The innocent are betrayed and pursued by the very person who is supposed to be trustworthy and honorable. What happens to a nation when the leaders become so corrupt that they plot to kill the innocent?
The first question I ask myself this morning is “Why is this account included in the Old Testament narrative”? It isn’t very flattering to admit that your king was so corrupted spiritually that he was trying to kill an innocent man that God favored. But, this account is key for several reasons. It shows the reader how depraved leaders can become when the Lord’s presence is removed from them. It sets the stage for the downward spiral of Saul’s reign, and the rise to power of David. And, it gives us a reason for David’s treatment of Mephibosheth in the future. (Jonathan’s son).
I don’t think that I have the timeline of David’s life correct in my head. I’ve looked this up before, but I can’t seem to recall it. How could a young boy who had just slain Goliath return to town and hear people singing his praises about killing more men than Saul? How could David have played harp in Saul’s presence and still not be known by him when he presented himself to slay Goliath? I just can’t seem to lay all those events out in order in my mind. Bear in mind that I’m not suggesting that they didn’t happen, only that they might not have happened in the order I learned them in Sunday School. Sunday School is great when it’s done correctly, but when the teacher takes liberties with the story…sometimes without knowing it, it’s hard to “re-train your brain” when you later discover the truth. (one web page that lays out the events)
On this page they say Jonathan was much older than David, and that David played harp for Saul periodically, before he killed Goliath. But that doesn’t explain the chants and songs being sung as David comes back into town after killing Goliath….unless he is being given credit for the entire victory, since he led the charge. In that case, it would make sense.
There are some people that others seem to naturally flock to. Maybe it’s their attitude, or their air of success….I don’t know what it is about them exactly, but whatever it is; David had it. As a warrior, people flocked to David. He instilled a sense of confidence in his men that made them a successful, aggressive force to be reckoned with. Men who served under David weren’t afraid to engage in battle. They knew they would win, and they were willing, for some reason, to lay their lives down for him. You will see throughout the account of David’s life that he was very successful at recruiting, training and deploying warriors. Probably the best “warrior king” Israel has ever known.
Another key part of this passage is the close bond between David and Jonathan. Their close friendship was contrasted by David and Saul’s love/hate relationship. (mostly hate toward the end). Psalm 11 gives us some insight into David’s feelings about his relationship with Saul. And as you read Psalm 59, which David wrote in response to Saul’s attempt to kill him at home, you can feel the difference in the way the two men lead. Saul has become sneaky, evil and deceitful. David remains just and holy, crying out to God for help. A quick thought here: In the midst of a great betrayal, David penned a few lines that shared his heart and his feelings…that was part of his gift. And those words, written in a time of distress and unknown, have become part of the God’s living Word for generations. No doubt they have encouraged many to “keep the faith” and to continue to trust in the Almighty. Perhaps God can use the trials that come into your life as well? Nothing is beyond God’s ability to use to advance His cause, or reveal His character.
It’s a little foreign for us to hear that David “loved” Jonathan, but this isn’t attractive love, it’s brotherly love. David loved Jonathan in the same way that David’s warriors loved David. The only form of love deeper than this is Agape love, the type of love identified by the sacrifices it makes for the other person. This brotherly love is the way that we should feel about, and relate to, others within the body of Christ. Our bond with them should be so deep, that we pledge to care for each other’s children, and protect one another from harm. I think when the Bible talks about “one another” the image in our head should be David and Jonathan.
Saul was not capable of loving David..or Jonathan, or the Lord for that matter. He was too in love with himself. His emotional energy all went to feed his own ego and sense of self worth. No matter what was happening around him, Saul always saw it through the lens of “how this affects me”. And when he didn’t like the results, he would try and change them…even if that meant rebelling against God. It’s hard for me to conceive of…and that it happens to the king, is even more serious.
The morale of the Israelites must have plummeted. I mean, if they were still godly enough to care what happened to them. How depressing it must have been to know that your king is ungodly, and that the nation cannot possibly be blessed as long as he is in charge. I wonder what the common man prayed about Israel’s leadership. I wonder if the common farmer or shepherd disconnected himself from the national identity and went about his business, leading a private and holy life before the Lord, without much interest in what Saul was saying or doing. I have to confess, there have been times when I have done that very thing, both in organizations and as a citizen.
Saul’s decision making and grasp of reality are really in question here. He’s tried to kill David several times, he’s sent men to his house to have him killed, and yet he expects that David will show up for a function at the palace? Come on, Saul…get it together, man. Reading about him puts me in mind of a person who is slowly slipping into Alzheimers. At first you can put pieces of the conversation together and make sense of it, but gradually, and for increasingly long periods, they are beyond your ability to understand or communicate with. I don’t think Saul has Alzheimers, I think he’s portraying the gradual descent into madness that happens when we don’t have Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Once again, I pray that I don’t become like him, or lead like him.
Faithfully,
PR