Sermon 75: 1 Samuel 20:12-23
12. And when both had gone out into the field, Jonathan said to David: O Lord God of Israel, if I shall have investigated the mind of my father tomorrow or the day after, and there is anything good concerning David, and I do not immediately send to you and make it known to you, 13. may the Lord do this to Jonathan and add this: but if my father's malice against you persists, I will reveal it to your ear, and I will send you away so that you may go in peace, and may the Lord be with you, as he was with my father. 14. And if I live, you will show me the mercy of the Lord; but if I die, 15. you will not take away your mercy from my house forever, when the Lord shall have rooted out the enemies of David, each one from the earth; may he take Jonathan from his house, and may the Lord require it from the hand of David's enemies. 16. Jonathan therefore made a covenant with the house of David; and the Lord required it from the hand of David's enemies. 17. And Jonathan continued to swear to David, because he loved him; for he loved him as his own soul. 18. And Jonathan said to him: Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty. 19. Therefore on the third day you shall go down quickly, and you shall come to the place where you are to be hidden on the day when it is lawful to work, and you shall sit beside the stone whose name is Ezel. 20. And I will shoot three arrows beside it, as though practicing at a target. 21. And I will also send a boy, saying to him: Go and bring me the arrows. If I say to the boy: Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, take them up; then come to me, because there is peace for you and nothing is wrong, as the Lord lives. 22. But if I speak thus to the boy: Behold, the arrows are beyond you; go in peace, because the Lord has sent you away. 23. And concerning the word that we have spoken, you and I: may the Lord be between me and you forever.
In yesterday's sermon we began to treat how Jonathan strove to bring comfort to David, with a renewed promise of friendship and confirmed by a new oath. For when someone is reduced to such straits that wherever he turns he sees death before him, something must be granted to him, even if he labors with some doubt and anxiety; nor should it be considered an injury if he does not fully trust those whom he ought to trust. For we know how vehement human passions are, so much so that those who are struck with fear cannot master themselves. Therefore Jonathan's example is to be imitated by us: for he could have complained of the injury done to him by David, that he distrusted him; but he perceived that disturbance of mind in David which would not allow him to give place to reason. Therefore he is moved by David's fear, and grants something to his disturbance, and strives as much as he can to bring a remedy. Hence the covenant entered into between them is again confirmed by a mutual oath. And indeed men are by nature inclined to those oaths when necessity demands. Of course I am not speaking of rash oaths, made lightly about vain and useless matters, but of those which are applied to matters of great importance, when there is some underlying doubt, so that men use an oath as a kind of remedy offered from heaven to remove mutual distrust. By this bridle, then, men ought to be restrained: for it is clear enough from where an oath comes, namely from the vice that is on both sides. For one party suffers from distrust, though he ought to think better of the one with whom he is contracting, namely that he will be faithful. The other party ought to consider where that distrust comes from, namely that men do not know themselves and are prone to inconstancy, and so should bear with a friend and pardon whatever fault he has. But when each stubbornly insists on his own right, and no one will pardon the weakness of his neighbor, and seek escape routes here and there, from this it comes about that friendships are dissolved. It is clear, therefore, that oaths arise from human weakness; which weakness God, however, tolerating it, grants us his name, so that resting upon it as a sure pledge, we may render faithfulness to one another. And since God uses such great kindness toward us as to lower his name to the point where it serves as a pledge for us, with all the greater modesty and reverence we ought to approach swearing, and take care that God's name is not assumed rashly. Let us therefore know that God presides over oaths, and accordingly will not permit so holy and sacred a thing to be despised and come into abuse. And let us apply this teaching from what is said about Jonathan: namely that by a renewed oath he confirmed David and made him more certain of his faithfulness.
Furthermore, various formulas of that oath are expressed here, because Jonathan repeated it a third and fourth time, and ratified his speech, and David mutually bound himself to him. For those words, 'The Lord require it from David's enemies,' cannot refer to Jonathan, as is commonly done, but must refer entirely to David, who by those words submits himself to the will of his enemies, and prays to be punished by them if he does not keep faith with Jonathan. There occurs therefore in the first place the formula: O Lord, God of Israel, which since it is interrupted, some join these words with what follows: May the Lord do this to Jonathan and add this. But there is nothing to prevent us from understanding these words by themselves: The Lord God in Israel. For it is customary in sacred usage that oaths are not always expressed completely nor set forth in formal words, but are pronounced by a kind of aposiopesis, just as in ordinary speech many people also hold back certain things and do not fully open their minds, which is nevertheless sufficiently understood. And this is customary in oaths on account of the reverence due to them; for men generally sin in them by audacity and rashness, to whom God's name is so cheap that they abuse it most frivolously and toss it about like a ball, as if about to provoke God himself they devise new oaths and rush headlong into all impiety. Therefore, since men are so inclined to abuse God's name in frivolous oaths and swearing, Scripture commands us when about to swear to fear God's name and tremble before his majesty; and therefore when it describes the formulas of oaths, it presents them as if incomplete, as in this place when Jonathan says: The Lord God of Israel, and adds nothing more. Which words, however, are sufficient for the intelligent. For by those words he professes that God sits as judge between them both, and accordingly declares that he will preserve candor and keep faith, knowing that his business is with God and that God will be his judge; and in turn he exhorts David to mutual duty.
The words that follow are a repetition of the oath by which he subjects himself to any punishment if he knowingly deceives: May God do this to Jonathan, he says, and add this. A customary phrase in Scripture, by which what I said before is confirmed more and more, namely that the ancients in swearing did not express a complete sentence, so as to testify how precious God's name was to them, which they used only with the utmost reverence, sobriety, and humility. Those words are a kind of imprecation of divine vengeance, as if he were saying: May the Lord take vengeance upon me, and may he not leave perjury unpunished if I deceive, but may God punish me from heaven and send vengeance upon my head. And this is the force of those words: May God do this to Jonathan and add this, as if he were saying: May God punish me two or three times over. Although therefore at first glance the words seem to be of slight moment, yet they contain in themselves an imprecation of divine vengeance against the one who has acted fraudulently. And this is to be carefully observed: that every oath contains in itself an imprecation, since many people often swear and are ignorant of the reason for an oath. But if they remembered that oaths contain an imprecation, they would sufficiently recognize that God's name is not to be rashly abused, but is to be used with fear and reverence; and that the divine vengeance which they have imprecated upon themselves is to be feared, when they have called upon God as judge and avenger. Surely these things ought to carry great weight with everyone and deter from levity in swearing, since the divine name once invoked will not leave perjuries unpunished. The words 'forever' must be carefully weighed, by which we are taught that God, even though he defers punishments for a time, will nevertheless eventually demand an accounting and bring perjuries to light. Certainly since God is the witness of all things, he does not immediately at that very moment and time punish sinners; because the divine patience and goodness waits for them a long time and invites them to repentance so that they may be rendered inexcusable. Since these things are so, let us learn that when we invoke God's name, we should not look to the person of a friend or kinsman, so as to cover some disgraceful deed of his with perjury, but let us remember that God will be the judge and avenger of all things said, both in life and in death, and that although no punishments for perjuries appear in these lands, men will nevertheless in fact eventually experience how much God wills his name to be esteemed, and in what honor it should be held; and that such great crimes will never go unpunished, however much punishments are deferred for a long time.
