Let's go to the Lord in prayer.
Our Father, we thank you for letting us be here one more time,
for letting us be able to gather around your word. We thank you
for even giving us the desire to be here. We realize, Lord,
that we're nothing without you. Lord, how we need to hear from
you. Speak to our hearts, open up our minds, open up our understandings. and help us to worship you as
you reveal yourself through your word. And Lord, we ask all this
in your name. Amen. 1 Samuel chapter 20. We saw in chapter 19 how that David
is being hunted by King Saul and how that Jonathan helped
him. Then how that he was helped by Michael, Saul's own daughter.
And then we saw how that he ran to Samuel at the school of the
prophets, and how God intervened, and God had spared David, God
had protected him. And you know how that David is
God's anointed king. He's the one that God has picked
out, chosen, and ordained to sit upon the throne of Israel,
who is a type and a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ who rules
and reigns over all spiritual Israel, all God's elect. And our Lord, he sits and rules
now on the throne of David. And now in chapter 20, verse
1, it says, And David fled from Nahoth, where he was at with
Samuel and Ramah. And he came and he said before
Jonathan, he runs to Jonathan, I think it was Gil said that
He probably was instructed by Samuel, and I can understand
that, how that he instructed him to go to Jonathan, who's
kind of like a mediator. And he said to Jonathan, what
have I done? Looking at it from a human standpoint,
can you imagine what's going on in David's mind? What in the
world have I done to cause this man to hate me so much? Everywhere
he goes, everywhere, he's hunted like an animal. Saul hated him. Saul despised him. I heard someone
say the other day that they thought Saul was converted. I don't think
Saul was ever converted. I think there's enough scripture
to prove this man never knew God. A man that hates Christ doesn't
know Christ. A man that despises him and doesn't
want him to sit upon the throne doesn't know him. He's never
bowed to him. And this man never bowed. Saul resented him, Saul
envied him, and Saul hated him. And he didn't mind if everybody
knew it. He didn't care. He didn't try to hide it. He
did for a while. He's not trying to hide it now.
And David comes to Jonathan. Jonathan's the heir to the throne.
By right, when Saul dies, if Jonathan's the firstborn son,
it's his right physically to sit upon that throne. And God's
done told Saul he's rejected him, and not only him, but his
whole household. Who should have sat upon the
throne? Adam should have. Adam rebelled against God, and
all the sons of Adam are rejected from sitting upon that throne,
except for the second Adam, the God-man who sits upon that throne
by right, by choice, by decree, by God's determinate counsel.
And fallen Adam, man's depraved nature, cannot stand it. You know why? There is an enmity
between the seed of the woman, who is Christ, and the seed of
the serpent. And it's always been there. And
you see it manifested here. But David runs to Jonathan, who's
the prince, who is physically the rightful heir to the throne.
And he says, what have I done? What is mine iniquity? What is
my sin before thy father that he seeketh my life? And Jonathan said unto David
in verse 2, God forbid that thou shalt not die. Behold, my father
will do nothing, either great or small, but that he will show
it to me. And why should my father hide
this thing from me? It is not so. Now, I don't understand
this. Because if you'll read a couple
of chapters back, Jonathan knew his daddy was trying to kill
him. He knew it. Saul actually told Jonathan.
He said, we're going to kill him. We're going to kill David.
And now he says, this is not so. It's like I just can't believe
my father would act that way. Are you surprised how your father,
Adam, acts? Are you really surprised? Say,
oh, he wouldn't do that. Have you ever heard anybody say,
I can't understand why anybody would do a thing like that? If
you know your own heart, you can. Isn't that true? He wouldn't do this. Oh, yes,
he will. And oh, yes, he is. In David's swear, verse 3, moreover,
it said, thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace
in thine eyes." He's saying, Jonathan, your daddy knows that
I found grace in your eyes. And he saith, Let not Jonathan
now know this, lest he be grieved. But truly, as the Lord liveth,
and as thy soul liveth, Jonathan, there is but a step between me
and death. This is the man that's anointed
king. And he feels like, my next step could be death. He's still human. You read the
book of Psalms, he talks about his enemies gathering around
him, and listen, a lot of times we just apply that to David,
and most of the time when that's applied to David, it's also applied
to the one that's greater than David. talking about his sins
and his enemies encamping around about him and how that God delivered
him. And God did deliver him. Do you know God delivered the
Son of God when he was even a child? You remember the king when the
magi came and they said, we're looking for the one that's born
king of the Jews? And Harris said, oh, really?
