This evening, by the grace of God, we'll be looking briefly at verses 1 to 9 of 1 Samuel chapter 18, verses 1 to 9. And as we look at that, by the grace of God, we'll be considering the topic, God's servant always provokes a reaction. A true servant of God always provokes a reaction. And in particular, David, the servant of God, provokes two reactions even in this passage. David, the servant of God, provokes two reactions in our passage. Now remember what has already happened in chapter 17. If you remember, if not, if you glance at chapter 17, even at the end, you'll remember that there the Lord had honoured David. He had given him victory over Goliath and through him He had given victory to Israel. So God had used David and had raised him to a glorious position, as it were. Here he was, the giant pillar. A killer of Goliath, the enemy of God's people. And God's truly honoring him in the sight of not only his enemies, but even the people of God, the children of Israel. And at the end of chapter 17, we read there that when David returned from verse 57, of chapter 17. Then as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistines, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, whose son are you, young man? So David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. And in chapter 18 verse 2, we read there that Saul took him that day and will not let him go home to his father's house anymore. Though he is gone, the Lord had given him victory. He had come. But after this, they had gone back, of course, because the others had followed to reap the victory as it were. They pursued the Philistines and made sure the conquest was complete. And so, of course, David has also followed later on to continue with that. But at this time, David was now, if you like, officially signed up King Saul will not let him go home again. He used to come in and go, remember, at liberty from time to time. Whenever there was a need, he will be summoned or he will come up and then he will go. If necessary, he will fight and then return. But this time, he stays for good. For he has shown that he was truly a valiant soldier. and one with whom God was truly abiding upon by the power of His Holy Spirit. And so that brings us again to chapter 18. And as we come to chapter 18, we see the two reactions that I mentioned towards the servant of God, the man of God at this point in time. I want to go to the middle in order to bring the cause, if you like, for this time of reactions. In the first place, God has honored him. It's bound to be reactions, for and against. But what it is that has made it worse is the fact that the honor that God had given David was being acknowledged by the children of Israel, especially by the women. Somebody has said that country music changes things. At least it did in Israel, at least it did for Saul and ultimately for David as well. For remember they were returning from the final onslaught upon the Philistines, won the victory and as they were returning in verse 7 of chapter 18, there was some country music The ladies were singing in the country. So country music came booming through the clouds. Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands. I'm sure they sang it with better voices than mine. I'm sure it was a beautiful music. And so there was a bad reaction from King Saul against David. And we will eventually come to that. But first, let's look at the first reaction, which I will refer to as, Jonathan's esteem of David. Jonathan's esteem of David. We read from verse 1, Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was neat to the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his own soul. The soul of Jonathan was knit to that of David. And the word that is used there in the original to show that their souls were knit together, is a word that can be translated, chained together. Jonathan's soul was, if you like, chained to that of David. It is a word that expresses closeness. A bond that is very, very close and difficult to break. It means they were truly knit together. There was a genuine bond of love that bound them together in this dear friendship and fellowship of one with the other. There was a union of souls. The soul of Jonathan was in a way united to that of David. They were so close. And having said that the soul of Jonathan was knit to that of David, we are told again that Jonathan loved him as his own soul. So that just as he loved himself, And in every way, in everything, everything that he would do for himself, he would do for David. He loved him, perhaps, let's say, like a brother, a blood brother. Brothers that are so close, especially twin brothers, that you find it difficult to go in between them, no matter what the problem is. So that Jonathan's soul was now chained in a way. Closely knit we are told. He loved David as himself. It does not say he loved David like a brother. No, he loved David like himself. That's how much he cared for David. That was the esteem that he had for David. And following from that, in verse 3, Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. Now scripture does not waste its words, but scriptures repeats this love that existed between Jonathan and David that we may grasp something of that which was going on between them. And if it was not important for us to understand that, scripture would not repeat itself. The Lord doesn't waste His words. He wants us to understand that brotherly love that existed between them. It was unique. And its uniqueness derives, yes, from the love that existed between them, but from their backgrounds as well. And that's what The Lord will have us see, even as we consider this relationship between Jonathan and David. So it says, Jonathan and David made a covenant. And the word there, to make a covenant, is to cut a covenant. Because that's how it was done. An animal was brought. And in order to confirm this covenant between two, sometimes witnesses were even brought to observe and to see. Perhaps in this case it was just Jonathan and David. But they cut a covenant. And what that means is, to confirm their covenant relationship, to confirm this brotherly love between themselves, an animal was cut in pieces and they walked through them. And if you remember, covenant that the Lord made, even with Abraham, in Genesis, there in chapter 15, where Abraham was called to cut some animals, in particular the bigger ones into two, and he went through, and there was a covenant established between God and himself. Here, it is between Jonathan and David. So that there was a covenant that was cut, to confirm and establish their love for one another. The fact that they were bound together as it were, their souls were knit together and that Jonathan saw David even as himself. And the picture and the theme behind the cutting of this animal in pieces is to infer this. You press it upon one another As you pass through the cut pieces of the animal, that if I am found unfaithful to my word in this covenant, what you are saying is, may I end up in pieces, even as these