Jonathan continues to add a new oath: So may the Lord be between me and you forever, by which he shows more and more that he is far removed from all those frauds and deceits by which men usually cover their perjuries, thinking it goes well with them if their frauds are hidden before men, about which they cannot be convicted — though they ought to have considered that they are not hidden before God, but that they must eventually give an account to him for them. For this reason also oaths are customarily employed by men as certain remedies, when matters are hidden and cannot be uncovered by any witnesses except by invoking God's name. But today, alas, how little this doctrine prevails among men, who if they have sworn about hidden matters, do not greatly regard the oath, unless certain rites are employed and in the presence of witnesses it is recorded in public documents by a notary; and this contempt for oaths is so great that it has even pervaded those who boast of being believers. But this passage teaches us the opposite: that perjurers, even if they have concealed their perjury a hundred times, are not on that account immune from punishment, because they will never escape the eyes and vengeance of God the judge, who is the arbiter of agreements and covenants, and presides between the contracting parties. But it is astonishing that those who glory in the Christian name are so stupid as not to recognize the magnitude of this crime, when we see even the pagans restrained by this religious awe, and that God inscribed this law in all minds by nature: that injury must not be done to one's neighbor, and that God alone is a sufficient witness, even if all created things are unaware of the perjury. We know indeed that Laban was an idolater and devoted to plunder, without faith and equity; yet he openly declared, addressing his son-in-law, that if no other person should avenge injuries done to his daughters, God would vindicate them. From where did this sense come to that idolater, if not from nature? The pagans indeed spoke in magnificent words about oaths, so as to magnify the majesty of God. Therefore, since men are so light in taking oaths and so prone to contempt of the divine majesty, with all the greater care and zeal we must meditate on the teaching delivered in this passage, namely that the Lord sits as arbiter and judge between contracting parties, and that consequently no escape routes remain for men but that they must stand before his judgment.
But those words carry great weight: Forever, and are not to be passed over lightly. For how does it happen, I ask, that perjurers make light of their oaths and heap evil upon evil, unless because, as God defers punishments, they think they will be immune? Hence therefore comes the great frequency of perjuries, through hope of impunity, of course. Therefore these words must be diligently weighed, by which we are taught that although God defers punishments for a time, he will nevertheless eventually demand an accounting and bring perjuries to light. Certainly since God is the witness of all things, he does not immediately at that very moment punish sinners; because the divine patience and goodness waits for them a long time and invites them to repentance so that they may be rendered inexcusable. But David for his part in turn responds: May the Lord require it from the hand of David's enemies. These words express the vehemence of his spirit, by which he testifies that he is prepared to bear punishments not only such as God himself may wish to inflict with his own hand, but what would be still more shameful to him — from his very enemies. As if he were saying: Let God not only punish me with his own hand, but let him stir up wicked and disgraceful men against me and avenge himself upon me through their ministry, and overwhelm me with greater disgrace. For we know that God often adds dishonor and ignominy to the severity of punishments, so that sinners may be humbled more and more. For many are prepared to bear certain adversities with a brave spirit, provided they only suffer some loss of fortune or endure something in their bodies without reproach and disgrace — for whom bearing dishonor and ignominy is hard and intolerable. For this reason David in this passage specifically mentions divine vengeance to be executed through the hand of enemies.
Furthermore, from this we must also gather that when God gives our enemies power over us, we are reminded of our duty, as if he himself were pronouncing sentence against us. For the afflictions that God sends upon us, if they are not accompanied by dishonor or ignominy, serve only as a fine imposed upon us by him. But when disgrace and ignominy are added to afflictions, God shows that the offenses we have committed are not light, but are more serious ones that must be punished by public ignominy as an example to others.
Useful indeed is this teaching that is to be drawn from this passage and applied to our use. For we commonly grow indignant when wicked and disgraceful men exercise power and dominion over us, and gnashing our teeth, as it were, we murmur and quarrel against God. Why does God allow this wicked man to have dominion over me? Why does he loosen the reins for these men to harass me? Must I be perpetually exercised with perpetual calamities? And must these men always be spared? Into which complaints we commonly burst forth, because the doctrine contained here does not come to mind, namely that God uses our enemies, whoever they may be, to exercise his vengeance, and indeed so that we may be humbled more and more. For if he deigned to chastise us with his own hand, that would be a fatherly chastisement. For a father chastising his son does not seek his disgrace and dishonor. And so God, giving our enemies the power to afflict us and exercise us more harshly, uses them as whips and axes with which, as a just judge, they may crush us and exact the punishments we deserve. Therefore we ought to be cast down more and more under his hand, and to be so affected by the sense of our sins that, suffused with shame, we recoil from them.