He said, I thought that was me. I thought I was the king of the
Jews. He says, OK, well, if you go find him, would you please
come tell me where that I can go worship him? I want to know
where he's at. I want to worship him. He had
no intentions on worshiping him. You know why? Because when God
revealed to the Magi that they go back another way and not go
by Herod, it made Herod mad. And you know what Herod did?
Herod said, well, I don't know where he's at. He said, if I can't
get him, I'll get them all. From two years old and under,
you kill every one of them. and God spared him. And it's
kindly ironic, you know where he sent our Lord? To Egypt. You know what he said? What is
that? That's God sparing his king. And God protects his king. You
imagine everything that God had to do. Imagine with me, everything
that God had to do to bring the Lord Jesus Christ into this world.
Everything. had to happen. Everything had
to come together. Everything had to happen on purpose. He's like a root out of dry ground,
despised and rejected amidst, but he's still God's King. And David said, is there not
a step between me and death? Have you ever felt that way?
First and foremost, we apply this scripture first to Christ,
but I see a believer's life too. were hated and despised for this
world because Christ is in us, the hope of glory. And sometimes
you feel like, why is all this happening? Why does everybody
seem to just hate and despise me? They despise him, that's
it. They hate him. Then said Jonathan unto David,
Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it. for thee. Our Lord said, Whatsoever you
ask in my name, I'll give it you. And Jonathan says, Whatever
your desire is, I'll do it. Now look in verse five. Look
at verse five through seven, and we're going to look at verses
25 through 23. There's so much in this chapter, there's no way
of covering it in one message or one lesson. And David said
to Jonathan, Behold, the morrow is the new moon. That's not just
the new moon. There was a feast of the new
moon. There was a sacrifice that was offered. It was the time
of celebration is what that means. He said, and I should not fail
to sit with the king at meet. David was the king's son-in-law.
David had a right to sit there. But let me go that I may hide
myself in the field until the third day at evening. This is
the anointed king who's having to hide himself. If thy father at all miss me
when your father sits there at the feast, then say, David earnestly
ask leave of me, that he may run to Bethlehem his city, for
there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family." He said,
if your father asks where I'm at, you tell him I've gone to
Bethlehem. that there's a yearly sacrifice, and my brother's asked
me to come to the feast." Now, some, you read two or three commentaries,
some say that he didn't go, and some say, well, you know, he
was just trying to deceive you. I don't know. But this is what
he says, when your daddy asks me why I'm not sitting there
in my seat, and he misses me, and he misses me, and I'm not
there, you tell him that I've gone to Bethlehem, to my father's
house. Verse seven, if he say thus,
it is well, thy servant shall have peace. But if he be mad
and angry, then be sure that evil is determined by him. He
said, Jonathan, this is how you're determined. If your father just
says, OK, it's fine, then everything's fine. But it wasn't. 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." He says, if there's
iniquity in me, Jonathan, you go ahead and kill me. I'd rather
die at your hands than at the hands of your father. And that's
what he said. Now, turn over to verse 25. We'll come back to the other
verses in just a few minutes. Okay, this is when they're having
this feast. This is the feast of the new
moon. And it says, 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. David's not there. Nevertheless,
Saul spake not anything that day, for he thought, Well, something
hath befallen him. He's not clean. Surely he is
not clean. He thought, well, maybe he's
done something to defy himself. He can't come to the feast. And
it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the
month, that Saul's place, that David's place, was still empty.
And Saul said unto Jonathan, my his son, wherefore cometh
not the son of Jesse to meet, neither yesterday nor today?
And Jonathan answered Saul. David earnestly asked leave of
me to go to Bethlehem. He asked leave of Jonathan. And
he said, Let me go, I pray thee, for my family hath the 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 to the
king's table." That's why he's not here. Then Saul's anger was
kindled against Jonathan, and he said, Thou son of the perverse,
rebellious woman, they said, you can't give a greater insult
to any man than to speak against his mama. He said, thou son of
the perverse woman. Well, that was Saul's wife also. Do not I know that thou hast
chosen the son of Jesse? And every time he wanted to speak
in a degrading tone of voice, he always called him, he didn't
call him David, he said, that son of Jesse. He ain't nothing. Where's that son of Jesse at
now? And Saul's anger was kindled, and he said, Thou son of the
perverse, rebellious woman, verse 30, Do I not know that thou hast
chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and to the confusion
of thy mother's nakedness? So long as the son of Jesse liveth
upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom."
What's he saying? Jonathan, do you not understand
that as long as he's around, you will not sit upon the throne?