animals are in pieces. That is how strong the bond is. You confirm it in such a way. It is applied to one another. Saying to one another, if I break this covenant, if I break this relationship, then let me be cut in pieces. Even as these animals are cut in pieces. So they cut this covenant between them. And there was a bond established between Jonathan and David. But there was more. More was to come. There will be more. If this bond is as close as we have been saying, then surely there is bound to be more. And there is more. We are told in verse 4, And Jonathan took off the rope that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword, and his bow, and his belt. Do you see the picture? Jonathan is a prince. His father is the king. His father's soul is the king. Jonathan is a prince and a warrior prince. He has already proved that, we have seen that. David has come from a humble background. Remember, a shepherd in the field. Even his brothers in the army under Jonathan, his older brothers in the army under Jonathan said to him, why have you left your ship? Because of your pride, you are a sheep boy, go back. But God has shown them that this was a warrior, a God made warrior, David. And he has come, and Jonathan has seen it in David, by the grace of God. He has seen this, and God by His Spirit has brought them together. And when he takes his robe, his weaponry, and gives to this humble soldier, it's like Jonathan saying, I have taken my princely position and given it to this humble soldier. It's like saying to all around, I give even my inheritance as a prince to this man that I love. That's what Jonathan was doing at this point in time. Did Jonathan know that David had been anointed by the Lord to take power from his father over his own head? Did he know that? I doubt that. He didn't. But even though he didn't know, the Spirit of God led him to recognize David as the born prince that he was, the born warrior that he was. And he acknowledges him by seeking his friendship. But not only that, by showing to all that he was willing even to give his princely position to this man that he has come to know and to respect. He esteemed him greatly, so highly that he was willing to show all with a public symbol that he is willing to part even with his inheritance to this man that he has come to know and to respect. And this is not far-fetched. That was the norm in the ancient world. That was what princes did. A prince will never see an upstart, one who seem to be shining and coming through. He never came close to him. He never tried to bring him close to himself because he was afraid he might take over from him. What he did was he destroyed him. He finished him. He removed him from the equation because he is a threat. He is a threat to his position and to his inheritance. Because remember in those days, some of these positions were taken by power and by might. So when you see an upstart like David, you don't encourage him, you get rid of him. You remove the opposition. And that at this point in time, Saul will have expected from his son. But Jonathan didn't do that. Jonathan did not do that. He honored him. He honored David. He came close to him and showed openly and publicly a sign that his father's soul and all the people understood. They understood what it meant. I am ready and I'm willing to give him even my princely position. He can take over the throne in my place. It was an open declaration to all who were there. Having cut this covenant, he went ahead and in this symbolic way showed to all what he was willing and ready to do to this man that he has come to esteem, to respect and to honor. Again clearly, one says, you did not transfer your crown right to an upcomer, you eliminated him. But Jonathan does not, if the boring expectations of his culture. And S.G. DeGraff says, This deed on Jonathan's part was an act of faith. Only faith makes us willing to be the lesser. Faith causes us to resurrender the rights we pretend to have over against Christ who is truly Israel's King. It was an act of faith, he says, and it was only, if you like, by the grace of God. Because it is only the grace of God that humbles a man and makes him willing and ready to take a lesser position than his own friend, his own brother, or indeed his opponent. And it is the Spirit of God only that will have wrote this in the life of Jonathan. Jonathan's esteem for David. But now we come to Saul's envy of David. Saul's envy of David. Now there is something interesting here. Remember all that David has already done for Saul, for the king. How he has played for him, whenever the evil spirit comes upon him. How he has been summoned and he has gone, he has done a lot of things for Saul, even as king. And even at this point in time, when Saul and all his soldiers will not dare to face Goliath. David came and he did. And he got the victory for Israel, for Saul in particular. Now they have gone for the final battle if you like. They have finished with the Philistines and they are now returning. They are coming back to Israel victorious. Now look at what the scripture tells us, so that we can see clearly what is happening. From verse 5 we are told, David went out wherever Saul sent him. And he behaved wisely, and Saul sent him over the men of war. And he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants. This was not common. Usually those among the servants or who were accepted by the servants of the king were not accepted by the people. David was an exception. He was not only accepted and trusted by the people in general, he was also loved and liked by the servants of Saul the king. He was loved by the people, he was loved by the household of the king. He was indeed a man of the people. They liked him. They loved him. Then in verse 6, now it happened, as they were coming home after the battles, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistines, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing. This was normal. It wasn't strange. All the other times that Saul had gone and won victories on behalf of Israel, he has come back and these ladies have come out and they have sung, they have danced to him and to others. But even at this point in time, what do we read? Of all the cities of Israel, they came out singing and dancing to do what? To meet King Saul, not to meet David. to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. They came to meet the king and his soldiers on their return from their victory. They didn't come to meet David. They came to meet the king. But they sang. And what did they sing? The women sang as they danced and said, Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands. Did they mean evil in singing that? No! They were merely stating the facts. They came to meet King Saul and his triumphant soldiers, not David. All they were singing is the facts as they have always done. at other times when King Saul has returned from battle. They've always come. And whatever has happened in the battlefield, they sing to that. And at this point in time, David