David Wisniewski - Developing Spiritual Intelligence - Class 3 - Honour

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   So that our minds are nice and attentive for our last class for the day from our brother David. We do have an introductory reading before we begin this class. So if you all want to get our Bibles out and open together to First Samuel and chapter 10. And we’ll be reading the 1st 14 verses together and I’ll be reading from the new King James.

2. 0:26

   So First Samuel Chapter 10 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him, and said, Is it not because Yahweh has anointed you, commander, over his inheritance? When you have departed from me today you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelza.

3. 0:47

   And they will say to you, the donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you, saying, What shall I do about my son? Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor.

4. 1:05

   There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. And they will greet you and give you 2 loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. After that you will come to the hill of God where the Philistine Garrison is, and it will happen when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument. That man’s for God is with you.

5. 1:37

   You shall go down before me to Gilgal and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. 7 days You shall wait till I come to you and show you what you should do. So it was when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart.

6. 1:59

   And all those signs came to pass. That day. When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him. Then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, What is this that has come upon the son of Kish?

7. 2:22

   Is Saul also among the prophets? Then a man from there answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place. Then Saul’s uncle said to him, and his servant, Where did you go?

8. 2:42

   So he said, to look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel. This is Watch an Lake Bible School 2025. Our speaker is Brother David Wisniewski. His series for the week is Developing Spiritual Intelligence from the lives of Jonathan and David. This is his third class and the title is Honor Brother David. Well, good morning.

9. 3:27

   It does feel a little warm to be morning, but indeed it is still good morning. How are you All excellent. We have life. So our spiritual quotient for today in developing spiritual intelligence is honor. And I think, well, where does that fit in the story of David and Jonathan? Well, it fits in their relationship to Saul and so we will by way of review go through some accounts we have not yet looked at this week, Others we have looked at this week to consider the character of this man and how he behaved with and around Jonathan and David and then reflect on Jonathan and David’s behavior towards the man’s Saul. I can tell you this is a topic that I would struggle with if Saul was my king or Saul was my father. But the example that these two men set for us on the topic of honor is truly astounding.

10. 4:43

    Well, Saul’s name means desired or to beg, and indeed he had been desired by the nation of Israel who asked for a king, and it was a king that was after their own heart, not after God’s own heart. We see that in First Samuel chapter 8 and verse 5, when the elders of Israel come to Samuel and Raima, and they say, Behold, thou art old, my sons, walk not in thy ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. And at first Samuel’s displeased, but God puts things into perspective when He says at the end of verse 7, they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from reigning over them.

11. 5:29

    And we have a flashback now, don’t we, to the Spirit that was there in the Judges when there was no king in Israel. Of course there was a king. God was their king. David acknowledged in Psalm 45, Thy throne, O Yahweh, it’s thy scepter. And Israel did not acknowledge that God was their king. And God sees that as a rejection. And so he says through the prophet Hosea, I gave thee Israel a king in mine anger.

12. 6:02

    He gave them a king that they desired a king after their own heart. We turn the page to First Samuel Chapter 9. We see a history of this man. We see a description of what he is like, we’re told at verse two. Well, verse one tells he’s tells us that he’s the son of a mighty man of power or the margin says substance. So it seems like he came from a wealthy home. Remember, the tribe of Benjamin was a small tribe in Israel because they’d almost been destroyed because of the circumstances surrounding the Levite and the concubine who was violently abused and murdered and sent throughout the land. So this was a small tribe in Israel, but this is a mighty man in that tribe, a man of substance, and he has a son who’s a choice young man.

13. 6:59

    The word means, as vine defined vines defines it, a vigorous young man who was unmarried. And then it says goodly. It’s actually there twice in the record in the Hebrew, goodly goodly, which means he was better or more beautiful than most around him. And we’re told at the end of that verse, from his shoulders and upward, he was higher than any of the people and so on. First impression from a physical appearance perspective, we have a man who could be fit to be a king. But then we gain some insight as we come to verse 3 as to the character of this individual.

