"David and Jonathan"

Pastor Laura Guy

November 1, 2009

Here's an instant replay of what happened in worship:

We learned that after David defeated Goliath, he became a beloved hero. Saul's son Jonathan was one of the people who loved David. When David married Saul's daughter, he and Jonathan became brothers-in-law. The one person who didn't love David was King Saul. He saw David as a threat.
We heard how David and Jonathan devised a test to see if Saul was angry enough to want to kill David. At the feast of the New Moon, David would be absent. If Saul became angry, Jonathan would know that his father wanted to kill David, and Jonathan would help his friend escape. But if Saul was not angry, then it was safe for David to come back and live in the palace. This conversation takes place in 1 Sam. 20. The two friends came up with a signal so David would know if it was safe to come home.
We saw that Saul did, indeed, become furious when he realized David was not at the feast. Jonathan knew that David must run away. Jonathan took his bow and arrows and shot them in the direction he had told David meant it wasn't safe to return. The two friends said a sorrowful goodbye. When David later learned of Jonathan's death, he grieved for him. He also took Jonathan's son into the palace as a member of his own family.
We thought about whether we had ever had a friend like that. Have we ever been a friend like that? If not, what prevents us? Jonathan could have seen David as his rival for the throne, but instead Jonathan realized that God had chosen David, and Jonathan pledged his support. Could we set aside our own hopes and dreams and truly rejoice at the good fortune of a friend?
We prayed for all the saints, all the friends, both known and unknown, who have been a positive influence on our lives. We prayed that we could be a friend like Jonathan was to David.
We celebrated communion at the table of love.