1 Samuel 20, verse 16. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies. And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him. For he loved him as he loved his own soul. Then Jonathan said to David, tomorrow is the new moon, and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. And behold, I will send a lad saying, go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them and then come thou, for there is peace to thee and no hurt as the Lord liveth. But if I say thus unto the young man, behold, the arrows are beyond thee, go thy way, for the Lord hath sent thee away. And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord be between thee and me forever. So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty. Nevertheless, Saul spake not anything that day, for he thought something hath befallen him. He is not clean. Surely he is not clean. 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 meet, neither yesterday nor today? And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. And he said, let me go, I pray thee, for our family hath a sacrifice in the city, and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let me go away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore, he cometh not unto the king's table. Thus far the reading of God's holy word. May the Lord add his blessing as we consider it together. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you that it has been inspired by the spirit of God, breathed out from your very mouth, the oracles of almighty God, for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction and righteousness, that we might be equipped unto every good work, drawn near to us by your spirit and so equip us Lord, in faith and in love, in Jesus name, amen. Please be seated. Last week we continued our study in 1 Samuel, in the life of David, considering O Lord God of Israel from verses 9-15 of this chapter. We saw our duty to stand for innocent life, to inform those who are threatened, the need to abolish the wicked and horrible national sin of abortion, the lawful use of self-defense in our homes for ourselves and in the Commonwealth, the duty of prudence to discern the time to speak boldly and the time to conceal certain matters. We saw our duty to pray, God set a watch upon my tongue and to work toward the true religion of bridling our tongues, keeping it under control. We saw our duty to pray without ceasing, even if we are not in suitable conditions for prayer. We saw the virtue of wishing well to our friends and brethren and the duty therefore to put off envy. We saw the kindness of the Lord in forgiveness, consolation and grace given by us to others as the Lord has given to us. We saw the duty of natural affection that we should seek the temporal and spiritual welfare of our children and all in our house as Jonathan sought for his house. We saw the duty especially of men to work hard, to tithe, to give freely, and to save as much as possible, as well as spiritually to grow in grace and knowledge, to profit from the appointed means of grace, and to be a conduit both for those worldly and spiritual goods to our households. This afternoon then we will consider with the house of David from verses 16 through 29 with the house of David. First verse 16 then. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying, let the Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies. Jonathan makes a covenant with the house of David. Diodati notes, a covenant which should pass from father to son and should be as hereditary between their two houses. So Jonathan, he will look after his house and his house will look after David's and David's will look after Jonathan's. Now this phrase, the house of David, just turn a page back or so, page 327 to 1 Samuel 19, 11. Notice the attitude of Saul concerning the house of David, verse 11. Saul also sent messengers unto David's house. The same exact phrase in the Hebrew, David's house and the house of David, it's the same thing. Here, literal house, There in 20, chapter 20, it's a figure of speech for those who dwell in the house, the descendants, those who come forth from that house. Turn over to 2 Samuel 3, page 345. 2 Samuel 3, verse 1, concerning the house of David. Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker. Notice, unlike Jonathan's house, how was Saul's house toward the house of David? He was fighting, making war with the house of David. Please turn over to First Kings, page 394, First Kings chapter 12, concerning the house of David. The people of God had an opportunity to be ruled by the house of David and they said, no, thank you. First Kings 12 verses 19 and 20. So Israel rebelled. Remember this is Rehoboam sent his tax collector and they killed the tax collector. So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only." Here we see a rebellious people against the house of David. And how did that end for them? Did it go well with them because they rebelled against the house of David? Of course not. Second Kings chapter 17, page 434. Let's see how this ends for this rebellious people who cast off the covenant that they had made with the house of David. Verses 21 through 23. For he rent Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam, which he did. They departed not from them until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants, the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. When they rejected the house of David, they rejected the worship of God, they appointed Jeroboam as their captain, and they brought themselves to destruction. Look over at Psalm 122, please, page 658, concerning this house of David. How important is it to have a covenant with the house of David? Psalm 122 verses one through seven. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together. Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, under the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper that love thee, peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. Notice the blessing of being united to the house of David. Peace, prosperity, All these blessings of judgment from the house of David, the worship of almighty God where the tribes go up, God's testimony, the place to give thanks and sing his praise, these belong to the house of David. Those cut off then from the house of David, what did they have? Idolatry, judgment, destruction. Turn over to Isaiah 7, please, concerning the house of David. Page 712 of your Pew Bible, 7, 1, 2. Again, concerning the house of David. Jonathan, in his wisdom, made a covenant, a perpetual covenant with this house. Verse 10. Moreover, the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God. Ask it either in the depth or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David. Is it a small thing for you to weary men? But will ye weary my God also? Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel, that is God, right here with us. Notice here the house of David does not want to ask a sign and so God gives the house of David a sign, namely the virgin bearing God in the flesh. Please turn to Isaiah 55 concerning the house of David. The house of David has these promises that a Messiah will come forth from them. Notice here the sure mercies of this house, verse one. Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. And he that hath no money, come ye buy and eat. Yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good. and let your souls delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me here, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Do you see this? The importance of a covenant with the house of David, that you may receive all of these riches and goodness in your state of poverty, with nothing to buy. All you have is your sin. All you have is your guilt before God. All you have is your need of his righteousness. And he says, come and I will feed you. Verse five, behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee. "'Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. "'Call ye upon him while he is near. "'Let the wicked forsake his way "'and the unrighteous man his thoughts, "'and let him return unto the Lord, "'and he will have mercy upon him. "'And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.'" Here, see the mercies of the house of David, the fatness, the goodness, the salvation, the forgiveness, the redemption that he gives through his son. These are the mercies of the house of David. Please turn to Zechariah chapter 12, page 954. Toward the end of our Old Testament is Zechariah chapter 12, page 954. We'll read verses seven through 10. The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David. Notice that. the weakest among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as mighty as David. And the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them." What is he talking about? He's talking about God in the flesh. David's house being as God himself, as the angel that led the people through the wilderness. Verse 9, And it shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem, and I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication, And they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness of his firstborn. Look over at chapter 13 and verse 1 of the same book, same page in your pew Bibles. In that day, there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. We won't look at it, but Mary herself was a virgin in the house of David, as God had promised. Luke chapter one, verses 27 through 33, you may look up at your leisure. I observe then from these passages we've considered, our only hope stands in a covenant with the house of David. Our only hope stands in a covenant with the house of David, just as Jonathan did. What about Saul's house that opposed the house of David, cut off and destroyed? Jonathan's house, though, is saved. Israel is forsaken by God and given Jeroboam the son of Nebat and an early captivity. Why? Because they rebelled against the house of David. Judah was preserved by God. They had some good kings and they lasted much longer and a shorter captivity. Why? Because they maintained their covenant with the house of David. What does God offer us in this covenant? He offers grace, sure mercies. They don't fail you. God's mercies don't expire or come undone. He offers pardon, healing, the fatness of his house, thrones of judgment, the glories of Zion, a fountain for sin and uncleanness, the strength of the mighty man David for the feeblest among us. the spirit of grace and supplication, looking to the pierced son of David, a miraculous sign of a virgin with child, even God himself in flesh, Jesus, and salvation from sin. This is the hope we have. These are the benefits of this covenant with the house of David. And as we saw in Acts 16, God says, these sure mercies are not just for you, but they are for your house as well as they were for Jonathan's house. His covenant was perpetual from father to son inherited by his children. What use then of this observation? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house receive his benefits, rejoice in his spirit, receive the spirit of grace and supplication, come to this fountain for sin and for uncleanness, look on the pierced savior, mourn as for an only begotten son, turn from your unrighteous ways to his most godly ways and you will receive bread and wine without money and without price. Pray then for the peace of Zion, delight in her means of grace, and grow in respect of salvation. These are the blessings of the covenant with David's house. Please turn back to 1 Samuel chapter 20. We'll look again at verse 16. 