14. 7:41

    And the asses of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. We’ll later find out that was Saul’s job was watching over his father’s herds. So it was Saul that had lost the asses, a symbol of Israel. And it was to foreshadow the end condition of this man, that as he died, all Israel would be scattered like the asses that Saul had lost at the beginning of this story. One thing that we need to recognize is that God does not set up any individual for failure. We know that’s the case because of a couple of verses in the Bible, one’s in the New Testament and one in the Old. In second Peter chapter 3 and verse 9, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And then we think of the words of John 3 and 15. Whosoever believeth should have eternal life, which is quoting from Joel 2IN verse 32 and then Ezekiel 18 in the Old Testament. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die, saith the Lord God, and not that He should return from His ways and live? So God does not set anyone up for failure. He would that all should repent and should grasp a hold of the opportunity for salvation which He has offered. Which is why Psalm 19 tells us that creation itself is a witness to every human being that dwells upon the earth, giving everyone the opportunity to recognize that there is intelligent design and therefore desire to learn more about the intelligence behind creation.

15. 9:41

    God does not set up anyone for failure and God gives Samuel, Saul rather every opportunity to succeed. Turn the page over to First Samuel chapter 10.

16. 9:57

    In first Samuel chapter 10 we read it verse 9 as was read for us. And it was so that when he had turned his back from Samuel and leave, God gave him another heart. And then we find that he’s joined by a company of prophets in verse 10. This was part of the school of the prophets that had first been established in the land by Samuel.

17. 10:20

    It was Samuel who had created companies of prophets throughout the land in an effort to rebuild spirituality throughout the land. And they seem to have gone by the wayside until we come to the time period of Elijah, as we considered earlier this week. So here’s a company of prophets that come and meet Saul. And Saul also prophecies.

18. 10:41

    Why at the end of verse 10? Because the Spirit of God came upon him. God gives him a new heart. He surrounds him by prophets. His Spirit comes upon him. Saul himself is prophesying. So strange is this site that it became known a proverb in Israel. Verse 12. Is Saul also among the prophets?

19. 11:05

    And then Saul goes back to his place. So God provokes Saul to action once again. Samuel comes down, sent by God, and he gathers all Israel together, and they’re told to present themselves by tribes and by their thousands in verse 19. And then they cast lots at verse 20. Samuel caused all the tribes of Israel to come near in the tribe of Benjamin was taken, and then from the tribe of Benjamin the family of Metri.

20. 11:34

    And then Saul the son of Kish is the one who was selected. And when they go to look for him, nobody can find him. He’s hiding the one who was head and shoulders above the rest of the nation, the one that they desired to be their king, the one who’d been anointed, the one who’d been given a new heart, the one to upon whom the Spirit of God had come, the one who was prophesying, the one who became a proverb is Saul, also amongst the prophets. He’s hiding amongst the stuff when he’s going to be introduced to the nation as a king.

21. 12:09

    But God had given him every opportunity to succeed, and we see that again at verse 26 of First Samuel 10. And Saul also went home to Gibeah, and there went with him a band of men whose hearts God had touched. He even surrounds Saul by spiritual people with spiritual people to be a positive influence to him.

22. 12:35

    Well, once again Saul resorts to doing nothing, and so once again God gets involved and provokes him by sending Nahash the Ammonite against the children of Jabesh Gilead, who we saw earlier despised Israel. It’s revealed in the covenant that they’re willing to make with them, that they would thrust out all the right eyes of the men of Jabesh Gilead.

23. 13:00

    And so they appeal to Saul. And Saul takes a yoke of oxen. He cuts it into pieces and he sends it throughout all the tribes of Israel, and he gathers together an army of 330,000 people. And at the end of the day Saul has slain the army. And indeed it appears that all things are going well. The army has been scattered in First Samuel Chapter 11 at verse 11.

24. 13:29

    And it was so on the morning that Saul put the people in three companies, and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it came to pass that they which remained were scattered so that two of them were not left together. And look at the spiritual insight that Saul for once in his life and perhaps the last time has in verse 13, when there’s a challenge for those that hadn’t accepted the kingship of Saul, he says, shall there be a man put to death this day for today the Lord hath wrought salvation in Israel. Certainly that would have been a proud moment for Jonathan. His son Yahweh had wrought salvation in Israel, declared his father.