Saul knew it. And he says, Jonathan, do you
not know this? You still want to side with him?
Do you actually recognize him as going to be the king? Remember,
God spoke through Samuel and told Saul that he had chosen
him a man after his own heart. And he's going to be king. And Saul knows it. That's why
he's so mad. You want to get people, you really
want to make people angry. Now they will accept a little
Jesus. Now they will accept and they will have any problem with
a Jesus that loves everybody and wants to save everybody and
can't save nobody unless they let him. That doesn't bother,
that doesn't make anybody mad. But when you find out that God
is sovereign, And God puts upon the throne of your heart who
He chooses, and that God can either save you or damn you,
that's up to Him. Now, they won't accept that.
They'll say, did I really hear you right? That God chose the
people before the world, and why did He choose them? He chose
whom He would. And He bypassed others. Did I really hear you
right? The veins in their neck could
get big, their face will turn red and in all shades of color.
Why? They understand what you say. Election's not hard to understand. It's just hard to swallow. That's
the issue. And Saul gets so angry. He says, For as long as the son
of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established.
Thou shalt not be what? Established. They go about to
establish their own righteousness. But you're not going to be established,
and theirs won't be. The only kingdom that's established
is his kingdom. It's sure. Wherefore, now, send and fetch
him unto me, for he shall surely die. If you know where he's at,
you go get him. Can you imagine what's going through
Jonathan's mind? Is this really my daddy? Does
my daddy hate him that much? that he just wants to kill him.
He knew David's not done it. David did everything that was
required of him. He went down. He was a servant
to Saul. He went down, defeated Goliath
and won the battle and delivered the nation of Israel. Everything
Saul asked him to do, he did it. He was told not to go back
to his father's house, and he didn't go back. He said, you're
going to be in my kingdom. And he played upon his heart
when Saul's heart His mind was going crazy. That's what he's
done. And this man wants to kill him? Verse 32, And Jonathan answered,
saw his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? What hath he done? You remember what Pilate asked
the people? Why do you want to crucify him? He said, I'll find
no fault in him. He said, I want you to know,
I find no fault in him. They had to hire false witnesses. And why do you want to kill him? Why do you want to kill him?
Our Lord healed a man on the Sabbath day, and it made them
so mad they want to kill him. Really? He deliberately did it
on the Sabbath day. His disciples walked through
the cornfield on the Sabbath day. and reached over and grabbed
an ear of corn and said, ìLook what theyíre doing. I wouldnít
dare go to a restaurant on Sunday.î Thatís what theyíre saying, isnít
it? Heís mowing the grass on Sunday.
He has to work on an air conditioning unit on Sunday. Isnít that it? Thatís it. What has he done? What has he
done to make you so angry? So Saul cast a javelin at his
own son to smite him. He tried to kill David three
times. And it doesn't matter if anyone
sides with the Lord Jesus Christ and confess him to be who he
is, you will incur all the rage of your family. A man's foes
will be they of his own household. Flesh and blood doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter. Whereby Jonathan knew that it
was determined of his father to kill and to slay David. Now he knows it. One of the best commentaries
that I know on this passage would be John chapter seven, if you
would turn there. We understand the New Testament
from the Old, and we understand the Old from the New. The best
commentary Now, I love John Gill, I love Spurgeon, I love them
all, but the best commentary on the Scriptures is the Scriptures.
No Scripture is of any private interpretation. That means you
don't interpret it just in that one passage. And this illustrates
it in John chapter 7. I want you to see this. John
chapter 7, verse 1. After these things, after the
things that our Lord had just done in chapter 6 and before,
Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Jewelry
or would not walk or go to Jerusalem. Why? Why didn't he go to Jerusalem?
Because the Jews sought to kill him, did they? Now, this is not
that he's afraid of. He walks right through their
midst. He knows their thoughts. But he's not going to Jerusalem.
because they want to kill him. Why didn't David go to Saul's
feast? Saul was trying to kill him.
He knew it. If he had went to that feast,
he would have killed David. That's exactly right. Now look,
now the Jews' feast of the tabernacle was at hand. Now, under the Old
Testament law, this is one of the three feasts that every year,
they were three feasts, and every male was required, no matter
where he was at, to go to Jerusalem and celebrate that feast under
the law. This is one of those feasts.
