1 Samuel Chapter 20 Verse 1

 This is interesting because David perhaps could have just stayed in

Naioth. Samuel was there, the Lord was supernaturally protecting him

there, but he leaves from that place to deal with the issue with Saul. I

like that about David.

 Theres many things so far that I like about David and one thing that I

don’t personally. And that one thing we will see in the next coming

chapters… And that is David is not entirely truthful… For example,

David uses deception to discover if Saul is still set on killing him… I

have to think he didn’t need to go that route… David suffers a ton in the

coming scenes and years… And I believe his suffering is even more so

because in the midst of all of his godly traits, he is not a totally honest

man…

1 Samuel Chapter 20 Verses 2 – 3

 David expresses concern here that Saul won’t consult with Jonathan

about his plans to kill him… And David makes a statement here that is

true of all of us. He says, “There is but a step between me and death.”

That’s actually true of all of us! Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our

days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom…” One part of following the

Lord is this realization… Because wisdom is a reward of fearing the

Lord, following the Lord…

1 Samuel Chapter 20 Verses 4 – 6

 There’s the deception. We shouldn’t read this account (or any account

like it in the Bible) and conclude that the Bible is affirming of this

behavior. It is simply reporting the news. David could have taken a

different route, “Jonathan, when he asks about me tell him I said that

Saul wants to kill me even though I love him, and tell me what he says.”

David, God will take care of you! Proven! Tell the truth!

 Even after coming from Naioth where the Spirit of the Lord significantly

humbled Saul…, David perhaps could have gone back to the palace and

stood face to face with Saul like he did with Goliath… Look, I’m not

passing judgement on David as an evil man, but certainly passing

judgement on David that he is a sinful man…

 There is no circumstance, and let me give you this Biblical principle,

there is no circumstance in which lying is good in the eyes of God.

Proverbs 6:16-17, “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an

abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue…” Proverbs 12:22,

“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal

truthfully are His delight.” Revelation 21:8, “But the cowardly,

unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers,

idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake with burns with

fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

 To be someone who will hide the truth, stretch the truth, or make up

their own personal truth (another form of lying) to get out of a situation

or keep themselves from a difficult situation is a terrible path to choose.

Character-wise but also just wisdom-wise. You lie once and you have to

continue that lie, continue to hide, just to keep the initial lie in tact…

 If something has happened and there is truth about the matter then it can

be dealt entirely and put away for good…, but if there is deception, not

only is the issue not dealt with but there becomes a stain on the

relationship. A stain on the part of the one who has lied…, because now

there is no unity…, they know it but the other person does not…, so

there is a fakeness… Or, if the deception is revealed, now there is a stain

on the part of the one who has been lied to… as trust is more precious

than any other aspect of a relationship…, even more than love. Love can

be freely given not based on merit…, trust is entirely based on merit…

Deception is a sinister trap. Watch out!

 It takes a ton to overcome deception once it has been revealed.

Sometimes it never happens… It is never a good path to go the way of

lying. God will provide the victory for all that will trust Him and He

Himself is the Way, the TRUTH, and the life… The pattern is actually

even in that description…

 Let me give you one more thought on this subject. Without trust, there

is no safety in love. Doesn’t mean there can’t be love, of course there

can be. Love covers all sin. But love without safety looks like the

cross… Love with safety looks like the rapture… One, there is intense

suffering, still love, but intense personal suffering just as Jesus suffered

while the disciples fled… They didn’t suffer, He did… The other there is

rejoicing all around…

 It comes down to this… God will take care of you. Do what is right in

His eyes. It may be harder in the moment but in the long run it will be so

so so much better. God will take care of you…, tell the truth.

1 Samuel Chapter 20 Verses 7 – 13

 That’s an interesting statement. Apparently either Saul didn’t know that

the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him or he wasn’t telling folks…

Jonathan here is under the impression that the Lord is still with Saul…

1 Samuel Chapter 20 Verses 14 – 17

 Jonathan and David and their houses make a vow here that when David

does take the throne from Saul and the house of Saul, (which includes

Jonathan), that David will care for Jonathan and his house…

1 Samuel Chapter 20 Verses 18 – 33

 This king seeks to kill his son for protecting his enemies. The King of

heaven agreed with the King of kings to give his own life for the

protection of his enemies! What a stark contrast!

