1 SAMUEL 20 PURSUE GODS HEART WITH FRIENDS2017 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 Samuel 20 Pursue Gods Heart With Friends

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2017. All right, this evening we're looking at 1 Samuel chapter 20, continuing to look at the life of David and the idea of pursuing God's heart. And so let's jump into verses 1 through 3, and then we'll get into what the Lord has for us this evening. Verse 1 of 1 Samuel chapter 20 says...

Then David fled from Naoth in Ramah and went and said to Jonathan, what have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your father that he seeks my life? So Jonathan said to him, by no means, you shall not die. Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.

Then David took an oath again and said, your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes. And he has said, 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.

Here in chapter 20 of 1 Samuel, we see an event that takes place as Jonathan and David meet up together. And they're going to have a bit of a discussion and carry out a plan together to try to determine what God wants for them for their next steps and how God wants them to proceed with the events that are at hand. And so I've titled the message this morning, Pursue God's Heart with Friends.

And here, as we look at this relationship between Jonathan and David, it's a, you know, picture that we see in the scriptures, a great illustration and reminder for us of the great need that we have for friends. As you watch the friendship between David and Jonathan, it's a really great model for us to consider for relationships that we can have with one another. And

and the way that God would have us to relate to one another. And so we see some great examples between David and Jonathan here. Now, as we talk about the idea of pursuing God's heart,

specifically with friends, but just remembering the importance of pursuing God's heart. This all comes about, and this whole theme comes from a few chapters back. We saw in chapter 13 where God spoke to Saul, the king, and God said to him through the prophet Samuel, "'Your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for himself a man after his own heart.'"

And the Lord has commanded him to be commander over his people because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. And so we see the importance of pursuing God's heart and what that means in the contrast that God gives here between David and Saul. It says the Lord sought for himself a man after his own heart.

That's not a man who automatically has the heart of God. That's not what David was. David was a man who was in pursuit of the heart of God. He was seeking after the heart of God. It doesn't mean that he automatically, you know, just had God's heart. And we can see, even as we'll head into the coming chapters, David is going to make some mistakes. He's going to, you know, not always do everything exactly right and exactly well, but he's

overall in his life, he was one who was seeking to please God and to do what was right in the sight of God. And so he was a man after God's own heart, not because he had it automatically, but because he didn't have it and he was seeking after it. And he worked really hard to be pleasing and glorifying to God. In contrast to that, we have Saul.

And Saul was chosen by God and given great opportunity there and set up to be king, but he did not keep what the Lord commanded because he wasn't really pursuing to please God.

He was, whenever it was convenient, pleasing God. But when he wanted something more than he wanted to please God, then he would do what he wanted and not do what God commanded. And so this contrast demonstrates the importance of obedience. And it means to pursue God's heart is really about obedience. It's about pursuing the will of God and being pleasing to God. And that is what we are after. And so we have David as an example of one who is not perfect, but

but one who continually sought after the heart of God. And here, as we pick up the account of David in chapter 20, David is beginning his days of living on the run. And he's going to live for the next several years of really being on the run as a fugitive from Saul being sought. And Saul is going to be trying to kill him for the next few years.

Already up to this point, Saul has attempted to kill David several times, thrown spears at him a couple times, tried to capture David while he was at home, and that didn't work. He escaped out the window, tried to send men to capture David while he was with Samuel at Naoth.

And that didn't work. The Holy Spirit supernaturally intervened and those who were sent to capture began to prophesy. And Saul did that a couple of times. And then finally he went himself to go get David. But he also began to prophesy as the Lord got a hold of him and prevented him from carrying out his wicked plans.

And so now from Naoth, David comes and he meets up with Jonathan and we're going to see their interaction and talk about this idea of pursuing God's heart with friends and see their friendship and how that helped them to go forward in the way that God wanted them to go. And so there's five points that we'll look at this evening here in 1 Samuel chapter 20. The first one is in these first three verses that we just read. Point number one is those who pursue God's heart need friends. Friends.

Again, in verse one, it tells us, David fled from Naoth and Ramah and went and said to Jonathan, what have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your father that he seeks my life? As David is running for his life, it's interesting that he doesn't run as far away as he can, right?

He actually goes kind of into more dangerous territory. You know, he's closer to where Saul is in going to Jonathan. But he goes to Jonathan, not because Jonathan is far away, but because Jonathan is his friend. Right?

And so David, in this time of crisis, in this time where he's, he doesn't know the days ahead and what those hold, but he knows he's just narrowly escaped death for the past few days. And so he runs to a friend to seek some insight, to have a discussion, to work out together what needs to take place going forward. He seeks out Jonathan, his friend.

This is a friendship that was established earlier on. In fact, in chapter 17, when David feasts Goliath,

It tells us there that Jonathan and David began a friendship at that point. As Jonathan watched David go out against Goliath, they hadn't even met or discussed or talked or anything yet, but Jonathan is just there watching David actually go out against the giant, and his heart is knit to David's heart at that point as he sees, wow, this is a man after God's own heart. And

And we talked about it at that time too, that we saw that parallel in Jonathan in chapter 14, where he went out against the Philistines and took a step of faith. And similar to David facing Goliath, that Jonathan responded to the prompting of the Lord. And so when he saw David do that, their hearts were just knit together right from the start.