And he's not going. His feast was at hand. And watch
what his brethren said. Now, this could be his half-brothers
and sisters. His brethren therefore said unto
him, Depart hence, and go to Judea, that thy disciples also
may see the works that thou doest. Why don't you go up to Jerusalem,
so everybody can see what you're doing? For there is no man that
doeth anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known
openly. If you do these things, show
yourself to the world." He did miracles in Galilee. He did miracles
in other places. You know what they said? If you're
really able to do these miracles, don't you want everybody to see
them? Isn't that how the world thinks? Verse 5, it says, For neither
did his brethren believe in him. You know why they wanted him
to go up to Jerusalem? They wanted everybody to just
embrace him and make him king, because if he's king, oh, they're
his brethren. They'll get to sit on the thrones
with him. That's their thinking. I want
you to see this, verse 6. Then said, then Jesus said unto
them, My time is not yet come. It's not time for me to go up
to Jerusalem. There'll be a time when I was
supposed to go and I will go, but now's not the time. I'm not
going to that feast. Not right now. My time is not yet come, but
your time is already ready. You can go up anytime you want
to. But this is not my time. Remember the message I tried
to preach on time? He goes up in his own time. And you know when David sat upon
the throne? In God's time. That's right. He said, mine hour
is not yet come. Then when he went to Jerusalem,
when he went into Gethsemane, he said, this is the hour of
darkness. The hour has come. Father, glorify
thy name. Verse seven, our Lord said, the
world cannot hate you, but me it hateth. And why do they hate
me? Because I testify of it that
the works thereof are evil. And you know what I think made
Saul so angry? That David's presence revealed
his evil, ungodly nature. And that's what it is. You know
what light does? It exposes what's in darkness.
You take a room that's been closed up and it's been dark for a long
time. You go in there and turn the light on, and you know what's
happening? If there's cockroaches in that room, they're going to
run and hide. And they're going to get angry at the light. He said, they hate me because
I testify to them that their works are evil. They're still
playing their religion. They're still going up to their
feast. And Saul is sitting, celebrating this feast. I can see if Saul
had a robe, he had one on. Oh, we're just so religious.
We're going to celebrate our feast and we're going to let
everybody know how much we love God and all this. And the whole
time they despise our Lord. You know who the meanest people
in the world are? Listen to me. You know who the
meanest people in the world are? It is religious people. Isn't it? Religious. I actually have family. They
put up with me because I'm family. And they're religious. But because
they know the God I preach and the God I honor, they wouldn't
dare come to hear me speak. Why? Because He exposes their
deeds as evil. That's where the rub's at. And our Lord said, Go you up
to the feast. I go not up yet. unto this feast,
because my time is not yet come." And when he had said these words
unto them, he abode still in Galilee. And when his brethren
were gone up to the feast, now watch this, then went he up unto
the feast, but not openly, but as it were, in secret. He's having to hide himself,
and he's doing it on purpose. Our Lord, he still hides himself. He said, ìI hid these things
from the wise and the prudent, and Iíve revealed it unto babes
on purpose.î He said, ìI will not go to that feast with King
Saul. Iím not going up.î Verse 11, ìThen the Jews saw
him at the feast, and said, Where is he? Where is he at? Saul asked,
Where is he at? Where is he at now? And there was much murmuring
among the people concerning him, for some said, He's a good man.
Jonathan said, What has he done? But others said, Nay, but he
deceives the people." In essence, I think that's what Saul said
to Jonathan. Jonathan, do you not understand? He's got you
deceived. And that's what the world says
to you. He's just got you deceived. He's king. And Jonathan recognized
it. He acknowledged it. And Saul couldn't stand it. Now
back to our text. Was that any help? And when you
see that, I mean, he controls all things. He comes in His time. You don't control Him. They said,
well, why don't you just go up? Why don't you do miracles down
there? Why don't you save everybody in Cottageville? If God wanted
to, He could. Why didn't He establish a church
somewhere else? Why didn't He? Why didn't He? He's sovereign. He does as He
pleases. Because he's king. He's king,
and I'm glad he is. He is hated by this world. He
is despised by this world. He is rejected by this world
and everyone in it. Unless God does a work in a man's
heart, he will always hate him. There's none that seeks after
God. There's none that want him. They all say, we will not have
this man to reign over us. Our Lord said, let another man
come in his own name. In his own name, you'll receive
him. Let another Jesus come in his own name. Our Lord said,
in the last days, everybody comes saying, here's Christ, here's
Christ. He said, don't run after him. Let another one come. They say, oh, he's the greatest
thing. Everybody will accept him. He's
not up for acceptance. Ask Esther about it. She can't
go into the king's presence unless he holds out his golden scepter
to you first. And if he does, you are welcome. That's who Christ is. Let's begin in verse 8. To understand these verses, I
think it's 8 through 17. You remember when, later on,
when David shows kindness to Mephibosheth? Remember that? He said, Is there any left of
the household of Saul? Saul's dead. Jonathan's dead. Is there anybody left of the
household of Saul that I may show kindness to him? He said,
I'm going to show kindness to him. Not because they deserve
it. Everybody in Saul's household,
everybody in Adam's household ought to die. Everybody. Everybody
in Adam's race ought to perish. And the king has the right and
he has the power to execute it. He said, is there anybody, anybody
left that I can show kindness to him? for the sake of Jonathan. We find that out right here.