Beyond the foregoing, Jonathan's faith and obligation must be considered here, and it is indeed admirable. For he was the son of King Saul, whose name and family no one then thought of destroying, except perhaps the enemies against whom he was then waging war, namely the Philistines. For in the whole nation Saul had no rival, no private enmities, no hatreds, that would prevent him from easily retaining the crown and royal scepter. Nevertheless Jonathan voluntarily offers the royal scepter to David. Why so? Because he recognizes that David will be king, although he was then greatly afflicted and tossed about by various storms, so much so that he did not seem safe anywhere even for a moment without his life being in danger, as we shall see later. Jonathan therefore recognizes and confesses David as king, even though he is a fugitive and hated and hostile to Saul. Why, unless because he looks to the divine promises, and persuaded of their certainty, he sets before his eyes and contemplates invisible things? So we see Noah conceived in his mind the flood that was to come, and while the rest indulged their appetites and devoted themselves to their pleasures, he anxiously and carefully built the ark over a span of one hundred and twenty years. Why? The Apostle himself teaches the reason, namely that he saw by faith what did not yet exist, and was persuaded of God's promise. The same therefore is to be thought about Jonathan here, who although he sees David's condition at that time as most wretched and most abject, does not cease to recognize him as king and to make a pact with him. For the promise God made to David had come to his ears, and he knew the threat of the Lord against his father Saul, made through the ministry of Samuel, that God would seek another successor to be placed over his people in Saul's place. Jonathan received the Lord's threats in such a way that, having been made certain of God's promise made to David, he does not doubt that God will fulfill it, even though at that time David was, by human judgment, most remote and alien from it. In this matter Jonathan's virtue is most conspicuous, since the royal succession belonged to him. For what could he promise himself concerning David? Was not the royal dignity that he procures for David connected with his own loss, to whom the succession belonged? For we know that men pursue their own interests and are greatly indignant if anything damaging and detrimental is proposed to them, and that no bonds of friendship are so close that they will not easily break them if they bring harm. But Jonathan believes what he had previously heard, that God wills David to reign, and that he had been designated and chosen by God as king to be placed over Israel. He knows that his father and he himself must be cast down from the royal dignity by divine command, and subjected to David. Hence we are reminded that faith is not only about things that are pleasing and useful to us, but also about adversities, because it happens that God often receives us contrary to our expectation and opinion, and changes of circumstances occur that are difficult and repugnant to our feelings, yet we know they must be patiently borne and embraced. Therefore Jonathan's virtue appears all the more praiseworthy, the more peacefully he acquiesced in the Lord's decree about casting down Saul's family and raising up David and elevating him to the royal dignity. For it is a rare faith, a rare virtue on earth. For it would seem incredible that David was so loved in return by Jonathan that he would be helped by him to occupy the royal scepter one day. For why did he not remove the man from the living, when he had him in his power? But on the contrary, he willingly submits himself to David with all modesty and humility. Hence let us learn that nothing should prevent us from receiving God's word with full and undoubting faith, and glorying in it, even though it may seem impossible to be fulfilled without our loss. For we are generally too greedy for honors, and too delicate, and we cannot bear God's hand except insofar as it indulges our desires; hence that natural unbelief in us, hence our murmurings against God, whose presence we have not learned to contemplate in his word. Therefore, so that we may receive the divine promises with sure faith and embrace his truth without resistance, let us learn to cast away all arrogance and self-conceit; let us exercise ourselves in patience; let us cease to pursue our own interests; and let us commit ourselves entirely to God, and allow ourselves to be governed according to his will, so that even though we are exercised by various calamities, and our obedience is tested in various ways, yet we do not grow indignant, nor burn with various thoughts; since we ought to know that we have been placed in this world by the Lord on the condition that we are to be exercised by these calamities, and to acquiesce in the Lord's will.
And enough about these things, which will have to be explained further later. What we have said about Jonathan appears from those words: And I will send you away, and you shall go in peace, and may the Lord be with you, as he was with my father. By which words, first, he wishes David all favorable things, even though they may seem detrimental to himself in men's opinion. And indeed the following words: And may the Lord be with you, as he was with my father, express this even more. For by them he seems entirely to yield the royal dignity to David, not under compulsion but voluntarily, because he is persuaded that this is the Lord's will. He yields to David every right to the royal dignity that Saul's family might seem able to claim — as if he were saying: God through Samuel revealed that he would abrogate the kingdom from my father; and I willingly accept the Lord's decree. Let the rule be taken away from my father, from me his successor, from the whole family. You, David, reign; you alone obtain the grace that the Lord previously bestowed upon our family. From which it clearly appears what I touched upon a little earlier, namely that Jonathan did not look to himself, but depended entirely on God's will and submitted himself to it, that God might determine concerning him what he judged to be just and right. He even goes further, when he says: Whether I live or die, show mercy to my family. By which words Jonathan first asks David that if he himself survives, David would have mercy on him; but if God should wish him to depart from the living, that he would nevertheless retain his faithfulness toward his whole house and family. And on these conditions Jonathan and David swore friendship between themselves. In which a manifest testimony of his faith appears, when he asks David to have mercy on him and his family, since there was then no apparent indication that David would reign. Nevertheless, although Jonathan sees everything to the contrary, he is still persuaded that God will stand by his promises and fulfill them beyond everyone's expectation. And this general rule ought to remain fixed in our minds: that we must, in order to trust God's word and rest in it, turn our eyes from all things that appear outwardly. For if we wanted to measure God's promises by what meets the eye, it is certain that our faith would not only not be confirmed, but rather would be shaken and turned away from the divine promises. Therefore this teaching must be fixed in our minds, namely that we must take the utmost care lest our faith waver when we seem to have labored in vain in hoping in God, because he will in fact reveal that those who invoke him in truth are never frustrated in their hope. And these things pertain especially to the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom David was a figure. For just as David, though he had attained the royal dignity, was afflicted by many and various calamities and exposed to many oppressions and ignominies, as we shall see at greater length later, so we often see the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ trampled underfoot by men, as it were, and come into such contempt that it seems destined to be utterly abolished and overwhelmed by perpetual oblivion. Certainly Christ himself does not suffer in his own person, as he did when he was on earth; yet although he has been raised to the glory of God the Father and received into the eternal seats, his kingdom which he gathers on earth seems so weak and so feeble that we would scarcely dare to promise ourselves with certainty his help in uncertain matters, unless we look to God's promises and place our faith in them. If this has been more deeply impressed upon our minds, we will imitate the converted thief, who made so excellent a confession that it far surpasses the faith of many martyrs. Nor indeed should we be ashamed to be joined to that thief, who surpassed not only Peter and the rest of the apostles, but all creatures. For he gazed upon our Lord Jesus Christ hanging on the cross, who had only enough time left to draw his last breath, and he saw not only the supreme disgrace before men, but also the curse before God, to which he was declared subject by the law of God as he hung on the tree, and yet turning to him he said: I beseech you, remember me when you come into your kingdom. But where does he discover Christ's kingdom, of which there was no indication? Indeed, if he had judged it by his own understanding, even if he had spent his whole life in the very law of God, he could not have made so excellent a profession of faith in the Lord. But he had lived a wretched life and had acted like a wild beast, yet in a moment he recognizes our Lord Jesus Christ as king and savior, as if he had penetrated the heavens themselves and learned of his perfection there, although with bodily eyes he beheld him hanging from the tree, wretched and subject to a curse. Let us therefore carefully observe and meditate upon this conformity and likeness of David's kingdom and of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is the fulfillment and completion of all figures. And if Jonathan became a suppliant to David in his affliction and humiliation, and asked him to exercise mercy toward him and his family when he came into the royal dignity, let us confidently approach Christ the Son of God our Lord, received into his glory, and place all our trust in him, not doubting at all that he who accomplished our salvation will graciously look upon us, received into his protection and care, and have mercy on us, if we have placed all our joy in him; and that he will guard us, received into his covenant, and continue the mercy of God his Father toward us to the very end.