In 1 Samuel 18, it describes the beginning of that relationship as David comes back from Goliath. And Jonathan, it says his heart is knit to David. He loves him as his own soul. He gives him all of his armor and even his belt and his sword. And just recognizing, David, you're going to be the next king and God's raising you up and he's got a calling in your life. And they began this relationship a while back.

And they've had this ongoing friendship ever since then. And so now in a time of crisis, David turns to his friend. And this is something that I think is really important for all of us to be considering, that we need friends as believers in Jesus Christ, as those who pursue the heart of God, as those who seek after God. Sometimes people can have friends

this mentality or the idea. It's just me and Jesus. That's all I need. And the reality is, it is you and Jesus, but Jesus has declared, you can't do this on your own. And instead, he has what he calls the body of Christ.

which are the friends or the people that he's called you to be friends with, that he's placed around you. And he has said, you can't do this without each other. That we as members of the body of Christ need these kinds of friends. And particularly so that in these times of crisis, we have others around us to turn to. And it's really important.

It's really sad and tragic when there are people, believers in Jesus, who have never developed friendships. And so when they go through these times, they're going through them all by themselves. I mean, the Lord's with them. And even people around them who see them suffering, they're with them. But you understand how it works, that the friendship has to be established and developed and have some depth in,

in order for it to be especially meaningful in the times of crisis, right? We can all love each other and look upon someone we don't even know and have compassion for them as they're suffering and have that kind of, you know, connection. But there's something that happens on a deeper level as we have friendships that have been developed and established, like David and Jonathan, right?

They've been seeking the Lord together already for several years. And so now in this time of crisis, they're able to rely upon each other and trust in each other and find the comfort and help that they need. And we all need these kinds of relationships. And I would just encourage you as we go through these things this evening to be thinking about that and who are your friends? And in time of crisis, who can you turn to? Do you have established relationships? And

Whether you're in a crisis or not, now is the time to prepare for the crisis that is to come and to build those relationships and establish those friendships and to not have the mentality that, hey, it's just me all by myself. And, you know, we're blessed. We've got a lot of great brothers and sisters in the Lord around us.

But there needs to be some effort. You know, these relationships take work in order for us to develop them and to have those connections that will be so helpful to us in these times like we see David going through. And so David comes to Jonathan and he's seeking out counsel. He's seeking out information. He's saying, why is your dad wanting to kill me? What have I done wrong? What iniquity, what sin have I done that has prompted this?

And Jonathan responds in verse 2, and he says, no, no, my dad's not trying to kill you. Now, you might remember Saul was trying to kill David, and then Jonathan kind of counseled Saul and said, hey, this isn't right. And Saul turned, and he said, all right, you're right, Jonathan. I promise I will not try to kill David anymore.

And so that's the last thing Jonathan heard. And so when David comes and says, why is your dad trying to kill me? He doesn't know about the thrown spear again. He doesn't know about the attempts to take David at his home or the attempts to take David when he was with Samuel. So he's not informed about these things. And as he hears this, he says, no, no, last thing my dad said was he promised. And he's not going to change his mind, he says, without first telling me.

I mean, why would my dad hide that from me? Because my dad tells me, you know, he lets me in on the things that are going on. He tells me what's happening. David tells him in verse three, no, no, Jonathan, I promise. He takes an oath. I promise your dad really is trying to kill me. And he must know that we have this friendship. And so he hasn't let you in on his plans.

But as the Lord lives, Jonathan, I'm telling you the truth. I promise. I want you to know this is really serious. There is just a step between me and death. Jonathan, I'm right on the edge. And Jonathan here is hearing from David these things about his dad, which if you could imagine must be a little bit difficult for him to hear.

He doesn't want to believe these things or know these things, but we'll see that he believes David at his word because again, there is this established relationship between him and David. And David here expresses very clearly to Jonathan where he's at. There's just a step between me and death. David has a friend that he can go to in this time of crisis and explain and describe where exactly he is and what's going on.

You know, so many times we like to keep our friendships, you know, so limited and at the surface where we're not really connecting on a deeper level. And so we're not really comfortable saying, there's just a step between me and death. That we're not able to share the reality of what's really happening within. We're not really able to share. We're limited in what we can share. We're guarded in what we share.

But here David is able to come to Jonathan, and I mean, in a challenging thing, right? Jonathan's in a tough spot, and it's kind of a tough spot for David to be in and to put Jonathan in, where it's Jonathan's dad who is bringing this attack, and yet Jonathan and David are able to really talk about what's really happening, and David's able to express where he's really at, and it

Again, it just speaks to the depth and the establishment of their relationship and of their friendship that they're able to talk about real things that are going on. And even when they're challenging and difficult things to discuss and talk through. But David had this kind of friendship that he could turn to in this time of crisis.

And we need these kinds of friends. Again, those who pursue God's heart need friends. This isn't for weak Christians. You know, weak Christians need friends, but if you're really strong in the Lord, then you don't need friends. No, you can't be strong in the Lord without friends. That's the way that God has designed it. We cannot be the men and women that God has called us to be

Without the people that God has placed in our lives where we're called to be connected and to have these kinds of friendships, to have these developed and established relationships between us. Now we could look at tons and tons of examples throughout the scriptures of this.

I was thinking about Jesus when he turned to his disciples in John chapter 15, and he says, Jesus here makes a distinction. Yes, we are servants, but

And the disciples were servants. I mean, you can even use the word slaves. But Jesus says, but it's more than that. It's not just you do what you're told and don't ask questions and, you know, don't come talk to me about anything else. You know, you just do whatever I tell you to do. That's all our relationship is going to, you know, consist of. No, the Lord says we're going to be friends.

We're going to share things together. You're going to share things with me. I'm going to share things with you. We're going to share life together. I'm going to share with you what the Lord is doing, what the Father is doing. And he describes this friendship that he intends to have with the disciples and by extension with us as well, that there is a friendship that we have, even as God called Abraham, the friend of God, that that's what he desires, that relationship, that friendship.

But that's not just us and the Lord, and that's all the friendship and relationship that we need. But then he has placed the people around us as well. I was thinking about the Apostle Paul as he writes his letters, and we read, you know, the letter to Timothy in the Bible in three years this week. And so, you know, we see Paul communicating with his friend.

who is going through great stuff, great difficulty, and has a challenging task ahead of him. And you see there the relationship that Paul and Timothy had, and we'll see that continued in 2 Timothy. And so it's a letter to a young pastor, but it's also a letter to Paul's friend. And Paul always had those guys around him. In the book of Acts, when Paul is in prison several times, it talks about how Paul's friends were allowed to come visit him.

And I don't know if, you know, you've kind of thought about the apostle Paul that way, but Paul had friends. He didn't just have ministry partners. He didn't just have coworkers and co-leavers and fellow soldiers. He had friends. He had people that he had established relationships with and developed and, and, and,

It was in those times of crisis when he's imprisoned that his friends are coming to be with him and connect with him and help him through these times. And so again, as David is in this time of crisis, he has this friend he's able to connect with. And you and I, we need those kinds of relationships and friendships. I would suggest that the church is intended to be a bunch of friends gathering together to pursue God's heart.

That that's what, that's what God intends the church to be. It's not, you know, and sometimes we can kind of approach it more like it's like school, it's like classroom, it's like, you know, religion. And we have the service and it's, you know, this schedule and that schedule. And we go through these things, but, but, but that's not what really the Lord intends the church to be. He intends it to be friends who gather together and we gather together on a Wednesday night. Yes. To worship the Lord. Yes. To, you know, seek the Lord in his word. Yes.

but also to be with our friends and to go through those activities with our friends. That's how God intends for us to have a relationship together. And so we're not just, you know, sitting in the same room, but that we have a real genuine love and friendship with one another.

But again, friendship takes effort and it requires that we go out of our way to connect and it requires that we actually exert ourselves and cause ourselves to communicate regularly and to have those conversations and to spend time together. It requires time. It's one of the reasons why we have a time of prayer where we break up in groups and pray two or three on Wednesday nights.

to pray for our missionaries, that's important, but also to pray together and to help us to build those relationships and to begin those connections that we need to have. And we need to have times of prayer with our friends like that. It's one of the reasons why we have the time of ministry at the end, to minister to one another.

And we like to do that, to give us opportunity to minister to one another. But it needs to go beyond those limited times. And we need to have different types of interactions and relationships together in that way.

It's interesting. In the work that I do, in the website work that I do, there's other people around who are technically competitors. They're people who are competing. They're people who are doing the same kind of work that we're doing. Yet, there's this group of friends that has developed through this work that we do. Even though technically we're competitors, but

But I have to mute. They're chatting on Facebook like all the time. And I have to mute it, like mute the channel. I don't know if you know how to do that. But anyways, I have to like turn it off because it's constant. Like there's just this solid connection and there's these solid friendships that have developed because there's this ongoing and continual connection and communication, even though naturally you would not think that these people would be connected together.

And, you know, it takes that kind of effort and it takes that kind of communication. And I really want to encourage us to consider that in regards to, you know, the church, in regards to one another, that it requires some effort on our part to communicate. And there should be some effort to connect and to communicate and to talk and maybe even to too much extent, you know, that, hey, sometimes we have to quiet it down because it's time, you know, for service or, you know, whatever that is.

that we love one another and have developed these relationships together. And so, for example, just to kind of throw out a little example, that's one of the reasons why we have introduced the app called Fleep and that service. And we want to just provide an opportunity for communication. And I would encourage you to utilize that. And if you need help getting started and you didn't even know what I'm talking about, then, you know, hit me up after service. And

It's just a messaging app. It's not anything super special. It's not, there's no, you know, super magical or spiritual component to it. It's just a way to communicate with everyone else and, and to have some opportunity to pray for one another, to talk and share with what's going on and, and stay up to date. And so I just want to encourage us, you know, as a body to be considering that, that we need friends. We need these established relationships, uh,

for the times of crisis, but also for everything else that God has in store for us. Well, I really didn't intend to spend that much time on verses one through three. So we might not get through all of chapter 20, just a heads up, but let's see how far we get. Verses four through nine gives us point number two, be loyal to friends who pursue God's heart. So we need to have these friends and then we need to establish a loyalty to those who are pursuing the heart of God.

One of the interesting things about Jonathan and David's relationship is they would naturally be at odds with one another because Jonathan would be the one to inherit the kingdom from Saul. And here's David, the competition, who God has said is going to be king. And so in natural terms, these guys should be at odds with one another. And yet here they are, one of the best examples of friendship that we have in the scriptures. In verse four, it says,

So Jonathan said to David, whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you. As David and Jonathan have this discussion and Jonathan's like, what? No, my dad's not trying to kill you. And David says, no, no, he really is. Jonathan believes David again, because of the credibility of their established relationship. And he immediately takes sides. He is loyal to his friend, David. And he says, David, whatever you need, I'm here for you. And he immediately expresses, okay, I'm here for you.