25. 14:23

    And Samuel says to the people, Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the Kingdom. And they go to Gilgal, and Saul the king before the Lord, and they sacrifice peace offerings before the Lord. And Saul and all the men of Israel rejoice greatly. And we have a beautiful picture of what the kingship should have been like.

26. 14:43

    But then three years pass when we come to First Samuel 13, and nothing’s happened again for three years. The glory, the fervor, the excitement of the defeat of the Ammonites, of the leadership of Saul is past. And there’s an interesting phrase at the beginning of First Samuel 13, the King James Version reads Saul reigned one year. And when he had reigned 2 years over Israel, well, the reality is it has been two years, and this is now the third year. But why does it say that Saul reigned one year? And I believe that it’s giving us some insights into what this man was like and the fact that he had returned to a former state.

27. 15:40

    Well, that word reigned one year actually in the Hebrew means the son of a year, the son of a year. And if you look up son of the year elsewhere in the Bible, everywhere else in the Bible that I could find, at least, not being a reader of Hebrew, but using my tools that I have available, it always refers to a lamb or a goat of the first year that’s going to be sacrificed in every occurrence.

28. 16:11

    There’s about 20 other occurrences and it’s a lamb or a goat of the first year. And what’s the point? Saul, who was supposed to be a shepherd over Israel, was like a little cute lamb. I believe that’s the point. And indeed, he would be sacrificed in the end. But it wasn’t because God had set him up to be a sacrifice.

29. 16:38

    It’s because of his own vanity, his own pursuit for pride and Vainglory, and the resulting bitterness that would follow. Saul was like a little cute lamb. And when he’d reign 2 years. We come then to the story of Jonathan, who goes and defeats a Garrison of the Philistines in Mcmash. And of course we saw when we considered that story in our first evening on Sunday, that Jonathan had had the victory and Saul took the credit.

30. 17:13

    And then we considered as well in First Samuel chapter 13 how Saul realized this was the moment that he now had to wait for Samuel to arrive, and he waited for seven days, but not right through the evening. And he impetuously goes and offers the burnt offering himself. And we saw in First Samuel 13 how Saul was rejected, not personally, but his family, from being the Kingdom that would rule over Israel from that day forward.

31. 17:44

    And we saw that Saul’s response was nonchalant. He just goes and he numbers the people. And Jonathan was there. And Jonathan witnessed that his father, who had previously recognized that Yahweh had given salvation to Israel on the defeat of the Ammonites, now watches his father take credit for his son’s own work. Instead of being a proud dad, he’s taking credit for his son’s own work. And when the result of his own inept actions, impetuous actions, and offering a sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel result in Jonathan losing a chance to rise to the throne, he sees his father carry on like it’s no big deal. And then we come to First Samuel, Chapter 14, which we considered as well on our first evening together in our first class, where Jonathan and his armor bearer go up against the Philistines together.

32. 18:43

    Jonathan sick and tired of waiting for his father, no doubt having urged his father remember the victory over the Ammonites. Dad, we can defeat these Philistines. What we didn’t consider in our first class was Saul’s response,

33. 19:02

    Saul seeing the multitude melt away as we considered due to the faith of Jonathan and his armor bearer from afar. Here’s news that the multitude is melting away. First Samuel 14 we come to the record then at verse 16 and the Watchmen of Saul and Gibby of Benjamin looked and behold, the multitude melted away and they went on beating down one another. And Saul says to the people that were with him, grab your swords, let’s go.

34. 19:36

    No, no, he doesn’t say that. He says number the people or see who’s gone from us. Because Saul cares more about who gets the glory than what has been done.

35. 19:55

    What a sad, sad individual, and how sad any of us can become when we get so consumed in pride. That we no longer care what the work is, we only care who gets the credit. That was this man’s Saul. So consumed was he in this, so consumed was he in his glory, that he had actually made Israel swear that day, verse 24, that they would not eat. First Samuel 14, verse 24.

36. 20:32

    And the men of Israel were distressed that day. For Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until even evening, That I may be avenged on mine enemies, not God’s enemies, not that Israel might be avenged against God’s enemies, or Israel enemies. I might be avenged by my enemies.