It's called a covenant. A covenant. Verse 8. Verse 9. And Jonathan said, Far be it
from thee, for I know certainly that evil were determined by
my father to come upon thee, then would I not tell thee? Then
said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me, or what if thy father
answer thee roughly? And Jonathan said to David, Come,
let us go out into a field, into a private place. And they went
out, both of them, into the field. 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 show it to thee, the
Lord do so, and so much more to Jonathan, if it please my
Father to do thee evil. Then I will show 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. And thou shalt not
only, while I let you let live, Show me the kindness of the Lord
that I die not." David had the right to have Jonathan
destroyed. If he hadn't been killed in battle,
yes, he would. He's king. But also, thou shalt not cut
off thy kindness from my household forever. No, not when the Lord
hath cut off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the
earth. What did he say? Cut off all the enemies. Enemies. Man by nature is the enemy of
God. God commendeth his love toward
us, and while we were yet sinners, he died for us. Enemies. Our
carnal mind is enmity against God. It's not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be. Everyone from the face of the
earth show kindness. So Jonathan, verse 16, made a
covenant with the house of David, a covenant. Before the world
was made, God made a covenant with God the Son. And God the
Son shook hands, if you want to put it where we can understand
it, with God the Father, said, I'll be surety for those In John
17, he said, I don't pray for the world, I pray for those that
thou hast given me. God's elect were given to Jesus
Christ, all of them, before the world was ever made. And why
doesn't God even send the elect to hell? Why doesn't He? For
Christ's sake. For Jonathan's sake. For his
sake. Why does God show you kindness?
Why does God show mercy to anybody? for Jonathan's sake. Jonathan
made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord
even require it at the hand of David's enemies. And Jonathan
calls David to swear again, because he loved him, for he loved him
as he loved his own soul. This covenant is a love contract. It's a covenant of love. I read
yesterday at that funeral. What shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Nothing. Where's the love of
God at? It's in Christ. How can God love
you? How does God love you? How can
you, that drank iniquity like water, from the top of your head
to the sole of your foot, there's no soundness in it, how can God
love you? Only in Christ. A perfect, holy, righteous love. He said he loved him as his own
soul. Do you know how much God loves
his people? Like he loves his son. That's
it. perfect, complete. You are justified. You are sanctified. You are glorified. He is my elder
brother. I tried to preach on the radio
this week about how, you know, how Jacob was accepted when he
came to his daddy when he had on Esau's garments. And when
he went up to his daddy, he said, Boy, you smell like Esau. When you come to Christ, you
smell like the elder brother. And that's how he receives you.
You said, I'm not a hairy man. No, when he puts on that robe
on you, you feel just like Christ. And that's how he does it, for
Jonathan's sake, for Christ's sake, and him only. I don't know if Jonathan has
any kids now. He may have. But if he don't, right now it
doesn't matter, because all his seed are accepted because of
this covenant right here before they are ever born. He said,
David, I'm going to put it in language you can understand.
Jonathan's standing before David and said, David, you're king.
You're king. I'm a rejected would-be king. You're king. And when one day
when you come to the throne, And you deal with all your enemies,
and you will. Every knee's going to bow, and
every tongue's going to confess that he's Lord. Would you show
kindness to my household? Would you do that? And God shows kindness to sinners
because the Lord Jesus Christ paid their debt, and they're
accepted in Him. loved him as his own soul. Then
Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the new moon, and thou shalt be missed, because
thy seat is empty. We'll try to pick up there at
verse 19 next week, and if you would go ahead and read verses
19 through 42, that's kind of hard to understand, and maybe
God by next Sunday may give us some light on that, talking about
The story where Jonathan goes out into the field and he shoots
Caesarus. And that message is between David and Jonathan. There's
something there. So, you just look over that to
me now next Sunday. Amen.