Even though we're talking about my dad, David, I'm with you and I'm here for whatever you need. Whatever you want me to do, I will do it for you. He expresses this loyalty to David right off the bat. And loyalty between friends is important. It's an important part of the relationship. And that type of support and commitment to one another is necessary. But what I want to point out in this is

Well, the point here is be loyal to friends who pursue God's heart. Sometimes friends are loyal beyond the pursuit of God's heart. And that's an issue. It's not always right to be loyal as a friend, that there are times where it's okay and appropriate and right to break ties or to disagree or to, you know, that kind of thing. Jonathan, for example, disobeys his father, right?

When it's the right thing to do. When it's contrary. When what his dad wants is contrary to what God wants. Jonathan's first loyalty is to God. And that needs to be the priority. Pursuing God's heart comes first. But then as we have these established relationships and the people around us who are pursuing God's heart,

There does need to be a loyalty and we need to back each other up. We need to have each other's back. We need to be a support and available for each other that there needs to be this loyalty, even when there is the close ties. And even when it is perhaps your own father who, you know, is in question that, you know, I am in support of the one who is pursuing the heart of

of God. And David and Jonathan are both men who are pursuing God's heart. And so they have this loyalty and this bond between each other. Verse five, David says to Jonathan, indeed, tomorrow is the new moon and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat, but let me go that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening.

Verse 7. Verse 8.

Therefore, you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father? And so David and Jonathan here establish the plan, how they're going to test out and determine what Saul's intentions are with David.

He says, tomorrow is the new moon. There's this festival that we're all supposed to participate in. And if I don't come, it's going to be noticed. It's going to be apparent. And so how Saul responds to that will tell us where his heart is really at. And so I'm going to go to Bethlehem, Jonathan, and you tell your dad that you let me go and we'll see how he responds. If he's angry, then we'll know that he was intending to kill me and he was hoping I would show up for the festival so that he could kill me.

But if he's okay with me going to be with my family in Bethlehem, then, well, then we'll know that he's okay. And so they, they, David asked for this to, to determine where Saul's heart was at in regards to David. But, but notice David's priority here in verse eight. He tells Jonathan, nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself. David's priority is the Lord.

pursuing God's heart. If I'm wrong, Jonathan, look, if I'm in sin, if I'm off base or out of line, then deal with me right now. You deal with me, John. I want to be right with the Lord. That was David's heart. His loyalty is to God first. He is pursuing God's heart. And he makes that very clear from, you know, throughout the whole process. Verse 9, but Jonathan said, far be it from you.

For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you? And Jonathan says, no, there's no wickedness. There's no reason for us, you know, to be at odds against each other. I just, I really didn't know that my dad was out to get you. And so you see this bond and this, again, friendship that Jonathan and David had. And they naturally should be enemies. They naturally should be at odds with one another, right?

but they're not because they both pursue God's heart. And I think that's an accurate description of the idea of being equally yoked. Here's two guys who should be at odds with one another, but they're able to be

Side by side, together, even in the midst of a really difficult, intense situation, because they are pursuing God's heart. You know the exhortation from the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6, do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness, and what communion has light with darkness? And typically this verse is applied to

Romantic relationships or marriages, you know, as a discouragement. Believers should not be dating unbelievers, which is true and it's an appropriate application, but it's not the intended application. Paul is talking about our friendships. He's talking about our business dealings. He's talking about our relationships with the people around us that when we are unequally yoked, that is we're tied together with someone who is not a believer, then it hinders our walk, right?

And we can't go the way that we should go. But in contrast to that, if we are tied together with someone who is pursuing God's heart, we help each other progress. We help each other go forward. And you and I, we can be friends with unlikely people, people that naturally, you know, we shouldn't get along with perhaps. If you think about the disciples and the kind of people they were, you know, the Roman...

tax collector and then the Jewish zealot would normally be enemies, but they're disciples, they're friends.

In the kingdom of God. It is something that God does. It's because we have the common bond. The equal yoke is that we've both put on the yoke of Christ. And I'm going to seek to live my life to be pleasing to God. And you're going to seek to be pleasing to God. And so it doesn't matter what our backgrounds are and what our age differences are. And, you know, those kinds of things. Because, well, we can have communion and fellowship and friendship on the basis of we're pursuing the heart of God.

And we're seeking to please God and to know God. And as we are yoked together in that way, we need to have a loyalty to one another, a commitment to support one another, to believe each other, to believe the best in each other.

And I would encourage you to establish that kind of loyalty and priority of being faithful and encouraging and backing up and supporting those friends who are pursuing the heart of God. Unconditional loyalty is not appropriate. Sometimes it is appropriate for those ties to be broken because our first loyalty is to the Lord and we must pursue God's heart even if it costs us friends. But our friends who are seeking God

They need our support. They need us to believe them, even when their accusation is against our own dad, right? Even when it strikes that close to home, that it needs to be about the pursuit of God's heart, and we need to honor those relationships. So be loyal to friends who pursue God's heart. Point number three now, we'll go on to verses 10 through 23.

Here we see the need to commit to honor God in the way that we treat our friends. In verse 10, it says, then David said to Jonathan, who will tell me or what if your father answers you roughly? And Jonathan said to David, come, let us go out into the field. So both of them went out into the field. So as they're having this conversation, David says, okay, here's the plan. Here's how we're gonna find out if your dad's angry or not. Now, if he is angry, how are you gonna let me know?