1 Samuel 20 verse 16. Jonathan speaking and making this covenant says, let the Lord even require it. Let the Lord require it or punish is the basic idea of require there. Punish the breach of this covenant if David were to break it. The Lord being the witness of this covenant, Jonathan recognizing that. Verse 17, and Jonathan caused David to swear again because he loved him. For he loved him as he loved his own soul. It says he caused David to swear, or literally in Hebrew, he added David to swear. This is where we get the name Joseph from in Hebrew, the same exact word. He added him to the list of signers to this covenant. Verse 17, why did he do this? Why did Jonathan add him? Because it says he loved him. He desired David to reaffirm and enlarge this covenant so that it was not merely a personal covenant between the two of them, but a household covenant to his descendants and David's. Verse 18, then Jonathan said to David, tomorrow is the new moon and thou shalt be missed because thy seat will be empty. Thou shalt be missed. Why is it that Saul would miss him? Hadn't Saul attempted to throw a javelin at David at least twice and he avoided out of his presence? He came back and he threw it again three times. Then he chases David down to his house, sends messengers to kill him, follows him all the way up to Ramoth and seeks his death but is overcome by God. Andrew Willett comments on this. Although Saul diverse times before in his fits had attempted to kill David and cast his spirit him, yet David was brought into his presence again to play before him as we see or saw in 1910. And he knew that Saul in that regard would specially miss him upon the festival day. David had a customary seat. It's called thy seat by Jonathan here. And we'll see in verse 25, it's called David's place. He would be expected to sit around the table with the king, regardless of having tried to kill him. David had returned before and he would likely return again. Verse 19, And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. Now he was to stay three days either in Bethlehem or in the field, we don't know precisely. He refers him to the stone of Ezel, the stone of going or traveling. That's what that word means in Hebrew, going or traveling. And we might think of it like a rest area. The stone might have some kind of shelter that it could provide like a cave for people to stay cool or warm depending on the weather. Verse 20. He says, and I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof as though I shot at a mark. Now think about this. This is a backup plan for David. There are going to be options that are presented. He's going to shoot, and then he's going to say certain things to the lad who goes with him. And depending on what he says, David will know how things have fallen out with Saul. Jonathan does not know how Saul will respond, but this causes him to make a backup plan. Please turn to 2 Samuel chapter 10, page 352. 2 Samuel chapter 10, verses 6 through 12. This is a battle that the people of God are engaged with in chapter 10, starting at verse 6. And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-Rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot men, and of King Maaka, 1,000 men, and of Ishtob, 12,000 men. And when David heard it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men, And the children of Ammon came out and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate. And the Syrians of Zoba and of Rehob and Ishtab and Ma'aka were by themselves in the field. When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel and put them in array against the Syrians. And the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai, his brother. that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon. And he said, if the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me. But if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. Be of good courage and let us play the men for our people and for the cities of our God. And the Lord do that which seemeth him good. Proverbs 22 verse three says this, a prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. How does Joab handle this circumstance? He says, there are too many for us. Let's divide forces and let's have a contingency plan. If yours are too strong, we will come and help you. If ours are too strong, you come and help us. He has a backup plan. He was a prudent man. He foresaw the possible evils and he hid himself. He was not a simple man who passed on and suffered for it. I observed then our confidence in divine providence is not nullified by lawful and believing planning. Our confidence in divine providence is not nullified by lawful believing planning. Isn't providence though God foreseeing and planning for the future? Does he not provide all things for the future? Why then should I plan for the future? Especially contingencies. I can't know all the contingencies. Why then even plan? If God has provided all things, it might be objected. Well, first, For God to have a providence requires that he foresees all things. This is true. All things actual and all things that could possibly happen upon certain conditions. He sees all those things. He also makes provision for every single step along the way. That is true. We cannot deny this. Absolutely. And yet, Man, in his own creaturely way, is to imitate God's providence. Though man is limited in what he can know and see, yet God requires. Go to the ant, he says, you sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise. Why is that? What is it about the ant that is admirable and what are we to imitate? Will they save up in the summertime so that the contingency of winter weather, which means they can't harvest, They will have something to eat. They have planned for the future. And God says, you, as those created in my image, you have a duty to do the same thing. So that's the first answer. The second is this. Lazy men. They can fail to plan for the future and contingencies that might arise and still distrust God. It doesn't mean you're spiritual because you're a poor planner. It just means you're lazy and the Bible condemns you for it. While the diligent man, he can plan for contingencies and still continue to trust in God's providence. This is the attitude of faith in God's overruling providence. We have a duty to plan even for contingencies, backup plans as Jonathan has. And yet we are to trust in God's providence and power that he will dispose of our plans as seems best to him. Is this not what Joab said? Be of good courage and let us play the men for our people and for the cities of our God. This is our duty. Men, play the man, act in a manly way. Be of good courage, don't be failing and afraid and frightful, he says. Why? For our people and for the cities of our God. This is our duty to plan appropriately, to seek to be diligent in using the means at our disposal. Then what? And the Lord do that which seemeth him good. Does Joab plan for contingencies? Yes. Does Joab trust in God's providence? Yes. He does both. And lazy men who fail to plan are planning to fail as we say. It is no mark of trusting God to fail to plan. It is a mark of stupidity. It is a mark that you don't reflect the image of God. And so God requires that we do both plan for contingencies and trust his providence. And so that is our duty. As we saw last week, Work hard, tithe, give to those in need, and save, save, save. Plan for contingencies. That's just one way. Verse 21. Let's look back at 1 Samuel 20, verse 21. And behold, I will send a lad saying, go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them, then come thou, for there is peace to thee and no hurt as the Lord liveth. He tells him to take them, then come. In other words, David, come out from your hiding spot, pick up the arrows and come with me to the court because peace is determined. Then at the end there, you'll notice he says, as the Lord liveth. This phrase is used about 27 times in the Old Testament, 27 to 30 times. It is a form of swearing by the life of God himself. Now, the reason why Jonathan swears by the life of God, as do the prophets, as does God himself, is because there is nothing more certain than the fact that God lives. So if you want to aver something with certainty, you say, as the Lord liveth, he is the fountain of life, as we see in Psalm 36, verses five through nine, and therefore there is nothing else that we could swear upon with more certainty. Verse 22, here's the other contingency. But if I say thus unto the young man, behold, the arrows are beyond thee, go thy way for the Lord hath sent thee away. Notice here, the Lord hath sent thee away. If the circumstances are this, and my father responds badly, and he determines evil against you, David, God is showing you, you need to leave. The course of providence opens and closes doors. Matthew Poole comments that this would be an intimation of God's providence. He's hinting at it, he's showing you this is what is required of you by my providence. Now I observe that though we do not expect audible voices from God as he often did in times past, Yet the course of God's providence is sometimes an indication for us of what we ought to do in the future. Not always, but sometimes God will indicate. He will, especially when he closes doors and he says, no, I'm not allowing you to do this at this time. That's the point here. God will send you away, David, through his providence, through the falling out of the event. What use then? Though Providence is our diary rather than our Bible. In other words, it just records events. It doesn't tell us what we're supposed to do. Yet there are times when we can discern a proper course of action by observing in principle God shutting and opening doors, opportunities, in other words. He may take away an opportunity you once had, and that's how you know God is sending you away, David. The door is closed. Saul hates you and wants you dead. This is our duty then to observe God's providence, to recognize it, not to excuse ourselves from obedience to his commandments, but as a direction for our future course of action. Verse 23, and as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord be between thee and me forever. What is he saying? The Lord be between us. Should he stand in the middle? Halfway, if we're 10 feet apart, God's at five feet. If we're 20 feet apart, God's 10 feet. No, he's not speaking literally. He's speaking concerning this covenant, concerning their swearing, concerning their promise to do good. God is the ultimate and the eternal arbiter. The Lord forever, he says, be between us from generation to generation. This is never going to end because God's judgment, God's wisdom, God's righteousness never end. So then in use of this, we must not lie. Do you think that you can lie and God won't know what you're doing? Do you think you can enter into an agreement and take your little fingers and cross them and put them behind your back and say, ha ha, my fingers were crossed. I didn't mean my promise. Do you think God accepts that kind of lame excuse? No, God is a judge. He knows your heart and he knows your lips. And if you say