was the one that won the victory for Israel. He was the one that defeated Goliath, whom nobody could challenge, nobody could face him. And the ladies were merely stating the facts in their song. That's all they were doing. And their coming out was not to meet David, but King Saul. If they meant evil, if they meant to insult him, they won't come to meet him. They won't dare to insult him in his face, even if they wanted to do it behind him. He is the king, they know. And with the wave of the hand, he could finish them. They knew that as well. they sang truly stating the facts as they were but in verse 8 Saul was very angry he was very angry and the saying displeased him and he said they have ascribed to David ten thousands and to me they have ascribed only thousands he was behaving like a spoiled child this is the king But look at how he was behaving. But do not be too surprised. Remember, the Spirit of God had left him. The Spirit of God had departed from him. And so that is not too surprising. For when the Spirit of God has left a man, there is no surprise in what he can do. He can do anything. And here he is, the king himself is behaving like this spoiled big child. Even as he thought and looked at his younger brother, as it were, David. They are ascribing ten thousands to him, only a thousand to me. Well, they might as well give him the throne. They might as well make him king. Behaving like a real spoiled child at this point in time. That was his attitude. You remember the older brother? of the prodigal son, behaving like him. Just behaving like the older brother. He was older and he was behaving like the older brother. As we read in Luke 15 of the older brother from verse 25, Now his older son washed in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, your brother has come. And because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf. But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. This is what Saul was doing. An angry older father, a spoiled brat as it were. He was a soldier. He is under your command. He has done what you couldn't do. He has faced Goliath. He has won the victory for you and for your kingdom. The ladies are only acknowledging that. Why are you angry? Why are you angry? He was angry. And in verse 9 we read, So Saul eyed David from that day forward, he eyed him. And the picture is this, he looked at him with an evil eye and with an evil intention. And as we see in the rest of the scripture, it was truly an evil intention for he meant evil against David. And all David did was to go on the behalf of his king and his people to serve his king and his people and by the grace of God to bring victory for his people that's all he did and the ladies came to welcome the king on his victory singing to the fat but the king is angry the king is acting like the angry spoiled brother But let me conclude by showing this, that the scripture tells us clearly, all who will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. When you stand for the truth of God, you will provoke reaction. Those who know and love the Lord will love you. They will come close to you. They will want to be your friends, your brothers. They will want to be like brothers and blood sisters with you. They will honor and esteem you if you truly live godly in Christ Jesus. All true believers around you will do that. But they may refuse. There may be more on the other side. More who will hate you. Not because you have done anything to them. But because you refuse to conform to their standards. You refuse to live as they live. Because your life is a testimony against them. It's a testimony against them that they are not living as they ought to under God. And that if they continue that way, they will go to hell. They don't like that reminder. They hate that reminder. And your life, your godly life before them is always a reminder to them of the fact that they are sinners. And until they are saved and reconciled to God the Father, they will end up in hell. They don't like that. They don't want you telling them. They don't want you reminding them. And when you continue to live a godly life, your life is an epistle against them. It testifies against them. It tells them the truth. And they don't like the truth, because the truth is always bitter. So there will always be reactions. And if there are no reactions towards you, then check yourself. Examine your life. Are you living godly in Christ Jesus? Because the Bible says, all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall, not may, not probably, shall suffer. If there are no reactions against your life, then there is a problem. Perhaps you are conforming to everybody's life. When you are in church, you follow the brethren. When you are outside, you follow the crowd. There is no difference. Is that your life? There has to be a difference. Otherwise you are not a true Christian. You cannot be. Because the Word of God is true. Let every man be a liar or let God alone be true. God's Word is always true. It will always show. What of our Lord Himself? What did He say Himself? About Himself. What did He say? In Matthew Chapter 10. And there in verse 35 of Matthew Chapter 10. The Lord Jesus Christ says this about Himself. He says, for I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's enemies will be those of his own household. And every servant of God, every child of God will generate all these kinds of reactions. There will be some that will esteem you and honor you and love you. But there will be many more that will dislike you, that will hate your life and your ways, and they will try to show that to you. In John's Gospel, chapter 7, and there in verse 43 of John chapter 7, again we read, verse 43, John chapter 7, So, there was a division among the people because of Him, that is because of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was always causing a division. In John chapter 9, and there in verse 16 of John chapter 9, we read again of our Lord Jesus Christ, verse 16. Chapter 9, Therefore some of the Pharisees said, this man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath. Others said, how can a man who is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them, a division among them. Chapter 10 of John's Gospel, there in verse 19 of Chapter 10, Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. There will be divisions. There will be those who say, yes, he's a child of God, we know him, we love him, we want to be his brothers and sisters. And there will be those who say, no, we hate him. He likes to stand out. He thinks he's different. Why can't he do things like everybody else? Who does he think he is? And all those other comments. But we must respect that. If we live godly, in Christ Jesus. May the Lord help us to live godly in Christ Jesus, no matter what the pressures, peer pressures, or whatever pressures there may be. May the Lord help us to stand out, to stand out, so that we are not unequally yoked with unbelievers. The Lord help us each one, for his name's sake. Amen.