What's the plan after that? And it seems there's a need for secrecy here because Jonathan says, hey, you know, there's maybe some people listening. Let's go out to the field. And so they go out, they get away to have some privacy where, you know, there's no cameras watching them and such. And so they're out there in the field now and they're going to have the conversation about what to do. Now, I've always thought this...

verse and the things that they set up here in these next few verses where it's kind of like a little bit odd. As you see it play out, it's kind of like maybe that was like kind of overkill. Like, you know, it's just like kids wanted to have fun and keep a secret. But I was reminded as I was looking at it over, you know, this week that in chapter 16, when the Lord told Samuel to go anoint David as king and Samuel was concerned, he's like, Lord, how can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.

And so we understand, first of all, that Saul is serious about any kind of threat to the rain. So, you know, he's going to kill people if, you know, there's any kind of threat. And the Lord tells him, here, take a cow with you and go offer a sacrifice and

And so he gives him an opportunity to go do what he told him to do, but so that it's not obvious that he's there to anoint the next king. And so the Lord gave those steps. And so in a similar way here, things have tensed, things are heightened now. And so there is the need for this kind of caution and secrecy and the code that they're gonna set up here in these next few verses. Verse 12 says, "'Then Jonathan said to David,

The Lord God of Israel is witness. When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you, may the Lord do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away that you may go in safety. And the Lord will be with you as he has been with my father. And so Jonathan says, if my dad is kind towards you,

It would be wrong for me to not tell you, but you could see how Jonathan might be tempted. Yeah, David is dangerous. You should stay away so that Jonathan still gets to be in that presence and still have the opportunity to be king, right? So yeah, David, you should run away. Run really far. Keep on running until, you know, you can't run no more. And then that way I get to be king. But Jonathan says, no, no, the Lord will deal with me if I treat you that way. I will tell you if my dad is happy with you and is kind towards you.

But also the other way, if my dad's angry with you, I'm going to be honest. I'm going to tell you so that you can get away safely. So I'm not going to trick you and say, oh yeah, everything's good. Come on in. And then my dad's going to kill you. No, I'm going to, I'm going to be honest and tell you the truth. And so he's committing to that. He's committing to be honest and to make sure that David gets the message.

And so here's Jonathan committing to certain things. And then he's gonna ask David to commit to certain things. And friendships really require these kinds of commitments. As we mentioned earlier, the first loyalty has to be the pursuit of God's heart.

But in our friendships, there really is a commitment. Each side is committing to relate to each other in a way that God desires. That's part of the necessity and the structure that friendship requires, that there must be a commitment that I'm going to treat you in a way that is honorable to God, that honors the Lord and is pleasing to him.

Jonathan says, I'm going to find out what my dad intends and I'm going to let you know what I find out and I'm going to give you a chance to get away safely. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to care for you. I'm going to keep you informed. Now we get into David's commitments in verse 14 and 15. He says, and you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live that I may not die, but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever. No, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.

So Jonathan says, here's what I'm committing to. Now, here's what I'm asking you to commit to. Be kind to me while I'm alive and while I'm dead. Jonathan recognizing that David is going to be king, the normal practice of the day was the new king wipes out the family of the old king. So there's no threat to the throne. There's no, you know, attempt to try to take back the kingdom. And so that was the normal practice. And Jonathan says, when you become king,

What I'm asking you to commit to is be kind to me while I'm alive, but also after I'm gone, because I know I'm going to die and you're going to be king. Be kind to my family, be kind to my descendants. And so he asked for that commitment from Jonathan while he makes his commitments from David, while he makes his commitments to David. Verse 16. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying, let the Lord require it.

Now Jonathan again caused David to vow because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

And so again, you have this strong relationship that's built on these kinds of commitments. We're going to treat one another in a way that honors the Lord. We're gonna protect each other. We're gonna be pleasing to the Lord in our behavior, in our words. And this is not an easy situation. I mean, Jonathan is really in a tough spot in between his father and David, but he's committed. I'm gonna honor God in the way that I treat you.

And I'm asking you, David, to honor God in the way that you treat me and my family as you step up into the throne. And this is a model for us. Again, we need to commit to honor God in the way that we treat our friends. And sometimes the way that we treat the people around us is not honoring to God, right? And that's behavior to repent of.

And we need to foster and to establish in our lives these kinds of relationships that are based on the structure that God calls us to in his word. And I'll talk more about that in a second. But let's look at their plan in verse 18 through 23. Then Jonathan said to David, tomorrow is the new moon and you will be missed because your seat will be empty. And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed and remain by the stone Ezzel.

Then I will shoot three arrows to the side as though I shot at a target. And there I will send a lad saying, go find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, look, the arrows are on this side of you, get them and come. Then as the Lord lives, there is safety for you and no harm. But if I say thus to the young man, look, the arrows are beyond you, go your way for the Lord has sent you away. And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the Lord be between you and me forever."

And so Jonathan comes up with the plan. Here's a way for me to effectively communicate to you what happened in safety. And so in case I'm being watched, in case there is, you know, some serious, urgent threat on your life right then, we'll do this in code. And the code is whether or not the arrows go this way or go that way. And that is going to indicate. Now it turns out, you know,

They're going to do that, and then they're able to actually still have a conversation. But they didn't know what the situation would be like. They didn't know if Jonathan would be under heavy surveillance, and they would have the opportunity. And so they set up this code in order for Jonathan to communicate with David the things that they had been talking about. And so again, there's this commitment to honor God in the way that they treat each other. We often talk about love as doing what is best for people.