And concerning Jonathan's prayer thus far, in which yet another word is to be observed: the mercy of the Lord, the meaning of which can be this, as if Jonathan were praying God to exercise his goodness toward him; but it is better to refer it to the oath, as if he were adjuring David and bending him to mercy through the oath conceived in God's name, that he would continue to pray for him to keep the faith given. Meanwhile it should be observed that he implores David's mercy, which is yet from God; and on the other hand he declares that if David does anything cruelly or treacherously to him or his family, he will by no means escape God's hand, but will eventually pay the penalty. The great virtue and faith of Jonathan is conspicuous from these things, who voluntarily throws himself into such great danger for David's sake; for the circumstances noted here are not to be lightly passed over: that there appears no one whom he can safely trust, and without witnesses he dares alone to open his secret and mind to David, not without the utmost danger and risk of death. And yet neither fear of his father nor the magnitude of the dangers deterred him from his duty, so that he perseveres in his friendship with David. Indeed, if these things had reached Saul's ears, it would have cost him dearly. For we saw before how severely his father had treated him in a trivial matter, when Jonathan, exhausted from the slaughter of the enemy and faint with hunger, had tasted a little honey, unaware of the oath by which his father had bound the people; then Saul said: You shall die, Jonathan. Jonathan, knowing his father's disposition and fury, is certainly persuaded that he will come into mortal danger if even the slightest rumor of the covenant made with David reaches his father's ears — it would be an unforgivable crime. But he nevertheless does not abandon the duties of his office. From this it is evident that those who place sure faith in God's word become bolder in carrying out the Lord's commands; and therefore we read in Scripture that the property of the divine word is to strengthen faltering knees and to strengthen arms and hands that are weak and broken. And certainly it is true that we, relying on our own strength, will be useless for every good work, and unable even to move a finger by our natural power; but however weak our strength may be, if we look to God's word and apply it to our instruction, we will be so strengthened in hands and arms that we will be prepared to face any danger when necessity demands, imitating Jonathan's example, whom no apprehension of imminent danger, no mortal risk, deterred from his duty, since he had recognized in fact that it was the Lord's will for David to be exalted. And it is certain that he embraced David with a singular friendship, indeed more than human; for friends who are of a higher rank will hardly subject themselves to those below and beneath them; men do not usually make pacts in this way with one another. Therefore, whatever was done here by Jonathan, let us recognize that it flowed from his knowledge of the divine will concerning the raising of David's scepter, by which bridle he restrained his desires and performed the duty of a faithful friend, even at the risk of his life.
What, I ask, will today's many so-called zealots of the Gospel say to this, who nevertheless sit idle in their sluggishness and recoil when God calls them to action? They seem to have a specious pretext, and to have discharged their duty handsomely, if they set before themselves this or that danger and mortal risk, which they say cannot be avoided by any means. So men are accustomed to wash their hands in order not to respond to God's call, if any danger threatens — men whom the divine promises ought rather to have encouraged. But Jonathan was different: he knew indeed that the dignity he held would be taken away from him so that David might be exalted; but he nevertheless wished to perform the duty of a true friend even at the risk of his life. He could indeed have excused himself before David and others, and professed that he grieved from his heart that the poor innocent man was so afflicted; but why should he throw himself into mortal danger for his sake? There was also another more specious excuse: Why should I conspire against my father in favor of a stranger, and take the royal crown from him? What benefit would come to me from that? But he once and for all breaks off these imaginations, and cuts off all the ways by which he could have been called away from his duty, and resolves that he must not rest, even at the cost of his own life, until the matter is completed. Today the issue is not about some mortal man for whose sake mortal danger must be faced, but about the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, for which we ought to endure any torments. For he it is, as the Apostle Paul says, who died and rose again, that he might be Lord of both the living and the dead. It is right, therefore, that we pour out our lives for his worship and glorification, turning our eyes from all terrors. Let us therefore learn to value so highly the worship and reverence we owe to God and our Lord Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice of faith that he demands, that even if we were to pour out our lives a thousand hundred times, we would never depart from our duty even the slightest bit. For otherwise it must not be doubted that on the last day Jonathan will rise up against us and prosecute us as guilty before the Lord — he who refused no danger for David's sake, by whom he was nevertheless to be deprived of the dignity he held, and especially of the royal authority which was owed to him by succession. But our Lord Jesus Christ did not expel us from any dignity of ours by becoming greater and more powerful to our detriment; but on the contrary, exalted above the heavens, he was made like us, about to share his good things with us who worship him as is fitting. How great therefore will our wickedness be, how great our treachery, if we do not do in his favor what Jonathan did for David! And if we are not prepared to follow him with burning zeal wherever he may lead and call us? Jonathan, to keep faith given to a mortal, refused no danger — shall we be so sluggish that we dare not face mortal danger for the Son of God? Indeed, by as great an interval as the truth exceeds the figure, by that much more we shall be inexcusable before God. For from where, I ask, was Jonathan joined to David by so strong a bond of friendship that, forgetting his own interests and his very life, he brought aid to afflicted David, if not from looking to the divine promises and the hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom David was a figure? Now indeed the shadows have passed, and there is no longer a place for those shadows and figures; but our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the sure light and righteousness, lifts us above all created things when he deigns us with the grace of producing us as witnesses of his glory and lending authority to his word. Shall we then show ourselves more sluggish and more idle than Jonathan, we who have the truth of which he had only the figure? Should we not fear that God will justly avenge such great idleness, and we will be wrapped in a double disgrace when we receive a dreadful condemnation before the tribunal of God in the person of his Son?
Finally, when the conditions of the covenant and friendship have at last been expressed with an oath, Jonathan reveals the plan he intends to follow in informing David of his father's will, namely that on the day of the new moon, when David's seat will be empty, he will observe his father's attitude toward him and inform David of it by some sign upon which they have agreed. For, as we said before, no one dared to declare himself David's friend, lest he endanger his life. How greatly therefore Jonathan was pressed on every side by difficulties is apparent, and yet he finds a way to save David. By which we are taught that God will without doubt supply us with counsel in doubtful and difficult situations to avoid any dangers, unless we labor with shameful sloth and base idleness. For whenever even the slightest obstacle appears, we are so seized with sudden fear that we do not remember to place our trust in God, and are more attentive to present things before our eyes. For what, we say, will happen to us if we are destitute of all remedies? But if with sincere affection and true faith we look to God's word and command, it is certain that he will supply us with enough counsel and prudence to defend ourselves against any enemies when necessity so demands, and where a narrow way of escape could scarcely be seen, he will make a broad and easy road. Jonathan could indeed have complained that no trustworthy servant presented himself to whom he might entrust the information by which David would be informed of Saul's will, and thus excuse himself, saying that if he himself went out to David, and his father noticed his mutual conversation with David, he would be punished with death. Nevertheless he commands David to stay in a certain place, and arranges everything in such a way that you would say children's games were being played. You shall sit, he says, by the stone whose name is Ezel, and there you shall hide until the signal we have agreed upon is completed. Some interpret this stone to have been a sign set up to show the way to travelers. Others think it was a boundary marker placed to distinguish and separate inheritances. But I believe it was a certain cave, in which David could hide so that he could observe those passing by, but not be seen by them. Jonathan therefore tells him to hide there and to await the signal until the third day of the new moon, by which he would inform him of his father's disposition toward him and indicate whether David was to come or not. From which it appears, as we taught before, that Jonathan preferred David's life to his own, because he knew that God willed to exalt David and raise him to the royal dignity — which conviction about the divine will was so deeply fixed in his mind that he never wavered and never broke out into any blasphemous words against God, but on the contrary bravely resisted all temptations by which he could have been prevented from humbling himself before David. This example we ought to imitate, and all the more diligently pray to God that he may supply us with courage and strength, so that when we see imminent dangers we may never be so terrified that we do not always flee to him and his help. And if this has remained fixed in our minds, it is certain that God will heap us with gifts, and when he has given us strength to do our duty, will also open a way for us to escape from dangers, so that nothing is so steep and difficult that we cannot easily overcome it.