you will do something to another person that you will covenant together in this covenant of friendship or this agreement or this statement of what you will do, God will be the judge. He will arbitrate and say, did you say that you would do this? Yes. Did you have a mental reservation? You said, well, I didn't really mean that. I just said that. God knows the intent. God will judge. God will dispense justice in righteousness. And he will not let us off the hook. That's what he's saying. David, God will be judge of both of us in this circumstance. He will be between us. Verse 24. So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon was come, this king sat down to eat, sat him down to eat meat. David hid himself in the field. This is likely referring to the end of the three days David comes back and hides himself. It would be unlikely for a person to stay without food for the period of two full days, in other words. It's likely it's referring to his return. Verse 25, and the king sat upon his seat as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall and Jonathan arose and Abner sat by Saul's side and David's place was empty. Notice that Jonathan arose either for his father or it seems more likely for Abner who comes in, who is his superior. He is his superior in the state and in the family. This was a gesture of respect. John Gill says, either in reverence to his father, when he came in and took his seat, or in respect to Abner upon his coming in. Please open to Leviticus chapter 19, which we'll consider in a few weeks, God willing. Leviticus 19, page 135 of your Pew Bibles. We'll look at verse 32. "'Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head "'and honor the face of the old man "'and fear thy God, I am the Lord.'" Notice Jonathan's obedience to this precept. The elders to himself, such as Abner and his father, come in and what does he do? He rises up before them. This is a biblical courtesy that he offers to them, a mark of respect. It says to honor their face. This has to do with gestures. It has to do with listening to what comes out of their face, showing a proper respect for them, not being a disrespectful punk, in other words. Please turn over to Proverbs 30, page 692 of your Pew Bibles, concerning this very thing. The hoary head, the old man's face, they evoke or ought to evoke under God's law respect. Verse 17, Proverbs 30, verse 17. The eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out and the young eagles shall eat it. Now, by the way, that means you will be dead. Because when ravens come to pluck parts out of your body, if you were alive, what would you do? Brush them away. In fact, they probably wouldn't consider you unless they smelled the stench of death arising from you. So this eye that mocks, this is sometimes what we call rolling your eyes. I will not obey you. Can't believe you told me to do that. It's a gesture of disrespect. And notice God's curse. Nobody's gonna bury you. And these unclean animals, notice he chooses the ravenous raven, the unclean eagle. These unclean birds, you will be destroyed by unclean animals. It's a curse upon a curse. No burial, unclean animals. Why? Because you didn't respect your authorities. You didn't show gestures of respect. You may also look at 1 Kings 2.19, the good example of Solomon toward Bathsheba. Lamentations 5.12, the ill example. and 1 Timothy 5.1 concerning how even a pastor is to address older men in his congregation. So I observed then, God's law requires respect in both the internal thoughts and affections as well as in external behavior. Oh, but I still respect them in my heart, so what? God requires external as well as internal. Oh, but I show them proper respect externally, so what? God requires that you have an attitude in your thoughts and affections of respect. God requires both. Jonathan rising was an external mark of his attitude of respect for either his father or Abner or both. What use then of this observation concerning God's law, what is plain? Be careful to use respectful gestures toward your superiors. In your words, the tone of your voice, the facial expressions, rising before the hoary head, the manner in which you speak to your superiors, whether in age, in rank, in family, in church, whatever it is, the Lord requires that we speak respectfully and act and behave respectfully. Do not mock with your eyes. Do not use harsh or biting corrections with your superiors. This is what is forbidden of Timothy, as you'll see when you look at 1 Timothy 5. Timothy's the pastor, he's the superior in the church. But when he goes to a man who is older than him, he's to appeal to him, not to rebuke him harshly, but to appeal to him as a father. This is a sin for which our generation has no use to regard it. Verse 26, back in 1 Samuel 20, verse 26, let's see how Saul responds when David's place was empty. Nevertheless, Saul spake not anything that day, for he thought, Something hath befallen him. He is clean. Surely he is not clean. Have your thoughts ever done this? You race through thoughts and you keep on saying the same thing over and over in your head. You're trying to figure out what exactly is going on. God gives us a window into Saul's soul. How is he thinking about this? What was he saying inside of his mind concerning this? Well, he thought David was surely not clean. Saul expected David to be there. Now had Saul forgotten that he made attempts on David's life? Oceander comments in this blindness of Saul, he says the following. He that hurteth, righteth his wrongs in the dust. He which is hurt in marble. You kids know what marble is? It's a stone that's hard. They make gravestones out of it because it endures a