And that's what Jonathan is committing to. That's what David is committing to. That is what we are to be committed to in our relationships with one another. That's what Christian friendship is about. It's a commitment. I'm going to do what's best for you. I'm going to keep your interest in mind. I'm going to keep what's best for you in mind. This relationship is not just for me to benefit or for me to get what I want, but

but it's for your benefit that I'm looking out for. It's for your benefit that I'm seeking. It's not just for me to get, but it's for me to give and to do what's best for you. I also receive, and that's a necessary part of the friendship, but it's that commitment to honor God in the way that we treat one another. And you know, sometimes that means things that are not so pleasant.

Like what is described in Matthew chapter 18, right? Where the Lord says, look, if someone's in sin, you need to go and bring correction. And if someone's sinning against you, you need to go and have these conversations. And if they don't receive you, if they receive it, then you have your brother, you have that friendship restored. But if not, then you need to bring in others and there needs to be a dealing with. And that's not so pleasant. And many times we are

are not honoring God in the way that we treat our friends because, well, rather than honor God and do what God has called us to do in our friendships, we'd rather just kind of avoid it. And so we back off and we break the structure that God has called us to have in our friendships. We break the structure that God has called us to have. Now, the illustration of the body of Christ is really important for a lot of reasons. And it describes and it illustrates for us, you know, the variety and all of that.

But also I'd ask you to think about the structure of the body.

That is, you look at an arm, let's say, and you have two members joined together. And there's this joint, the elbow, and this elbow connects these two. And so you have, you know, the different pieces and the ligaments and the things that hold these two members together. It pictures for us the proper constraints for us in our relationships and the love that we're to have that bind us together together.

And that's what holds us together as members of the body of Christ. That's what keeps us connected. Now, there's also constraints there along with that love. That is, my elbow is, I mean, it's great. It's very functional. It can do a lot. But it's also limited in what it can do. It can't go beyond this. I can't move it. I can go this way. I can't go beyond this way, right? There's limitations to how far it can bend in different directions and how much it can twist and turn. There's limitations.

There's constraints, there's structure to it. In a similar way, our friendships are to be committed to be honoring to God. And our love for one another is what binds us together and also places limitations.

so that no, when this is going farther than it should go, there's gonna be some pain and I'm gonna have to bring some correction because you're going farther than you're supposed to go and that's wrong. And so I'm gonna help to bring you back in line and it's gonna be a painful process, but that's an important part of the process and the relationship that we have with one another.

And that's part of this commitment to honoring God in the way that we treat each other, that we're gonna love one another as God has called us to and as God loves us. And notice that Jonathan calls him to show the kindness of the Lord in verse 14. He says, you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, but also the kindness from my house forever. That he's asking David, treat me well.

kind like the Lord is kind to me. Show me the same kindness that the Lord shows me. And that is exactly a good picture of what we are to do in our relationships with one another, to have the kindness that God has for our friends, the love that God has for our friends. That's what God is calling us to.

Well, moving on to point number four, here we see now a contrast with Saul, and that is those who do not pursue God's heart will treat people shamefully. And here we're in verses 24 through 34. Now, the thing I would remind you as we look at this is that God loves people, and there's nobody who loves people more than God does. There's not one single person that is loved more by somebody else than God.

God loves them. God is the one who loves every person the most. And so for someone to be treated shamefully, there's always a departure from the pursuit of God's heart involved in that. Neglecting your relationship with God affects the people around you. Verse 24, then David hid in the field. And when the new moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast and

Verse 28.

So Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. And he said, please let me go for our family has a sacrifice in the city and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers. Therefore he has not come to the king's table. Verse 30, then Saul's anger was aroused against Jonathan and he said to him, you son of a perverse rebellious woman.

So here they carry out the plan. David doesn't show up. When Saul asks about it,

Jonathan says, yeah, he went to Bethlehem to be with his family. And now they're going to find out where Saul's heart is really at. And where's Saul's heart at? Oh, he is angry. He is upset. He definitely intended to kill David and

This is going to be a great excuse for him to kill David. David is going to have to show up for this festival. It's required. You know, it's expected and he has to show up. And so, all right, this is going to be the day. I'm going to get to kill David today because he's going to show up for the feast. And when he's not there the first day, he's like, well, he might be unclean. You know, he's maybe ceremonially unclean. He maybe, you know, came in contact with a dead body or something. And so he'll be here tomorrow. All right, next day. All right, David's going to be here today. I'm going to get to kill him today. He doesn't show up. And so now he begins to ask,

And Jonathan says, oh yeah, he's with his family in Bethlehem. And Saul begins to lash out at him. You son of a perverse, rebellious woman. He told the first yo mama joke right there. No, I'm just kidding. No, he begins to yell and to be angry with Jonathan. And he says, look, you've chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame. Don't you understand? If he's alive, you can't be king. You see, Saul here has a very clear understanding of

I mean, his heart is twisted and he's perverted and he's far from God, but he knows exactly what's going on. God has called David to be king. And he is trying to prevent that. He is trying to establish Jonathan as king. And he says, as long as David's alive, you can't be king. So go get him, send for him, bring him here, for he shall surely die. And again, you see the loyalty of Jonathan here is to the Lord.

into David. In verse 32, he says, Sometimes some of the most powerful statements in the scripture are the understatements, right?

