Day 48 – Review 1 Samuel 20
Scripture Reflection Chapter Review
1 Samuel 20
This chapter is built around a conversation. A covenant. A table. A test. A signal. And a goodbye.
But underneath all of that, the Lord is still showing me hearts.
When I look at David, I see honesty, humility, and trust under pressure.
"And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?" (1 Samuel 20:1)
David does not come pretending everything is fine. He comes asking hard questions. He is not dramatic. He is honest.
"What have I done?" "What is mine iniquity?" "What is my sin?"
That tells me a heart after God is willing to be examined. David is not saying, "I know I'm perfect."
He is saying, "Search the matter. What have I actually done?"
And then he says one of the strongest lines in the chapter,
"And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death." (1 Samuel 20:3)
"There is but a step between me and death."
David is not living in fantasy. He knows the danger is real. He does not deny reality but faces reality without surrendering faith.
Sometimes I think faith means pretending danger is smaller than it is. But David teaches me that faith can look a man in the eye and still say the truth.
When I look at Jonathan, I see a heart that is loyal to God's will above personal advantage.
"Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee." (1 Samuel 20:4)
Again, He is still the king's son. He is still the natural heir. He still has every earthly reason to protect his own future.
But instead, he says to David,
"Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee."
He is not grasping for the throne because his heart is yielded to what God is doing.
Then David appeals to covenant kindness,
"Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?" (1 Samuel 20:8)
And Jonathan answers with a heart full of loyalty,
"And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?" (1 Samuel 20:9)
Jonathan does not use covenant language lightly. He is not sentimental. He is steadfast. And later, he makes the covenant even broader,
"So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies." (1 Samuel 20:16)
"And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul." (1 Samuel 20:17)
That is one of the clearest things I see in this chapter.
Jonathan's shows that our heart is capable of loving deeply without competing selfishly. Jonathan helps me know that a godly heart can recognize God's hand on another man and support it, even when it costs personally.
When I look at Saul, I see a heart fully ruled by envy, rage, and self preservation.
The New Moon feast exposes Saul's heart even more clearly. At first, Saul says nothing.
"Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean." (1 Samuel 20:26)
But on the second day, the pressure comes out.
"And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?" (1 Samuel 20:27)
Saul does not say "David." He says "the son of Jesse." Saul reduces David to lineage and distance. That is what bitterness does.
Then Saul erupts.
"Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?" (1 Samuel 20:30)
And then Saul says the quiet part out loud.
"For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die." (1 Samuel 20:31)
That tells me exactly what is inside Saul's heart. He is not defending righteousness. He is defending his dynasty. He is not grieving over sin. He is terrified of losing control.
Saul's heart helps me see what a heart after God is not. It is not possessive. It is not paranoid. It is not to be focus on only myself.
Then Jonathan asks the right question.
"And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?" (1 Samuel 20:32)
And Saul answers not with truth, but with violence:
"And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David." (1 Samuel 20:33)
That moment is powerful. Saul throws at Jonathan the same weapon he had thrown at David. That means Saul's hatred is no longer selective. Any heart that stands in the way of his envy becomes a target. Sin always spreads.
"Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay"