The call to kill David
When Jonathan heard Saul’s command to kill David, he didn’t know what to do. Indeed, he loved David as he loved his own soul, but he also couldn’t simply abandon his father — he loved him too and longed to see him repent. Thus, Jonathan found himself in a quandary. How could he devote himself to his friend and devote himself to his father at the same time? And, even more, how could he do that safely?
After much consideration, Jonathan — a man who lived by principle and not by results — knew what he had to do. He had to warn David, and he had to try to persuade his father to abandon the plan. He had to convince Saul that attempting to kill David was a heinous sin. It was an extremely dangerous undertaking, but again, Jonathan was concerned about principle, and his principles dictated that he live in self-sacrificing love for his father and his friend.
But at the same time, Jonathan was practical. While his focus on principle over rode his focus on results, he didn’t simply ignore the results. He didn’t throw them out and pretend as though he didn’t care about them. Instead, while his principles dictated his overall choices, the results dictated how he put those principles into play. Thus, while his principles determined that he would talk to Saul and defend David, the results determined the way in which he would talk to Saul. In this article, we’ll see Jonathan’s carefully chosen words, and we’ll notice that while he didn’t allow results to cripple him, he did whatever he could to placate the vengeful spirit of his father. In all of this, Jonathan again gives us a powerful example of what it means to be a true and loving friend.
Carefully chosen words
The next morning, as Jonathan went to speak to his father, he didn’t come to him haphazardly. He had likely spent a long time that night thinking about how to best confront Saul and how to sway his thinking. Thus, his words were not an attack or a harsh criticism of Saul’s feelings; instead, they were a carefully calculated and reasoned appeal to Saul to reconsider his ways:
“And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good” (1 Sam 19:4).
Just imagine how Jonathan would have felt as he led his father out into the field and began to speak these words to him! With heart pounding, he was speaking to one who was full of suspicion and paranoia.
His plea began with a reference which Jonathan had likely chosen very carefully: “Let not the king…” It wasn’t an accident that Jonathan referred to Saul here as “the king.” Jonathan was well aware of what it was that Saul feared; so he didn’t simply call him “father” or just begin to speak to him without addressing him. Instead he called him “the king,” and with this title applied to him, Saul would be reminded of his son’s loyalty to his throne.
Yet there was more. Not only did Jonathan refer to Saul as “the king,” but notice the way in which he referred to David — there was a purposeful contrast in Jonathan’s description of the two men. Saul was “the king” and David was “his servant.” Again, Jonathan didn’t speak about David as Saul’s son-in-law or as his army commander — positions which exalted David — but called him Saul’s “servant,” in a deliberate reference to David’s loyalty and faithfulness to Saul.
Thus, Jonathan’s plea to Saul was to the king about the king’s servant — but again, notice that it wasn’t for the servant’s sake. Jonathan didn’t speak to Saul about David on David’s behalf, but rather for Saul’s own sake. If Saul were to truly try to kill David, it would be a “sin” against David — once more, this specific word was chosen with great care. The word “sin” is generally a word which is filled with connotations, all of them being negative. Sin means death, sin means the wrath of God, sin means that we have done something that is terribly wrong. Such would be the case if Saul tried to kill David — and it was almost as if Jonathan was using this word specifically because he wanted to wake Saul up to what a terrible thing it would be if he followed his feelings in this case. It was one of Jonathan’s attempts to help his father come back to a realization of God’s presence in their lives and His care for all of their actions.
But even further, Saul’s murder of David wouldn’t only be a sin — it would also be entirely impractical. Here was where Jonathan’s argument would have truly taken force with the faithless king. David’s works toward Saul had been good! When the Philistines arose up in the south, David was able to go over and subdue them! David was one of Saul’s most loyal soldiers — and Saul had even acknowledged that when he had promoted David all through the ranks of the army. When Saul became upset, David was able to play music to soothe him! All throughout his time in the courts of Saul, David’s presence had been a huge benefit to Saul! How could Saul want to kill someone who was willing to give up their life for his sake?
“For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?” (1 Sam 19:5).
Jonathan took his father’s mind back to the past — reminding him of the terror that Saul had felt as the giant presented himself to Israel for forty days. All of Israel had looked to Saul to fight against Goliath, and Saul simply couldn’t muster up the strength. Thus, the army had awkwardly and fearfully encamped against the army of the Philistines, waiting to see if anyone from their ranks would take up the challenge, and hearing the giant’s taunts for over a month. But then, the entire situation changed when the son of Jesse visited the camp. He had been filled with faith and had risked his life to fight against Goliath — making it so that Saul didn’t have to. How could Saul want to kill a man like that? Had not David effectively saved Saul and the entire nation from being filled with shame?