Now then, come, etc.
12. When both had gone out into the field, Jonathan said to David, 'O Lord, God of Israel — if I investigate my father's intentions tomorrow or the day after, and he has good intentions toward David, and I do not immediately send word to you and tell you, 13. may the Lord do so to Jonathan and more besides. But if my father's malice against you persists, I will tell you plainly and send you away safely, and may the Lord be with you as He was with my father. 14. And if I am still alive, show me the faithful love of the Lord; but if I die, 15. do not cut off your faithful love from my house forever — not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth. If Jonathan is cut off, may the Lord require it from the hand of David's enemies.' 16. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, 'May the Lord require it from the hand of David's enemies.' 17. And Jonathan made David swear again, because he loved him — he loved him as his own soul. 18. Jonathan said to him, 'Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19. On the third day, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed, and stay near the stone Ezel. 20. I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though practicing at a target. 21. And I will send a boy, saying, Go find the arrows. If I say to the boy, Look, the arrows are on this side of you — bring them — then come, because all is well and there is no danger, as the Lord lives. 22. But if I say to the boy, Look, the arrows are beyond you — then go, because the Lord has sent you away. 23. As for the matter between you and me — may the Lord be between you and me forever.'
In yesterday's sermon we began examining how Jonathan worked to bring comfort to David through a renewed promise of friendship, confirmed by a new oath. When someone is reduced to such desperation that wherever he turns he sees death before him, allowances must be made — even if he struggles with doubt and anxiety. And it should not be counted against him if he cannot fully trust those whom he ought to trust. We know how powerful human emotions can be — those struck with fear can barely control themselves. Jonathan's example therefore deserves our imitation. He could have taken offense at David's distrust, treating it as an insult. But he recognized the turbulence in David's mind that would not allow room for calm reasoning. He was moved by David's fear, made room for it, and did what he could to offer a remedy. And so the covenant between them was confirmed again by a mutual oath. People are by nature inclined to use oaths when necessity demands it. I am not speaking of rash oaths made casually over trivial or useless matters — but of oaths employed in matters of great importance, where some underlying uncertainty exists, and an oath is used as a kind of divinely-provided remedy to remove mutual distrust. Oaths serve as a kind of restraint for people. It is clear enough where the need for them comes from — from weakness on both sides. One party suffers from distrust, when he ought to think better of the other and believe he will be faithful. The other should consider why that distrust exists — that people are prone to inconstancy and do not fully know themselves — and should therefore bear with a friend and overlook whatever weakness he shows. But when each side stubbornly insists on its own rights, and no one will pardon the weakness of his neighbor, friendships fall apart. Oaths therefore arise from human weakness. God, however, graciously tolerates this weakness and offers His own name as a firm pledge on which we may rest and render faithfulness to one another. Since God shows such extraordinary kindness to us — lowering His name to serve as a pledge between people — we should approach swearing with all the greater humility and reverence, and take care never to invoke God's name carelessly. Let us therefore know that God presides over oaths and will not permit something so holy and sacred to be despised and turned into common abuse. And let us draw from Jonathan's example this lesson: by renewing his oath he confirmed David and made him more certain of his faithfulness.
Several different oath formulas appear here, because Jonathan repeated his oath a third and fourth time, reinforcing his words, and David bound himself to Jonathan in return. The words 'May the Lord require it from David's enemies' cannot refer to Jonathan, as is commonly assumed, but must refer entirely to David — who by those words submits himself to the will of his enemies and asks to be punished by them if he breaks faith with Jonathan. The first formula that appears is: 'O Lord, God of Israel.' Since these words are left incomplete, some interpreters join them to what follows: 'May the Lord do so to Jonathan and more besides.' But there is nothing wrong with taking these words by themselves: 'The Lord God of Israel' — and leaving the rest understood. It is common in Scripture for oaths not to be stated fully or set out in formal complete sentences, but to be expressed through a kind of deliberate silence — just as in ordinary speech people often hold something back and do not say everything, while still being perfectly understood. This is particularly appropriate in oaths out of reverence for them. People commonly sin with oaths through audacity and carelessness — God's name becomes so cheap to them that they toss it about frivolously, as if daring to provoke God Himself by inventing new oaths and plunging headlong into all kinds of irreverence. Because people are so prone to abusing God's name in casual swearing, Scripture teaches us that when we are about to swear, we should fear God's name and tremble before His majesty. And so when Scripture presents oath formulas, it often presents them as incomplete — as here, where Jonathan simply says 'The Lord God of Israel' and adds nothing more. Yet these words are enough for the discerning reader. By them Jonathan declares that God sits as judge between them both and affirms that he will maintain honesty and keep his word, knowing that his business is with God and that God will be his judge. He likewise calls David to the same faithfulness in return.
