1 Samuel 20:30-42

³⁰ Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? ³¹ As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!”

³² “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. ³³ But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.

³⁴ Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.

³⁵ In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, ³⁶ and he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. ³⁷ When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” ³⁸ Then he shouted, “Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. ³⁹ (The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) ⁴⁰ Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them back to town.”

⁴¹ After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.

⁴² Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

Questions to consider:

• How does Saul respond to Jonathan's answer about David's location?
• What statement does he make about Jonathan's kingdom?
• What message does Jonathan convey to David when he goes into the field? How?
• How is the meeting between David and Jonathan?
  

Possibilities for prayer:

Once more we are able to see the love that exists between David and Jonathan. Jonathan bravely faces his father, who, in his current state, is just as likely to kill him as treat him as a son. We talked a little bit about the loyalty that Jonathan has to David yesterday, and it's still pretty impressive. Jonathan is able to recognize that his father's behavior is unwarranted and chooses to protect his dearest friend rather than side with his father.

While we are not likely to encounter this exact situation, there may be a time when we are forced to make difficult choices like Jonathan did. Let's ask that when those situations arise in our own lives we would take the wise and God-honoring path.