1 Sam. 18-21
After David had saved Israel. from the enemy by killing the giant, King Saul did not want him to return home, but gave him charge of a part of the army.
The king’s son Jonathan was greatly pleased with David; he gave him his own robe and sword and bow, which was a great honor to receive from the king’s son; it was as though he would give his own place to David, and he was a true friend all his life. Jonathan trusted in the Lord and was a brave soldier; once he had climbed up steep rocks with his servant alone to fight the enemy’s men, and said, that the Lord could “save by many or by few” (1 Sam. 14:66And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. (1 Samuel 14:6)). He knew David had been chosen by God to be king after Saul, so he did not plan for the high place, although he was the king’s son.
But it was not long before the king himself greatly envied David; he heard the people praise him, and saw how wisely David did in all things. Instead of giving honor to God as David did, he let his hate grow more and more, although David did only good to Saul in every way and obeyed his commands.
At last one day David was playing for him, and Saul threw his weapon to kill David but missed him. By this time had David was older and had a home of his own, and his wife was the king’s daughter, but even Saul sent men to take him; his wife knew of it and helped him escape from a window at night. David hid in the woods and went from one place to another; once he went to Samuel, but there was no place safe.
Jonathan tried to have his father change his evil plans, and he met with David in a field and told David he would let him know in three days if the king would change and it were safe for him to return home. He told David to hide at a great rock, and he would come there and shoot three arrows as though for practice, and if he shot the arrows far, David would know he must flee.
Jonathan went again to his father and pleaded earnestly for him to do right by David, but Saul was more than ever intent on his death, and so angry at his son for asking for David’s life, that he threw his weapon at him.
On the certain day Jonathan took a small boy and went to the field where David was hiding by the big rock. He shot the arrows far and told the boy to run for them, calling out, “Make speed, haste, stay not!” Then he sent the boy back to the city with his bow and arrows, and spoke with David, even though it was not safe for his own life to do so. They spoke of the Lord, that He would keep them and their children, and bade one another a sad goodbye and Jonathan returned to the city and David fled away.
ML 10/30/1938