37. 20:57

    And so none of the people tasted any food. And as a result, as they’re trying to chase after the Philistines, they’re being largely ineffective because nobody has any energy. And unbeknownst to Jonathan, while this rash oath has been made, he partakes of some honey to give him some strength in his pursuit against the Philistines.

38. 21:23

    And so when we come to the end of the chapter to verse 33, we find the children of Israel were so hungry that they started to slay the animals that were left behind by the Philistines and eat the raw flesh. And so word comes to Saul and he calls all the people together. He brings them back.

39. 21:43

    He builds the only altar that he builds in First Samuel 14 and verse 35. And he tells the people to offer sacrifices upon the altar and eat the food that is cooked. And now that all Israel is gathered together, he says, well, let’s go down verse 36 and fight against the Philistines. But first he asked counsel of God, who shall go up?

40. 22:09

    And God doesn’t answer Saul. And Saul concludes, Well this is because somebody has broken my oath. And so he tells all Israel in verse 38 of First Samuel 14 Draw ye near, hit her all the chief of the people, and know and see wherein the sin hath been this day. You think you might have known it was Jonathan?

41. 22:36

    Read on. For as Yahweh liveth which saveth Israel, though it be Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. And nobody answers Saul, what’s going on here? Jonathan and his armor bearer, he knows, were the ones who set the Philistines to flight. Jonathan, with his armor bearer, were doing Saul’s job, leading the people to war against their enemies.

42. 23:08

    Jonathan was not present when he made his rash oath because he was fighting against the Philistines. And now he says, well, even if it’s Jonathan that is eaten this day and broken my oath, he will surely die. Furthermore, he then says, well we’re going to divide up the Israel and Israel into two camps and we’re going to cast lots all Israel. You go over there, Jonathan, you and me will stand here, cast the lot.

43. 23:37

    Well, surprisingly it falls on Saul and Jonathan. And he turns to Jonathan and says, what have you done? Jonathan says I did but taste a little honey at the end of my rod that was in my hand. Lo, I must die.

44. 23:54

    Yeah, Saul says in verse 44. God do so and more also, for thou shalt surely die. Jonathan so incredibly jealous was Saul that it blinded his own familial love for his child. He was willing to kill Jonathan because of his jealousy.

45. 24:22

    And it was not Saul that repented. Verse 45. And the people say to Saul, shall Jonathan die, who with wrought this great salvation in Israel? By no means. As Yahweh liveth, not one here shall stand upon his head. And you can see the people starting to stand between Jonathan and Saul. And So what does Saul do?

46. 24:46

    Say, Oh well, let’s go get the Philistines? Nope. Then Saul went up from following the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their their own place. He was so blinded by jealousy he was willing to kill his son, because in this instance there was no way to take credit for what Jonathan had done.

47. 25:09

    Saul was there, trembling with his 600 men under a pomegranate tree in the uttermost parts of Gibeah, while Jonathan was fighting the Philistines. And his jealousy ended up being his end because the very group of people that he let go this day because he couldn’t get the credit for the victory were the people that in the end would slay Saul and his three sons, including Jonathan. Well, in First Samuel chapter 15 we have yet another example of Saul’s ineptness and rebellion.

48. 25:54

    And First Samuel 15. Samuel is going to reject Saul at God’s instruction from being king. See, Samuel had been instructed to go up and to fight the Amalekites. Look at verses one and two or one to three. Rather, Samuel said to Saul, Yahweh sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore, hearken thou to the voice of the words of Yahweh.

49. 26:26

    Thus saith the Lord of hosts. I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid in wait for him in the way when he came from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have. Spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

50. 26:50

    Saul is being given another opportunity to succeed here. This command to go defeat the Amalekites comes with some special insights. It’s not just instruction to go feed the defeat the Amalekites. The instruction includes insight into how God feels about the Amalekites and why he feels this way about the Amalekites. I remember, says God, of Armies, that which Amalek did to Israel when he was in the way, how they took out the old and the young, the sick and the feeble, whether it was of man or woman or of animal.

51. 27:39

    And so he tells, tells Saul to go up and to utterly destroy Amalek. And when we come to verse 8, we can see how well Saul has done. Verse 8. He took Agag the king of the Amalekite, the Malachites, alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But he spared Agag.