The words that follow are a repetition of the oath, by which Jonathan subjects himself to whatever punishment he would deserve for knowingly deceiving: 'May God do this to Jonathan and add this besides.' This is a common phrase in Scripture, which confirms further what I said earlier — that the ancients, when swearing, did not spell out the full sentence. This showed how precious God's name was to them, a name they used only with the greatest reverence, sobriety, and humility. These words contain a kind of call for divine judgment upon himself — as if saying: May the Lord take vengeance on me. May He not let perjury go unpunished if I deceive. May God punish me from heaven and bring judgment on my head. And this is the force of the words 'May God do this to Jonathan and add this besides' — as if to say: May God punish me doubly or trebly if I fail. So though these words may seem brief and light, they contain within them a solemn call for divine judgment against whoever acts deceitfully. This deserves careful attention: every oath contains within itself a call for divine judgment. Many people swear oaths without understanding what an oath actually is. But if they remembered that oaths contain an implicit self-condemnation, they would quickly recognize that God's name must not be used carelessly, but only in fear and reverence — and they would fear the divine judgment they have called down upon themselves by making God their judge and avenger. These things ought to carry great weight with everyone and deter careless swearing — for when God's name has been invoked, He will not leave perjury unpunished. The word 'forever' must also be carefully considered. It teaches us that even though God may delay His punishment for a time, He will eventually demand an accounting and bring perjuries into the open. Since God is the witness of all things, He does not always punish sinners immediately. His patience and goodness waits for them a long time and invites them to repentance — so that when judgment comes, they will be without excuse. Since these things are true, let us learn that when we invoke God's name, we must not look at the other person — friend or family — and use perjury to cover up something shameful they have done. Let us remember that God will be the judge and avenger of everything said, in life and in death. Even when no visible punishment for perjury appears in this world, people will eventually learn — the hard way — how highly God requires His name to be esteemed and honored. Crimes like these will never go unpunished, however long the punishment is delayed.
Jonathan adds one more oath: 'May the Lord be between me and you forever.' By this he shows even more clearly that he has nothing to do with the frauds and deceits by which people typically cover up their perjuries. Such people think everything is fine as long as no one can prove it against them — forgetting that they are not hidden from God, and must one day give account to Him. This is precisely why oaths are used by people as a remedy in hidden matters that cannot be uncovered by any witnesses — by invoking God's name as the witness. But today, sadly, how little this teaching carries weight. When people have sworn about hidden matters, they pay little attention to the oath unless certain rituals are performed and it is notarized in the presence of witnesses and recorded in public documents. This contempt for oaths has spread even among those who call themselves believers. But this passage teaches the opposite: that perjurers, even if they have concealed their perjury a hundred times, are not safe — for they will never escape the eyes and judgment of God, who is the arbiter of agreements and covenants and presides between all parties. It is remarkable that those who boast of the Christian name are so dull as not to grasp the seriousness of this crime — when we see even the pagans held back by religious awe, and when we know that God has inscribed this law on every human heart by nature: that we must not wrong our neighbor, and that God alone is a sufficient witness, even if every created thing is unaware of the perjury. We know that Laban was an idolater, devoted to greed, without faithfulness or fairness — yet when addressing his son-in-law, he openly declared that if no human person would avenge any injuries done to his daughters, God would vindicate them. Where did this instinct come from in that idolater, if not from nature itself? Even the pagans spoke in elevated terms about oaths, magnifying the majesty of God in them. Therefore, since people are so careless in taking oaths and so prone to contempt of the divine majesty, we must with all the greater care and earnestness meditate on the teaching of this passage — that the Lord sits as arbiter and judge between all parties to a covenant, and that consequently no escape route remains. Everyone must stand before His judgment.
The word 'forever' carries great weight here and must not be passed over lightly. Why do perjurers take their oaths so lightly and keep piling wrong upon wrong? Because God delays His punishment, and they conclude they will escape it. This is the great source of perjury — the hope of impunity. Therefore these words must be carefully weighed. They teach us that although God delays punishment for a time, He will still eventually demand an accounting and bring perjury into the open. Since God is the witness of all things, He does not always punish sinners immediately. His patience and goodness waits for them a long time, calling them to repentance — so that when the day of reckoning comes, they will be without excuse. David in turn responds: 'May the Lord require it from the hand of David's enemies.' These words express the intensity of his spirit. He declares that he is prepared to bear punishment not only from God's own hand directly, but — what would be even more shameful to him — from the hand of his very enemies. As if to say: Let God not only punish me Himself, but let Him stir up wicked and contemptible men against me, take vengeance through their ministry, and overwhelm me with the deepest disgrace. We know that God often adds dishonor and shame to the severity of punishment, so that sinners may be humbled all the more. Many people can bear certain adversities bravely — loss of wealth, suffering in their bodies — as long as no reproach or disgrace is attached. But bearing public dishonor and shame is hard and intolerable for them. This is why David specifically mentions divine vengeance carried out through the hand of enemies.
From this we must also draw this lesson: when God gives our enemies power over us, He is reminding us of our duty — as if He Himself were pronouncing sentence against us. The afflictions God sends on us, when they are not accompanied by disgrace, function as a kind of fine He has imposed on us. But when disgrace and shame are added to affliction, God is showing that the offenses we have committed are not minor but serious — sins that require public shame as a warning to others.
This teaching that comes from the passage is valuable and should be applied to our own lives. We commonly grow angry when wicked and contemptible people exercise power over us — grinding our teeth, as it were, murmuring and quarreling against God. Why does God allow this wicked man to lord it over me? Why does He give these people free rein to harass me? Must I be subject to endless trouble? Must these people always go unpunished? These are the complaints we typically burst into, because the teaching of this passage does not come to mind — namely that God uses our enemies, whoever they may be, as instruments of His justice, precisely to humble us more and more. If He were to chastise us with His own hand, that would be a fatherly correction — for a father who disciplines his son does not seek to disgrace or humiliate him. But when God gives our enemies the power to afflict us and treat us more harshly, He uses them as whips and axes — as a just judge, He allows them to punish us and exact the penalties we deserve. We therefore ought to be brought low under His hand, and feel our sins so deeply that, filled with shame, we turn away from them.