Yahweh wrought salvation
But even more so, the victory wasn’t won by David! Surely, David had gone out to fight the giant in faith, but it was Yahweh who was with David and who had won the battle that day — and Jonathan’s specific phrase “the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel” would have really struck a chord with Saul here. In fact, it was one which he had used himself at the end of a previous battle. Saul, just after being made king, had won a mighty victory over the Ammonites — and after the battle, some of the Israelite wanted to find the men who had protested about Saul being their king and slay them. Upon hearing those words, Saul stopped the men in their evil plans by telling them that God had wrought a great salvation that day:
“And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death. And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel” (1 Sam 11:12-13).
In a happier and more faithful time, Saul had stood against the men who wanted to murder his opponents — what a different attitude than he held at the present time! It was almost as if Jonathan sought to use this specific phrase in order to bring Saul’s thoughts back to that battle and back to his time of faith. He sought to remind Saul of how he had felt when he trusted in God and when he lived as though God were active in his life! At that time, he had those who were threatening his reign and those who sought to dethrone him (1Sam 10:26-27), but he spared their lives and even prevented others from killing them.
How different was his attitude at the present time! And sadly, it didn’t need to be — that was Jonathan’s point! Back during his time of faith, Saul’s reign was secure and God worked through him to accomplish victories. But things were different now, and Jonathan’s phrase would have likely reminded Saul of that as well — because though Jonathan used the same phrase as Saul in the battle against the Ammonites, Jonathan wasn’t speaking about God working through Saul. Instead of working through Saul to crush His enemies, God had wrought salvation through David. Such had been the change as time passed; the spirit of God had left Saul and had gone to David. This change was something which was very much on Saul’s mind and Jonathan’s reference to God working through David would have likely pricked his attention. Just notice what was said of Saul in the previous chapter:
“And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul” (1 Sam 18:12).
God had effectively stopped working through Saul, and instead accomplished His victories through David — this was a fact which Saul knew and was essentially the fact which caused Saul to want David dead. Jonathan’s plea to Saul offered Saul an alternative. David didn’t need to die — God had wrought salvation through Saul before and Saul hadn’t been plagued by insecurity. If only he could go back to how he had lived and acted before during that time of faith, then things could be different.
If Saul was willing to turn around and once again worship God in sincerity and truth, things could change. Though the end of his kingdom was prophesied, if Saul repented, things would change — such is the mercy of God. Throughout the prophets, God explicitly explained this concept to the people: even though He prophesied the demise of a kingdom, if they repented, they would be spared:
“At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; if that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them” (Jer 18:7-8).
Despite the prophecy of destruction, if a nation turns from their wickedness, God would turn from the destruction which He promised. Again, this was the reason that Jeremiah was told to write down all of God’s indictments against Israel and Judah — so that they might turn and God would not have to destroy them:
“Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day that I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin” (Jer 36:2-3).
God is constantly looking for the repentance of His people — and when they repent, He withdraws His wrath and often withdraws His promised punishments. This is God’s prerogative! He can do what He so desires with His own (Matt 20:15). Though He has stated that a kingdom will come to its end, if they repent, He can reverse that promise. Such was the case with the city of Nineveh; when Jonah prophesied that they had forty days until their complete destruction, they repented, and God withdrew the prophecy.
The same could have been the case with Saul — and perhaps Jonathan sought to help him realize and remember. In times past, God had been with him — it wasn’t as though God had always turned His face against him and forsaken him forever. Nevertheless, at this point, God sought to work through another, because Saul refused to follow Him in faith. But if he turned and repented, things could be different.
Thus, Jonathan’s speech was filled with a powerful argument — not only for Saul to ignore his violent feelings towards David, but if Saul pondered the depth of his son’s words, he would see that there was also a powerful argument for him to humbly turn to his God in repentance. It was a beautiful application of Jonathan’s commitment to following the principle of serving both his father and his friend, and yet at the same time, trying to achieve the best possible results. Jonathan didn’t rush towards his father, fervently rebuke his immaturity, and seek to force his repentance. Instead, Jonathan’s words were carefully chosen and were presented in gentleness. As such, they were perhaps the most effective plea which Jonathan could have presented to his father.
But, regardless of their potential effectiveness, Jonathan had no idea how Saul’s embittered mind would react. And so there he stood, palms sweating and heart pounding, waiting for his father’s next word.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One