52. 28:03

    Verse 9. And the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them, but everything that was vile and refuse that they destroyed utterly. And so Samuel comes before Saul, and now informs him that he has been rejected from being king.

53. 28:29

    Verse 10, The word of the Lord came unto Samuel saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king, for he’s turned back from following me. Even after I shared what was in my heart and told him why I needed him to utterly destroy the Amalekites, he had not followed my commandments.

54. 28:52

    And so Samuel confronts Saul and all the sheep are bleeding in the background and Saul’s protesting. I did, I did, I did. Yes mommy, I did exactly as you asked me to. He’s like a little tiny baby before Samuel. And he says, no, you didn’t, I told you to utterly destroy, and now you’ve brought a gag.

55. 29:15

    Verse 20, the king of Amalek, the people he says were the ones who took the spoil, the sheep and the oxen and the chief things. But it’s OK, Saul says we did it because we wanted to make a sacrifice to the Lord.

56. 29:33

    And Samuel instructs Saul and gives foresight into Saul’s final end when he says in verse 22 and 23 hath the Lord is great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Think Saul, where did sacrifice come from? Why? It was born out of disobedience. It was born out of sin.

57. 30:06

    Sacrifice is not what God desires. It was the obedience. God wishes there had never been the sacrifice. He wishes that Adam and Eve had carried on in obedience, but because of disobedience, sacrifice was instilled in the law. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of Rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

58. 30:39

    Because thou has rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected thee from being king. This was now the next level. What did Saul do when he was rejected from ruling over the Kingdom, IE his lineage wouldn’t continue on the throne? He turned around and numbered the people. Seems to be a favorite thing of Saul.

59. 31:06

    But what does he do now when his kingship has been rejected? Verse 24 I have sinned, I have transgressed. Why? It wasn’t my fault. I feared the people, I obeyed their voice. Now I pray thee, pardon my sin and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord. And Samuel says in verse 26, I will not return with thee, for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. And is Saul happy at that point?

60. 31:37

    Is he just going to go on with his life? No, he falls to the ground and he rens Samuel’s mantle. And Samuel turns around to him and says, so has Yahweh rent the Kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and given it to a neighbor of thine that is better than thou? And yet he continues. Verse 30.

61. 31:57

    Saul says to Samuel, I’ve sinned, and here’s the motivation for his repentance, Yet honor me now, I pray thee before the elders of my people and before Israel, and turn with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God, not his God, but Samuel’s God. What a different state when Saul himself was rejected. And who would have been at Saul’s side but the captain of his army and his sons?

62. 32:39

    The son who lost the right to the throne because of Saul’s impetuous action? The son that had urged him to take leadership in Israel but watched his father ready to kill him because of jealousy. The son now seeing his dad being cast away from the throne and now sees his dad grovel on the ground. What a man was Saul.

63. 33:10

    In First Samuel chapter 16, we see the Spirit of God leaves Saul and an evil spirit comes upon him. In First Samuel chapter 17, we saw that Saul had promised three things to any man that defeated Goliath, freedom, wealth, and to become a part of the Royal Court. His daughter could take his daughter in marriage and he did not uphold those promises to David, at least not at the outset. So he wasn’t a man of his word.

64. 33:38

    And that would have been seen by all of the court. And then Saul becomes insanely jealous because when we turn over to First Samuel 18, we see that as he’s brought David to to serve in his army. Verse 5, David went out. This is first Samuel 18. Verse 5. David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely. And Saul sent him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

65. 34:11

    And it came to pass, as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of the cities of Israel singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments. And they answered one another as they played, saying Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands.

66. 34:36

    And from that day forward, it says in verse 9, Saul eyed David. Indeed, he tries to Pierce him through with the javelin. He tries to kill him while he’s asleep in his own bed. He then kills the entire household of the priests of a hyah because he had sided with David. As David starts to flee from Saul and then for 10 years instead of governing Israel, Saul runs around like a Wildman hunting a wild dog hunting David who runs, hit her and thither. While Saul should have been governing his people and instead seeks to kill one man who had saved Israel and had fought at his side and had played a heart to help him be restored in his mind.