Beyond the foregoing, Jonathan's faithfulness and the commitment he made here deserve our careful attention. It is truly remarkable. He was the son of King Saul — a king whose family and name no one at that time had any plans to end, except perhaps the Philistines who were at war with him. In the whole nation, Saul had no rival, no private enemies, no internal hatred that threatened his hold on the crown and royal scepter. Yet Jonathan voluntarily offered the royal scepter to David. Why? Because he recognized that David would be king — even though at that moment David was greatly afflicted and tossed about by various storms, unable to be safe anywhere even for a moment without his life in danger, as we will see. Jonathan recognized and acknowledged David as king, even though David was a fugitive, despised, and hostile to Saul. Why? Because Jonathan was looking to God's promises, and being persuaded of their certainty, he set before his eyes and contemplated what was not yet visible. We see the same thing in Noah: he conceived in his mind the flood that was to come, and while everyone else indulged their appetites and devoted themselves to pleasure, he carefully and anxiously built the ark over a period of one hundred and twenty years. Why? The apostle tells us: because he saw by faith what did not yet exist, and was persuaded by God's promise. The same must be said of Jonathan here. Though David's situation at that time was as wretched and helpless as could be imagined, Jonathan did not stop recognizing him as king or making a covenant with him. The promise God had made to David had come to Jonathan's ears. He also knew the Lord's threat against his father Saul, spoken through Samuel's ministry — that God would choose another successor to lead His people in Saul's place. Jonathan received the Lord's word in such a way that, being convinced of the promise made to David, he had no doubt God would fulfill it — even though at that point, by any human calculation, David was as far from a throne as imaginable. Jonathan's virtue here is especially outstanding, since the royal succession naturally belonged to him. What could he expect to gain by backing David? Was not the royal dignity he was securing for David coming at his own direct expense — since the succession belonged to him? We know that people pursue their own interests and are deeply resistant to anything that harms them. Even the closest bonds of friendship easily break when they come at personal cost. But Jonathan believed what he had heard — that God willed David to reign, and that God had designated and chosen David as king to rule over Israel. He knew that both his father and he himself would be removed from royal dignity by divine command and placed under David. From this we are reminded that faith is not only about things that are pleasant and beneficial to us. It also encompasses adversity — because God often receives us in ways contrary to our expectations, and brings changes that are painful and hard for us to accept. Yet we know they must be patiently borne and embraced. Jonathan's virtue is all the more praiseworthy for how calmly he submitted to the Lord's decree — the decree that would bring down Saul's family and raise David to royal dignity. This is a rare faith, a rare virtue in this world. It would seem unbelievable that David was so loved by Jonathan that Jonathan would help him one day take the royal scepter. Why did Jonathan not simply remove David while he had him within his reach? Instead, he willingly submitted to David with complete modesty and humility. Let us therefore learn that nothing should stop us from receiving God's Word with full and undoubting faith and delighting in it — even when fulfilling it appears to come at our own expense. We are generally too attached to our own honor, too thin-skinned, and cannot bear God's hand except when it indulges our desires. Hence the natural unbelief within us, hence the murmuring against God — because we have not learned to see His presence in His Word. So that we may receive God's promises with firm faith and embrace His truth without resistance, let us learn to set aside all arrogance and self-importance. Let us train ourselves in patience. Let us stop pursuing our own interests. Let us commit ourselves entirely to God and allow ourselves to be governed by His will — so that even when we are put through various trials and our obedience is tested in many ways, we do not grow bitter or burn with restless thoughts. We must know that the Lord has placed us in this world on the very condition that we will face these trials, and that we are to rest in His will.
Enough about these matters for now — they will come up again later. What we have said about Jonathan is confirmed by his words: 'I will send you away and you shall go in peace, and may the Lord be with you as He was with my father.' By these words he wishes every blessing on David — even though from a human perspective this might appear detrimental to himself. The words 'May the Lord be with you as He was with my father' make this even clearer. By them he seems to yield the royal dignity to David entirely — not under compulsion but willingly, because he is persuaded this is the Lord's will. He surrenders to David every claim to royal dignity that Saul's family might have had — as if saying: God revealed through Samuel that He would remove the kingdom from my father. I willingly accept the Lord's decree. Let the throne be taken from my father, from me his heir, from our whole family. You, David, reign. You alone receive the grace the Lord previously gave to our family. This makes plain what I touched on earlier: Jonathan was not looking to his own interests but was entirely dependent on God's will, submitting himself to whatever God judged right and just. He goes further still when he says: 'Whether I live or die, show mercy to my family.' By these words Jonathan first asks that if he survives, David would show kindness to him. But if God willed him to die, he asks that David still keep his faithfulness toward his whole household and family. On these terms Jonathan and David swore their friendship to each other. Jonathan's faith shines clearly here: he asked David to show mercy to him and his family when there was not yet any visible sign that David would ever reign. Even seeing everything pointing to the contrary, Jonathan was still persuaded that God would stand by His promises and fulfill them beyond everyone's expectation. This general rule ought to remain fixed in our minds: to trust God's Word and rest in it, we must turn our eyes away from everything that appears outwardly. If we tried to measure God's promises by what we can see, our faith would not only fail to be strengthened — it would be shaken and turned away from the divine promises. This teaching must therefore be fixed in our minds: we must take the greatest care not to let our faith waver when it seems we have been hoping in God in vain. He will in fact prove that those who call on Him in truth are never disappointed in their hope. This teaching especially applies to the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom David was a figure. Just as David, though he had received the royal dignity, was afflicted by many different trials and exposed to many oppressions and humiliations — as we will see in greater detail — so we often see the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ trampled underfoot by people, as it were, coming into such contempt that it seems destined to be completely abolished and swallowed up in permanent obscurity. Christ no longer suffers in His own person as He did on earth. He has been raised to the glory of God the Father and received into the eternal dwelling place. Yet His kingdom, which He is gathering on earth, appears so weak and fragile that we would hardly dare to confidently expect His help in uncertain situations — unless we look to God's promises and rest our faith on them. If this is more deeply rooted in our minds, we will imitate the converted criminal on the cross, who made so outstanding a confession of faith that it surpasses the faith of many martyrs. We should not be ashamed to be compared to that criminal, who surpassed not only Peter and the other apostles, but all created things in that moment. He gazed on our Lord Jesus Christ hanging on the cross — with only moments left before His last breath — and saw not only the supreme disgrace before men, but also the curse before God, to which He was declared subject by the law of God as He hung on the tree. Yet he turned to Him and said: I beg you, remember me when you come into your kingdom. But where did he see Christ's kingdom? There was no outward indication of it at all. If he had judged by his own understanding alone — even if he had spent his whole life studying God's law — he could never have made so outstanding a confession of faith in the Lord. He had lived a wretched life and had acted like a wild animal. Yet in a single moment he recognized our Lord Jesus Christ as king and savior — as if he had pierced the very heavens themselves and learned of His glory there — though with his bodily eyes he saw only a man hanging from a cross, wretched and under a curse. Let us therefore carefully observe and meditate on this correspondence and likeness between David's kingdom and the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ — in whom all the figures find their fulfillment and completion. If Jonathan came to David as a suppliant in his affliction and humiliation, asking him to show mercy to him and his family when he came into royal power — let us confidently approach Christ the Son of God our Lord, now received into His glory, and place all our trust in Him. Let us have no doubt that He who accomplished our salvation will graciously receive us into His protection and care, and have mercy on us, if we have placed all our joy in Him. He will guard us within His covenant and continue the mercy of God His Father toward us to the very end.