long time. So those who are hurt, they take their wrongs and they write them up on marble. They chisel them in so they never get erased. Those who do wrong, they write their wrongs in the dust so that you can brush it away very easily. This is how Saul thinks. My wrongs against David are small things. His perceived wrongs, because there were no real wrongs, are massive, carved in stone. Saul made small account of what he had done to David. We must not engage in Saul's self-righteous view of himself. Oh, you've wronged me, poor me. Oh, I didn't do anything wrong to you. That's his attitude toward David. We must not engage in that self-righteous view of ourselves. Rather, in the contrary to what Oceander observes, which is correct concerning human nature, God requires that we write our own wrongs in granite and the wrongs of others against us in the dust to easily be swept away, whereas ours, we take them very seriously. Look at the beam in your own eye, Jesus says, not in the speck in your brother's eye. Saul again in verse 26, something hath befallen him. He is not clean. Now this something, we looked at Leviticus 15 in our scripture reading. Maybe that's something. He got defiled, he touched somebody or something happened through his sleep. We don't know. Maybe he touched the carcass as Leviticus 11, 24. Maybe he touched the carcass of a dead animal or an unclean beast and he didn't realize it and he was defiled. He had to wait until the evening and then be cleansed. Peter Martyr notices concerning Saul, who like an hypocrite had kept his body clean from such legal pollutions. But in the meantime, his heart was defiled with malice and hatred. Now this was the new moon and there was a sacrifice that they would eat in festival on these days. That's what it's talking about here. Saul was ceremonially clean. He could eat of the sacrifice. He was not defiled. And he thinks maybe David is, which means I'm not. But notice what sort of attitude Saul has about David going about to murder him. The man who does the most good, you seek to squash his life and assume everything he does is bad. This is a hypocrite with a clean body and a foul heart. That's what Saul was. Verse 27. And it came to pass on the morrow, so David, maybe he's unclean for a day, but what about tomorrow? He should be here now. 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 meet, neither yesterday nor today? Now this phrase, the son of Jesse is no compliment. Jesse was a shepherd, a lowly man of the smallest of the small families, David says in Israel. Furthermore, Jesse was from a mixed background. Remember Ruth the Moabitess? That's only what, three or four generations back from David, two or three from Jesse. So here we have the son of Jesse. Now this same phrase is used by Doeg the Edomite in chapter 22, verse nine, which we'll consider God willing, and of Nabal the Carmelite in chapter 25, verse 10, the son of Jesse, this worthless shepherd boy who thinks he's so great. He's just the son of Jesse. They have scorn and contempt for David's humble origins. David carries this through his whole life. His enemies refer to him in this way. And he asks, why hasn't he come? Saul asks, yesterday nor today. He had maybe a little bit of uncleanness, but that's only gonna last a day. He should be here now, in other words. The second day he should be free. Jonathan then responds to his father in verse 28. And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. This is correct. Chapter 20, verse six, we've already looked at this. This is what David said. This is what his story was. And he's merely repeating it exactly as David told him. Verse 29, and he said, let me go, I pray thee, for our family hath a sacrifice in the city, and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table. Here, Jonathan does what we call embellishing. He adds to the story. David did mention the festival, that's true. He mentioned his family, he mentioned Bethlehem. He said nothing about his older brother. There were no words spoken about, say something about my older brother. So he's adding things, repeating partially and adding in another way regarding his brother. Now, Lord willing, next week we will consider Saul's response to this. It's not going to be pleasant. Very unpleasant, we will see, is Saul's response, and David will find out that Saul intends murder against him, which we'll look at, God willing, next week. We've considered today the pivotal importance of our relation to the house of David, especially the covenant blessings and sure mercies of God given in Jesus Christ. Our need then to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for us and for our house, as Jonathan did, making that covenant. We saw the truth that the Lord punishes those who break covenant as the judge and arbiter. We saw our duty to plan for contingencies, though we'd rely on God's providence 100%, yet God requires that we be provident ourselves and trust him at the same time. We saw God the fountain of life and the only sure ground for swearing and for living. We saw providence as God's diary, often giving us indicators of what we are to do in the future by God opening or closing doors. We saw our duty to honor superiors in our behavior, in our gestures, and in all other ways, as well as with the internal attitude and affection of respect. And we saw our duty to avoid Saul's hypocrisy by writing our wrongs against others in stone and their wrongs against us in the sand, and to rank also moral pollutions and duties higher than ceremonially being unclean or the duties of the ceremonies of God's law. and thus far the consideration of the life of David with the house of David. Let's pray.