1 Samuel Chapter 20 Verses 34 – 41

 This is not the outcome that Jonathan wanted nor David. And there is no

doubt that the several days that David has been hiding in this field, that

he has been praying to God for a very different outcome. It’s not good

news. And sometimes what happens to us isn’t good, and it’s not what

we’ve prayed for…, and that doesn’t mean that you are outside of the

will of God or that God doesn’t love you…

 Someone says, and I’ve heard this many times, “If the Lord is in it then

it will all work out.” Well actually, if the Lord is in it, then sometimes it

won’t work out. Sometimes it won’t be ok… Sayings like that drive me

crazy. Just as when someone says, “Well, it didn’t work out so it wasn’t

God’s plan…” You arrogant ant! Assuming to know God’s plan!!

These sayings are inherently flawed!

 Here is the unflawed…, whether this happens or that happens, we will

do as the Lord would have us to do! That’s the heart of the follower of

Christ, not the leader of Christ!

 Someone may say, “If God loved David so much then why would He do

this?” I think that is an entirely fair question. And it’s difficult to answer

in human terms of comfort. God has a better plan for David than for

David to become king now…, and for David to be appreciated by

Saul…

 The work that this situation and the years to come will do in David will

produce a result that comfort could have never produced. We have some

35 more chapters on the life of David (to finish up 1 Samuel and to go

through 2 Samuel). Those chapters probably wouldn’t be worth reading,

or maybe even would have never been written, if David was given an

easy path by the Lord.

 But Jesus made the statement in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow

gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction,

and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and

difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Few search for that way, recognize that, learn that, discover that… And

I totally get it… This is one that almost MUST be taught… One must

see someone else or be taught by someone else because only 1 in a

billion are going to find this on their own… To choose the path of

suffering because of the incredible wisdom and payoff in the end! So, I

get why no one does this! Most come from dysfunction!! Someone once

said, “It ran in my family until it ran into me!” I would suggest precious

very very very very few can make that statement about anything of true

substance! BE the precious very very very few!!

 Paul said in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this

present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall

be revealed in us.” A great statement in and of itself, but Paul goes on to

say in verse 19, “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly

waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” What a mysterious verse.

Creation itself, heaven and the angels, earth and the animals, even the

subconscious souls of men, are looking into who is a son of God, who is

a daughter of God…

 And the acceptance of the hard path, that we didn’t pray for, acceptance

unto the Lord, to trust the Lord, to honor the Lord, to not forsake the

Lord even though you are, perhaps for a season, in a time of great trial,

does a work of heaven in a human/earthbound heart.

 James 1:2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various

trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let

patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete,

lacking nothing.” Paul, through his time of unanswered prayers and

seasons of suffering discovered Philippians 4:11-13, “I have learned in

whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know

how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be

full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can (have

learned, discovered, found life) I can do all things through Christ who

strengthens me.”

 Stay the course. Get help. Mourn. Talk to the Lord. And know that God

is certainly working a work in your time of affliction that once it has

been completed, we will thank Him for it. Peter said this in 2 Peter 1:5-

8, “For this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to

virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control

perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly

kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours

and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge

of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 David is faced with a forced position that he must depart from his wife,

depart from his best friend, depart from the king he loves, depart from

the house of his father, and run for his life. And this is the one who has

the anointing of God upon him!!!!

1 Samuel Chapter 20 Verse 42

 Nothing but sorrow surrounds this situation. And, it will be only for a

season. This is life. Everyone goes through times like this… The enemy

would rob you of all reward and waste your life by having you look for

the easy way out or curse God…, but the Lord would add to you, stack

upon you, equip you, arm you, enrich you with qualities money cannot

buy and comfort cannot contribute…

 Doesn’t make it any easier, in fact, that makes it harder. And this is the

revelation of faith. Not will of man faith but will of God faith. Faith that

is authored by Jesus, faith that is genuine and a result of a circumcised,

forever changed heart, because to navigate seasons like this and not be

robbed by waste is truly a work of the Spirit in a heart and not the work

of the will in the person.

 Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, “Concerning this thing I pleaded

with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to

me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in

weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities,

that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in

infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for

Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

 For when I am made to be weak, that’s what that phrase is literally in

the Greek, when I am made to be weak, then I find out what is possible.

That’s this word strong in the Greek. It is the word dynatos… We

discover our possible, we discover power that we didn’t know we had…,

and that makes sense, because it’s not us and its not ours, but it is

there… The moment the Holy Spirit enters the heart of a person, the

power of eternity enters… But our flesh veils it. Carnal comfort curtails

it… generational curses withholds it and it is through affliction,

suffering and trusting God through difficulties, we find out what God

has actually done in us!