As for Jonathan's prayer here, another word deserves attention: 'the mercy of the Lord.' This could mean Jonathan is praying that God would show His goodness to him — but it is better to take it as part of the oath, as if Jonathan were appealing to David by the oath made in God's name, urging him to remain faithful and continue showing him the mercy promised. At the same time, he makes clear that if David ever acted cruelly or treacherously toward him or his family, David would not escape God's hand but would eventually pay the penalty. Jonathan's great virtue and faith shine through all of this. He voluntarily threw himself into enormous danger for David's sake. The circumstances here are not trivial: there was no trustworthy person he could confide in, and without witnesses he dared alone to open his heart and plans to David — at the utmost risk of death. Neither fear of his father nor the magnitude of the danger deflected him from his duty. He persevered in his friendship with David. If any of this had reached Saul's ears, it would have cost Jonathan dearly. We saw earlier how severely his father had treated him in a minor matter — when Jonathan, exhausted from battle and faint with hunger, had tasted a little honey, not knowing about the oath by which his father had bound the people. Saul had said: 'You shall die, Jonathan.' Jonathan knew his father's character and fury. He was therefore well aware that if even the slightest rumor of the covenant with David reached his father's ears, it would be treated as an unforgivable crime. Yet he did not abandon his duty. This shows that those who rest their faith firmly in God's Word become bolder in carrying out the Lord's commands. We read in Scripture that one property of God's Word is to strengthen faltering knees and reinforce arms and hands that are weak and broken. It is true that relying on our own strength, we are useless for every good work and cannot move even a finger by our natural power. But however weak we are, if we look to God's Word and take instruction from it, we will be so strengthened that we will be ready to face any danger when necessity demands — imitating Jonathan's example, whom no apprehension of imminent danger, no mortal risk, deflected from his duty, because he had come to know that it was the Lord's will for David to be exalted. It is also clear that Jonathan embraced David with a singular friendship — something beyond the merely human. Friends of higher rank will hardly lower themselves to those below and beneath them; people do not ordinarily make covenants of this kind with one another. Whatever Jonathan did here, let us recognize that it flowed from his knowledge of God's will concerning David's coming kingship. By this conviction he governed his desires and fulfilled the duty of a faithful friend — even at the risk of his life.
What will today's many so-called champions of the Gospel say to this, who nonetheless sit idle in their sluggishness and pull back when God calls them to action? They seem to think they have a good excuse and have done their duty admirably if they can point to this or that danger and mortal risk that, they say, cannot possibly be avoided. People are accustomed to washing their hands and ignoring God's call when any danger threatens — people who ought instead to have been encouraged by God's promises. But Jonathan was not like this. He knew that the dignity he held would be taken from him so that David could be exalted. Yet he still chose to do the duty of a true friend, even at the risk of his life. He could have excused himself before David and others, professing that he was deeply grieved to see the poor innocent man so afflicted — but why should he throw himself into mortal danger for his sake? There was another even more plausible excuse available: Why should I conspire against my father for the sake of a stranger, and strip the royal crown from him? What would I gain from that? But Jonathan cut off all such thoughts at the root, blocking every exit that might have led him away from duty, and resolved that he would not stop — even at the cost of his own life — until the matter was settled. Today we are not being called to face mortal danger for the sake of some mortal man. We are called for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God — for which we ought to endure any suffering. For it is He who, as the apostle Paul says, died and rose again so that He might be Lord of both the living and the dead. It is entirely right that we should pour out our lives for His worship and glorification, turning our eyes away from all terrors. Let us therefore learn to value so highly the worship and reverence we owe to God and our Lord Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice of faith He requires, that even if we were to give our lives a thousand times over, we would never depart from our duty by even the slightest degree. For otherwise, there is no doubt that on the last day Jonathan will rise up against us before the Lord's throne and testify against us — he who refused no danger for David's sake, and yet by David was to be stripped of the dignity that was rightfully his by succession. But our Lord Jesus Christ did not drive us from any dignity of ours in becoming greater and more powerful at our expense. On the contrary, He was exalted above the heavens and became like us — sharing His good things with all who worship Him as they ought. How great then will our wickedness be, how great our treachery, if we do not do for Him what Jonathan did for David? If we are not prepared to follow Him with burning zeal wherever He leads and calls us? Jonathan refused no danger to keep faith with a mortal man. Shall we be so slow that we cannot dare to face mortal danger for the Son of God? By the same proportion as truth surpasses figure, we will be all the more inexcusable before God. From where was Jonathan joined to David by such a strong bond of friendship — forgetting his own interests and his very life to come to David's aid — if not from looking to God's promises and the hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom David was a figure? Now the shadows have passed. There is no longer any place for those figures. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the true light and righteousness, lifts us above all created things when He honors us with the calling to be witnesses of His glory and to lend weight to His Word. Shall we then show ourselves more sluggish and idle than Jonathan — we who have the reality of which he had only the shadow? Should we not fear that God will justly punish such great laziness — and that we will receive a double disgrace when we stand condemned before the tribunal of God in the person of His Son?
Finally, once the terms of the covenant and friendship have been confirmed with an oath, Jonathan reveals the plan he intends to use to inform David of his father's attitude — that on the day of the new moon, when David's seat will be empty, he will watch his father's response and communicate it to David by a prearranged signal. As we said before, no one dared to declare himself David's friend, for fear of his own life. How pressed on every side Jonathan was becomes clear — and yet he still found a way to keep David safe. From this we are taught that God will without doubt supply us with wisdom in uncertain and dangerous situations to avoid any perils, provided we do not surrender to shameful laziness and inaction. For whenever even the smallest obstacle appears, we are seized with sudden fear and forget to place our trust in God, fixing our eyes only on what is directly before us. We say: what will become of us if every remedy is gone? But if we look with sincere love and genuine faith to God's Word and command, He will certainly supply us with enough wisdom and good judgment to defend ourselves against any enemies when necessity demands it — and where only a narrow escape seemed possible, He will open a wide and easy road. Jonathan could have complained that no trustworthy servant was available to carry the message to David, and excused himself on the grounds that if he himself went out to David and his father noticed them speaking, he would be put to death. Nevertheless he instructed David to stay in a certain place and arranged everything so cleverly that you would think it was children's play. 'Stay by the stone Ezel,' he says, 'and hide there until the signal we agreed on has been completed.' Some interpret this stone as a milestone set to show travelers the way. Others think it was a boundary marker placed to separate properties. I believe it was a certain cave where David could hide and observe those passing by without being seen himself. Jonathan told him to hide there and wait for the signal until the third day of the new moon — by which he would communicate his father's attitude and let David know whether to come or not. This confirms, as we taught earlier, that Jonathan valued David's life above his own — because he knew God intended to raise David and bring him to royal dignity. This conviction about God's will was fixed so deeply in Jonathan's mind that he never wavered and never broke out into any complaint against God. Instead he bravely resisted all the temptations that might have prevented him from humbling himself before David. We ought to imitate this example and pray all the more earnestly that God would supply us with courage and strength — so that when we see dangers coming, we are never so terrified that we fail to flee to Him and His help. And if this trust is fixed firmly in our minds, God will certainly load us with His gifts. Having given us the strength to do our duty, He will also open a way of escape from dangers, so that nothing is so steep or difficult that we cannot overcome it.
Now then, come, etc.