By this, Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David because Saul tried to kill Jonathan. You see what it says? Saul cast a spear at him to kill him. It wasn't like, I'm just going to try to scare you a little bit. Just make you dance. Saul tried to kill Jonathan here. He tried to kill his own son. He's so bound and determined to give Jonathan the kingdom that he tried to kill Jonathan, right? It doesn't make sense.

It's completely backwards. Saul's all messed up. Why? Because he has departed from pursuing the heart of God. And this will always result in the poor treatment of the people around us. We already knew that Saul wanted to kill David and that's not surprising. But now as we see what he does to his own son, we begin to see the reality and the devastation of sin. Look, this is why God says that

and commands us to pursue his heart. This is why God says, love me with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, because it's what's best for you, but also it's what's best for the people around you. And if you don't love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and strength, you are going to hurt the people around you. That is a guarantee. It is a guarantee.

And now Jonathan knows where his father is at. In verse 34, it tells us, Jonathan arose 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 treated him shamefully. His father had treated David shamefully, and he had treated Jonathan shamefully because his heart was far from God. You know, there's an old saying, sin will take you farther than you want to go. Saul didn't want to go this far. He didn't set out to

be on a rampage against his son and throwing spears at his own son. He didn't start out that way, but that's where sin will take you. And parents, sin will bring you to a point of destruction to your own children. It will take you farther than you want to go. It's not a little thing to be lighthearted in our relationship with God or soft in our pursuit of God.

Saul didn't set out to destroy his family and to try to be against his son, but that's where sin will take you. And then sin will keep you longer than you want to stay. You see this, Saul kind of going back and forth in these chapters, and we'll see it continue, that he comes back to his senses every once in a

But then he goes back. He's kept there in this place of rebellion against God and attack against David and his family. It keeps him longer than he wants to stay because that's what sin does. It binds us and it will cost you more than you want to pay.

Ultimately, Saul's lack of pursuing God's heart costs him his life. It costs him his family's life. There was no need for Jonathan to be killed in the battle in the way that he was. There was no need for that. There was no need for this opposition. If he would just surrender to the plan of God, then everything would be fine and Jonathan could survive and David be king. But Saul, in opposition to God, he didn't start out to be against God, but he started

but he also was in pursuit of God's heart and that led him to a place of opposition to God, which brought this kind of destruction to his own family, this own hurt towards his own son. And again, it's so important for us to recognize neglecting your relationship with God affects the people around you. This is a very serious reality. When I do not pursue God's heart, it affects the people around me.

And the other side of that is you will never treat people better than when you're pursuing the heart of God with all that you have. When you're all out for the Lord, when you love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, there will never be a time where you treat people better than when you're in that state, when you're in that condition, because God loves people. And when you're in pursuit of God's heart, you're loving people like God does.

That's in line with, and sometimes we lose sight of that, and we begin to treat people poorly because in our mind, we're so intent on loving God or doing what God wants. But let me just remind us, when we're treating people shamefully, there's been a departure from the pursuit of God's heart because God loves people the most.

And he's more important about, he's more concerned about the way that you treat people than anything else. Obviously, he's most concerned about your relationship with him. So that comes first. I'm not trying to, you know, counter that. But you get the point. More important than everything else, you're treating people poorly. You're not in pursuit of God's heart. That's a good indicator. And sometimes we think that we're honoring the Lord. You know, it's kind of like the Pharisees. We're so religious, but the Pharisees treated people horribly.

but they were so religious. And then there's the other side where we work so hard to please people, but if it's at the expense of our relationship with God, we might not start out that way. I didn't mean to mess up my kids this way. I meant to just give them a good life and give them everything they wanted. But then I end up throwing spears at them because I have not been pursuing God's heart and it will take me farther than I want to go and keep me there longer than I want to be there. And it's going to cost me more than I want to pay.

We need to be in pursuit of God's heart. That has to be the priority. Those who do not pursue God's heart will treat people shamefully. Let's finish it up. Point number five is found in verses 35 through 42. Pursuing God's heart may require saying goodbye to friends. In verse 35,

And so it was in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. Then he said to his lad, Now run, find the arrows which I shoot. As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, Is not the arrow beyond you? And Jonathan cried out after the lad, Make haste, hurry, do not delay. So Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master.

Verse 41. Verse 42. Verse 43.

Here, the news is delivered in the way that they said. The code is, you know, carried out. It turns out they're able to freely communicate information.

Jonathan is not under supervision at that time or surveillance. And so after the lad's gone, they meet up and they share these few moments of saying goodbye together. And Jonathan tells him, go in peace, go in peace. There's a time for us to part ways. We love each other greatly. We're best friends. We're pursuing the heart of God together.

But we've come to a point where God's heart for me is this way and God's heart for you is that way. And sometimes pursuing God's heart requires saying goodbye to friends.

And this can be really difficult for us. If we've done the work, going back to the first point and developing the friendship and establishing and we've gone through the effort and we've spent time together and we've invested in each other and we're connected together and we love one another. We have this solid friendship together. And then now the Lord says, okay, now go your separate ways. And sometimes, you know, that can be a cause for people to begin to walk away from the Lord because they hold on to that friendship together.

instead of the Lord, because it's painful to let go. And we can be like Peter. Hey, let's set up tents and stay here forever. We've got this friendship. We're good friends together. That's all we need. You know, we're set. Let's just stay here. But think about the disciples, right? Jesus had them. He trained them together for several years, and then he sent them out. And they went out two by two. You know, they had their friends that they went with, but they also were separated from each other. The heart of God sometimes...