67. 35:35

    And in First Samuel 28 when the Philistines have assembled against Saul, we see his spiritual state. First Samuel 28 at verse one. It came to pass in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare to fight with Israel. Now Samuel was dead, it says in verse 3. And Saul, who had put away those with familiar spirits and Wizards, asks if there is a woman with a familiar spirit that he can go inquire of.

68. 36:18

    And the reason he gives is in verse 6, when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. We don’t know what Saul’s prayer was, but we do know that it was not asked in a way or the topic was not one that God would entertain.

69. 36:43

    Because in First Chronicles chapter 10 and verse 13 a good verse to put in the cross reference if it’s not already in your center margin. It says that Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not and that was in not defeating the Amalekites. And also a for asking council of one that had a familiar spirit to inquire of it and inquired not of the Lord. Therefore the Lord slew Saul and turned the Kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.

70. 37:23

    And so although it says in verse 6 that Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord says that he inquired not of me. His spirit wasn’t right. Even back in First Samuel chapter 15, we saw his reaction to Samuel appeal to the Lord your God. He didn’t even associate himself anymore with the God of Israel. He had no spiritual bone in his body by the time we come to First Samuel 28, which is evidenced by the fact that he goes to a witch to ask for advice on what he should do. And in the end, Saul would die at the hands of those that he should have destroyed.

71. 38:09

    That’s the man that Jonathan spent a lifetime trying to honor. Can you imagine that, brothers and sisters? Can you imagine trying to honor that man? The word honor, the word honor means to build a good name, to show public esteem for, and that’s indeed what Jonathan had done. He had always sought to build a good name.

72. 38:48

    That’s why we know that Jonathan would have been appealing to his father to go fight against the Philistines instead of just going up with his armor bearer. Turn over with me to First Samuel Chapter 20 when David confronts Jonathan and says your father wants to kill me. This is Jonathan’s response. First Samuel chapter 20 verses one and two.

73. 39:15

    And David fled from Naoth and Rhema and came and said before Jonathan, why is he in Rhema? Well, he’s been down with Samuel, and he’s agreeing now to meet with Jonathan. And he says to Jonathan, What have I done? What is mine iniquity? What is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? And we can see the desperation that David has now. And Jonathan says to David, God forbid thou shalt not die. Behold, my father will do nothing great or small, but that he will show it me.

74. 39:50

    Why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so. And he contradicts Jonathan, his best friend, the one whom he loved as his own soul, in defence of his father’s honor. And so we know that that commandment to honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord hath given thee, we know that that was taken up by Jonathan.

75. 40:19

    And because we know that that was a principle that ruled in Jonathan’s life, we know that he was there urging his father to go up against the Philistines, not just doing it himself. He was urging his father to be the captain the people had asked for. We know that he would have been urging him to go out against Goliath because he always sought to build up his father’s name. We know that because he stood at the end in front of his father, not behind his father, not alongside of his father. When Saul and his sons die, do you know which son is named first?

76. 41:01

    Jonathan. Jonathan because he was at the forefront protecting his father right until the very bitter end. So the first principle about honour is that honour is not dependent on upon the subject’s behaviour. Honour is not dependent upon the other person’s behaviour of all people, that you would have a command that you had to follow, that you had to honor. How could anyone honor this man?

77. 41:50

    This man that was willing to take credit for what Jonathan had done. This man who was willing to put Jonathan to death because he was jealous. This man who at the dining room table had thrown a spear at his head because he saw that Jonathan was siding with David.

78. 42:07

    And yet Jonathan seeks to honor his father. Now, the second principle concerning honor is that just because we seek to build up someone’s good name, seek to honor them, does not mean that we agree with everything they do. We know as we go through the record that there was an occasion where Jonathan had expressed disappointment in the decision that Saul had made that cost Israel the victory against the Philistines.

79. 42:40

    We know that he would have been discussing with Saul, his father at the dining room table, the fact that it was his responsibility to go up and fight the giant, to fight the nation of the Philistines. He worked with Saul to try to convert him right through to the very end. And at one point in time, in First Samuel, chapter 19, he was successful. He actually was able to turn the heart of his father and to convert him from going after David. So honor does not preclude rebuke, but honor does mean that when we don’t agree or respect an action that someone else has taken, we still continue to seek their good whenever possible. And then in First Samuel chapter 20, we come to a critical point in Jonathan’s decision as to whether he will honor his father or not.

