God. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. And so this covenant being established,
brethren, this is our inheritance. the Lord Jesus Christ, that we
have a sure and everlasting inheritance in the presence of God, to see
Him, to behold Him, to rest in peace, in perfect peace and happiness
in the Lord. Now, like this covenant of friendship
between Jonathan and David, we're the seed of Christ that's blessed.
We're the seed of Christ because of this covenant of grace established
by his blood. Isaiah 59, 21. As for me, this
is my covenant with them, saith the Lord. My spirit that is upon
thee, as the father speaking to the son, my spirit that is
upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall
not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed,
nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord from henceforth
and forever." The Lord blesses us. He's blessed
us in the Son. He's given us the Spirit and
the seed of Christ. We that are born of Christ's
seed, we speak these words of truth. That's why we declare
Christ. That's why we glory in the Lord Jesus Christ and not
glorying in what we do. That's why when we come together,
we're not trying to assure ourselves of some fabled righteousness
that we've worked saying what we've done for the Lord, but
rather we come and boast to one another of what Christ has done
for us. And we rest in Christ. When I
speak to you, your words are isn't Christ precious, what the
Lord has done, what He's provided, what He's done for us and given
to us here. It's all rejoicing in the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's in Him, and He's our glory. So those are some of the blessings
that we see pictured for us here in the covenant between these
two men, but it's understood in the lens of the covenant of
grace. I just want to bring out Just
a couple final thoughts here on the covenant of grace that
is made known to us, or what we see here pictured in a few
more verses of this chapter. Like David, the church, the church
of Christ, has many enemies that would destroy us if they could. But in their attempts of the
enemies of God to destroy the people of God, it actually ends
up working the purpose and will of God ultimately for the good
of his people. What they're trying to destroy
ends up resulting in the glory of God, and it brings to pass
God's will and purpose. And so first, one thing that
we see here with Saul's hatred of David is that it was a means
of proving Jonathan's love for David. It proved that Jonathan
loved David. And the second thing is that
Saul, seeking David's death, it was a means of actually bringing
about the fulfillment of and the accomplishment of this covenant
of friendship between Jonathan and David. And so Saul's pursuit
to destroy David, it was the means of revealing the details
of their covenant, actually. When we saw that they made a
covenant in chapter 18, we didn't know any of the details, really,
about it. We didn't know what was mentioned or what this covenant
between the two even meant until we came to the point where David's
life was at stake. And that this was it. And that
the end was near for David. And that's when the covenant
blessings were made known to David there. Well, that's true
for us as well, in several senses. It was when push came to shove,
when the Jews took Christ to put him to death, and they did
put him to death, All right, that's when all the blessings
of the covenant were made known. That's when the mystery was revealed. When they had done, when they
began and finished what they had started to do, the Lord's
will was accomplished. And his word made known and understood
by the people of God. And also the Lord does that for
us too. It's when our lives are at stake, when we're at our wit's
end, It was Psalm 107, when we're at our wit's end and we're troubled. and we cry out to the Lord, that's
when the covenant is made known to us. That's when the blessings
are revealed to us and understood by us in truth. Otherwise it's
just textbook learning. It's just learning in the classroom,
but then you go out and you see the truth of these things and
you realize this is what the Lord is saying. This is what
the Lord does for his people and has accomplished for his
people. That's when it's made known.
Taking this picture here of David being persecuted by Saul, and
you bring that to the covenant of grace, well, when the enemies
of Christ sought to destroy him, that's what gave rise to the
establishment of the covenant of grace. That's when the covenant
of works was put to an end there, and the covenant of grace was
then established. And it was when he accomplished
our redemption that by his grace and power, that's when all the
blessings are now made known and understood by the people
of God, so that we rejoice in what he's done for us. And through
that hatred of the Jews who rejected Christ and had him crucified,
that's where we were made to know the love of God our Father
for us, and to know the gift of eternal life given to us through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. John 3.16 says that God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That wasn't known until Christ
was crucified and raised again. Now we understand what he was
saying there and what he meant. Now we understand that blessing.
And then by their wicked hands and putting Christ to death,
our Lord accomplished his eternal will and purpose to save his
people in this covenant of grace. That which was promised back
here in the beginning now unfurled and became known and revealed
to us of what our God was teaching us. Acts 2, 22 through 24. Ye men of Israel, hear these
words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved
of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God
did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know, him
being delivered by the determinate counsel And for knowledge of
God ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain,
whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because
it was not possible that he should be holden of it." And so we see
here, just by this little tip of the covenant of friendship
established between them, our view is put upon the covenant
of grace. established for us by the Lord
Jesus Christ revealing to us what our God has done and what
he purposed and intended for us in Christ and how we're blessed
mightily, wonderfully in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. So
the final verse 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. And so brethren, rejoice in what
Christ has done in establishing you in this covenant of grace. You that believe him. And it's a blessing and a mercy. I pray the Lord bless that word.
Amen. Our gracious Lord, we thank you
for this covenant of grace in which you've established us by
the blood of Jesus Christ. and how you've made us to know
the blessings of our God, to know the Word of our God, to
read these things with understanding of how they are intended and
meant to show us Christ. and to show us what you've done
for your people, to rejoice our hearts, to bless our hearts and
minds, that we would understand this anchor of the soul that
we have in and by the Lord Jesus Christ, which has fixed us in
that hope of the saints, not by our doing, not by what we
have or haven't done, by the law, or by works, or by will,
but what Christ has done. And Lord, we pray that you would
bless this word to our hearts, that you would fix it in us,
in the new man whereby we hear and rejoice in the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's in Christ's name that we pray and give thanks.
Amen.