It's different for us. He has different things. And as we're seeking out God's plan and God's will and to be pleasing to God, it's gonna sometimes require that we go separate ways. And sometimes it means that we go to a different church. Sometimes it means we go to a different country.

We've experienced this, right, as a body, sending out our missionaries. It's a blessing. We get to pray for our missionaries every Wednesday. And you look at the board, and new people come in, and they go, wow, there's a lot of people who have sent out. And it's like, yeah, it's a blessing. But also, when you're there in the time, man, sending off Rick at the airport, oh, my goodness. I think that was probably the worst I've ever cried in my life. And there was snot running out of my nose and water everywhere. It was just like it was a mess. But the Lord was sending him on. And we were good friends.

Still good friends, but you understand, like, oh man, it was painful, it's hard. And sometimes, yeah, God says, I want to send you here and I'm going to send him over there. And so there has to be a separation. Tom and Joanna, you know, heading out also, that was difficult. George and Patty right now are in Korea with their son because God's heart for their son was go to Korea. And boy, they would pay anything for Daniel to be here in California, right? But sometimes God's heart says no.

You need to go this way. And even though it's your best friend, we have to pursue God's heart. That's where the first loyalty always has to be. Perhaps in the near future, we'll be having that same experience with Dave and Jackie and them moving on. We'll see what the Lord does with that. But we'll have to learn how to say, okay, it's appropriate. You're gonna follow God's heart. That's taking you that way. And I need to follow God's heart. And that's gonna take me that way. And the Lord speaks to this in Luke chapter 18. He tells us,

The Lord says, look, sometimes I'm going to lead you away from your best friends. Sometimes I'm going to lead you away from your own family. And it's going to be costly. It's going to be hard. It's going to be painful, but it's worth it. There's going to be great reward. When you follow me,

Even when I call you to do difficult things and to separate yourself from these relationships that you've established,

You're going to be rewarded in this life and in the life to come. Your life is going to be richer. You'll be more blessed because you're faithful to the kingdom of God. You're faithful to pursue the heart of God. Pursuing God's heart may require saying goodbye to friends. That doesn't mean we have to then be mean to them or be enemies, right? I got a call from Mario today, and it's always a blessing to hang out with Mario, to call and talk with Mario, right? I mean, him and I, you guys, we grew up together, right? But the Lord, his heart is not going to be

you know, moved him to Orange County. And so we're separated, but still great friends still, you know, have that connection. And that is, you know, something that the Lord does. And it's going to be a constant flow for the rest of our lives. God's going to be calling us to build up new friends, to develop new relationships. And that can be difficult too. Sometimes we don't have a Jonathan in our lives because we've had Jonathan and Jonathan's in our lives in the past. And

and then we had to separate, and then we don't want to go through that again. But listen, this is what the Lord calls us to. Again, people is what he's most concerned about. And so pursuing God's heart, it's going to require that we have friends. It's going to require that we develop relationships. It's going to require that we be open and be able to come and communicate and say, look, I'm right at the verge of death. I'm like just a step away. This is where I'm, and to be real with one another and to have those real kind of deep relationships.

And sometimes those deep relationships need to be concluded so that you go this way and I go that way. And that's where the Lord is leading us and our loyalties are to the Lord. But we grow together while we're together because that's what God has for us. And then now we move on and now God says, okay, now develop a friendship with this person.

And we need to continue that pattern and that model. And so I wanna encourage you in all of this to pursue God's heart with friends. That in none of this can we pursue God's heart on our own and be the man or woman of God that God desires for us to be. But we need to pursue God's heart together. God's placed people in our lives for a reason. And it's not that everybody is supposed to be your best friend, but you need to have a Jonathan in your life.

You need to have these kinds of people in your life. And first of all, for the married people, your spouse needs to be that Jonathan in your life. But I would also encourage you that outside of that, beyond that, you need to have another man for men, woman for women, a person that is...

at that level that has that depth, that there's nothing in your life that you can't talk about, that you're able to have that kind of relationship and that fellowship together as you pursue God's heart together. And that's a need for us. And we cannot be in pursuit of God's heart by ourselves. It's just not going to work because God has designed us

to have one another in our lives. And so I want to encourage you to be pursuing God's heart with friends and develop those friendships and relationships. And especially now, because there's things ahead and we're going to need one another to a greater degree, but we're not going to be ready for that if our relationships are shallow, if our relationships are limited, if we haven't taken the time to develop those friendships. And so Noah's going to come up and close us in a song and

As he does, I want to encourage you. So now we have a good opportunity and a good time. We can begin to invest and start to develop some friendships and be seeking the Lord together and pursuing God's heart together. And so,

We need to be worshiping the Lord. And so we'll do that as we worship. But I also want to give you the freedom. Maybe you need to go and grab someone next to you and have, you know, some prayer or have some discussion or conversation or encourage someone or ask for help or whatever it might be. But let's, you know, use this opportunity to seek the Lord with friends. And if we don't have those friends, then we can develop those relationships.

starting now. And so that's part of what God wants for us. So let's worship the Lord together and receive from him what he has for us. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.