80. 43:45

    See, David has come to him and is afraid for his life. And so David and Jonathan plot out a plan so that Jonathan can determine if Saul is indeed seeking to kill David. And the plan is that David will go back to his family and he will not be present for the feast that David would normally have sat at Saul’s table for. And Jonathan would determine how his father responded. And based on that determination, they would meet again in the same place.

81. 44:26

    And there would be a sign, a sign that either it was safe for David to come back to the House of Saul, to the Royal Court, to the dining room table with Saul and his army, captain of army and his sons, and the rest of the Royal Court, or David had to flee. And we know what happened at verse 33. Saul casts A javelin against David, the smitem whereby Jonathan knew it was determined of his father to slay David, not concerned about his own life, but the life of his friend. And he arises from the table and fierce anger. And he comes out to the field the next day, the time appointed with David, and he shoots an arrow beyond the rock, which was the sign that David was to flee.

82. 45:15

    It was not safe to go back. And he tells the armor bearer in verse 40 of First Samuel 20, take my armor and carry them back to the city. And as soon as he was gone, we read on in verse 41 and 42, David arose out of the place toward the South and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times. And they kissed one another and wept one with another until David exceeded.

83. 45:45

    And Jonathan said to David, go in peace. Go in peace. Now if you were Jonathan, where would you like to go at this point in time?

84. 46:07

    Turn back to the end of First Samuel chapter 17. Remember the speech, the answer that David gives to Saul upon the slaying of Goliath, when David slew Goliath, when David is standing before Saul with the hair of Goliath in his hand and the head underneath it, and Saul is calling him a stripling.

85. 46:38

    Saul isn’t asking what his name is. He’s saying, whose son art thou? In verse 58 of First Samuel 17, Thou young man, he insults the hero of Israel, the one who did what he couldn’t do, the one who had the courage to do what he did not have the courage to do, the one who could see with clarity what that Philistine was, clarity that Saul didn’t have. And he says, whose son art thou?

86. 47:09

    Thou young man, thou stripling of verse 56. And David we noted in our talk yesterday, doesn’t respond. I’m David, the one who killed Goliath that you should have done Saul. He doesn’t even say I’m the son of Jesse. He says I’m the son of Jesse, thy servant, the Bethlehemite. What was David doing in this verse when he had every opportunity to chastise Saul?

87. 47:48

    He was showing Saul honor. He was seeking to make Saul look good. I’m the son of thy servant. That’s who I am. I’m nobody. I’m the son of Thy. I’m not even thy servant. I’m the son of thy servant. And verse 1 of chapter 18.

88. 48:14

    And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, what did he say? I’m the son of thy servant, Jesse the Bethelamite. That the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Why? Because that’s the answer that Jonathan would have given.

89. 48:42

    Here’s a young man who had every right to chastise his father, to rebuke his father. Here’s a young man who had every right to tower over his father in terms of what he had just accomplished. And here’s a young man who won’t even say I’m a servant. I was your armor bearer. I was the one who helped you when you were slipping away into your little moments. I’m the son of thy servant.

90. 49:11

    I’m nobody. Saul and Jonathan loved him for that spirit. Sure, he had started to love him because of the spirit he’d seen when he was there in the court. Sure, he had loved him for the courage and the faith that he showed, which was just like Jonathan’s courage and just like Jonathan’s faith. Sure, he loved him for the clarity and the spiritual discernment that he exercised, recognizing that this towering ball of flesh was nothing before God, just like an army of the Philistines was nothing before God. They had all those things in common. They were willing to fight giants, willing to fight armies together.

91. 49:56

    But he would also show honour to a man that didn’t deserve it. He would humble himself before Saul. And when Jonathan heard that, his soul was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself. The picture was complete. Here was a man that was so like Jonathan in every aspect. And so coming back to First Samuel chapter 20, when Jonathan and David are standing together

92. 50:46

    and they both realize that David needs to go. Jonathan, who so would have loved to go with his best friend, whoso would have loved to be there to protect him, knew that if he made that decision, his father would be shamed in the nation. Where’s Jonathan? People would say, oh, he went out with Saul’s enemy, with David. He would bring great dishonor to his father if he left with David.

