1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” 2 And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” 3 But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” 4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” 5 David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that harm is determined by him. 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” 9 And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?” 10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?” 11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.
12 And Jonathan said to David, “The LORD, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13 But should it please my father to do you harm, the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the LORD be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die; 15 and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD take vengeance on David’s enemies.” 17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap. 20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the LORD has sent you away. 23 And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the LORD is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.
26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.” 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” 32 Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. 34 And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.
35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy. 36 And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” 41 And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
David came from Ramah and asked Jonathan what he was guilty of that his father sought to kill him. Jonathan didn’t believe David had it right. He was his father’s closest confidant and he was sure his father no longer intended to kill David (1 Sam 19:6). But David insisted that because Saul knew of their friendship, he must have kept his new plan from him. Jonathan then agreed to help David with whatever he needed. David devised a plan. The next night was the new moon festival and he was expected to dine with Saul and the others. If Saul enquired of his whereabouts, then Jonathan was to say that David had asked to go to Bethlehem for a yearly sacrifice for his clan. If Saul was okay with David’s absence, then David would be satisfied that all was well. But if he got angry, then Jonathan would know that his father intended harm against David. David entreated Jonathan to deal fairly with him because of their covenant relationship before the Lord. David was so sure of his innocence that he put his life in Jonathan’s hands—Jonathan himself could take his life if he found him guilty of a capital offense. Jonathan would not hear of it. He assured David that if he had any notion that his father intended to kill him, he would have told him.
If David was right about Saul, then he would have to flee, leaving behind Jonathan, his close friend, and his wife, Michal amongst others. This was likely the last time they would see each other and so they made a pact. Jonathan knew that God was with David and would establish his kingdom. He asked that when David rose in power, that he would continue to show kindness to Jonathan and his family.
The next step in the plan was how Jonathan would communicate his findings safely to David. David would hide in a lair by a rock and on the third day, Jonathan would do some target practice near to David’s hideout. He would shoot three arrows and when he sent his assistant to collect the arrows he would call out in code. If he told the boy the arrows were on Jonathan’s side, then all was safe for David. But if he said to the boy that the arrows were beyond him, then David should flee. Both of them understood that in this event it was the Lord who had sent David away.
On the first night of the new moon festival, Saul was not too concerned about David’s absence. He assumed that David had become ritually unclean for some reason and would need to abstain from eating while unclean. But on the second day, when ritual cleanliness was no longer an issue, Saul asked Jonathan why David had been missing the two days. Jonathan told him the story the two had agreed on. Saul reacted in anger. He had stopped using David’s name and referred to him as the son of Jesse and now he called Jonathan a son of a perverse, rebellious woman. Saul couldn’t understand why Jonathan would choose David over his own right to the throne. When Jonathan again challenged Saul for the reason he deserved to die, Saul threw his spear at him. Then Jonathan knew David was right. His father was determined to kill him. Jonathan grieved, not because of how his father had treated him, but at how he had treated David shamefully.
In the morning Jonathan took a boy with him and followed the pre-arranged signal, shooting the arrows beyond the boy and letting David know the urgency of the situation in how he spoke to the boy. He shouted at the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” all messages intended for David. When the boy left for the city David came out of hiding. He bowed three times at Jonathan’s feet and then they kissed farewell and wept together. Jonathan sent David off with the goodwill expression, “go in peace.” While David and Jonathan would be separated from each other physically, they would remain inseparably joined by the oath they had made before the Lord.
Jonathan and David exhibit exemplary friendship. Both were completely committed to each other, modeled unwavering integrity, and demonstrated complete faith in the Lord’s direction. Are you that kind of friend?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
The Baptism of Jesus: Luke 3-4