93. 51:25

    And so he makes the most difficult decision to stay with his father, David, Jonathan’s father, Saul, no doubt hoping that he could be a good influence in Saul’s life, maybe thinking he might even be able to help out David by warning him, by being a spy to him, but most of all because that was the decision that would honor his father.

94. 51:54

    And what about David? That was not the only instance of honor that David showed him. In First Samuel chapter 24, we have the most awkward scene presented to us in the Scriptures where Saul comes into a cave away from Abner, away from his sons, away from the 3000 chosen men that he’s got because he has to go #2 and there he is, crouching in a cave all by himself and unbeknownst to him, David and his men, somewhere between 2 and 600. We don’t know how many men were with them at this point in time. We know that there were 600 men with David eventually. But at this point in time, there’s a bunch of mighty men of valor that are with David.

95. 52:43

    His brothers had left and come to David, and his cousins had left and come to David. And there they are standing in The Cave and someone says to him, David, remember that you were told that God would deliver your enemies into your hand. Here it is. This is a fulfillment of what God has told you. And he said, no, it isn’t.

96. 53:11

    I will not put my hand forth to Yahweh’s anointed. And in fact, not only does he refrain from killing Saul on that day, but he confronts Saul. Verse nine of First Samuel 24. David said to Saul, why do you hear the words of your men saying David seeks your hurt? See what David does?

97. 53:38

    He doesn’t even accuse Saul. He gives Saul the benefit of the doubt. Other people must be telling you that I have something against you, Saul. I don’t have anything against you. Here’s proof. Here’s a part of your skirt that you put off while you went to the bathroom. I could have slain you. They were telling me to kill you, Saul, and I chose not to. I have not sinned against you, He says in verse 11. Yahweh, judge between me and thee, and Yahweh avenge me of thee, but mine hands shall not be upon thee. And Saul lifts up his voice in verse 16 and weeps and acknowledges that David had been more righteous than he. And this was not the last time.

98. 54:28

    Again in first Samuel 26, Saul and his men are encamped in a valley and they’re a sound asleep. And Jonathan and his men sneak into the camp. David and his men sneak into the camp and there’s Saul sound asleep, and Saul is with Abishai, his nephew’s cousin, who says, look, I’ll take that spear.

99. 54:52

    I’ll pluck it out of the ground and I’ll shove it through his head so hard, one strike he’ll be pinned to the ground. God has given you into your hand once again. And he says, I will not touch you. Always anointed. And once again, he uses his uses it as an opportunity to try to convert Saul.

100. 55:21

     What a stubborn, hard, rebellious man. Jonathan could send an innumerable host fleeing. David could slay a giant. But the combined efforts of these two spiritual giants could not save Saul. This is what pride and bitterness of soul can do to a person. And so the principles of honor that come out in the lives of Jonathan and David in relation to Saul are first. They always sought to build a good name for him. Secondly, they recognize that honor is not dependent upon the actions of the other individual.

101. 56:12

     Even though they rebuked them, even though they disagreed with them. Also, honor is not respect or agreement or complicity. We may not agree, but we can still honor. 4th Honor rebukes in private and in love, and if correction is needed, it is done to build up and not tear down. And in case you’re wondering how this applies to us, these are the audiences, the recipients that we’re told to honor in the scriptures. Our father and our mother in the 10 commandments. The elderly in Leviticus 19.

102. 56:58

     God in First Samuel 2, our wives husbands were to honor our wives in first Peter chapter 3 that our prayers be not hindered. Widows in first Timothy 5, our masters, our employers in first Timothy 6 each other in Romans chapter 12 and boy, this is a tough one. Our Prime Minister and our president, those are the people we’re told to build a good name for. And this man that God had given as a king in his anger, God would finally take him away in his wrath, concludes Hosea 13, verse 11.

103. 57:48

     And Even so, Jonathan and David would seek it every opportunity to build a good name for Saul, even after his death. As we’ll see in our class tomorrow, David will have Israel remember Saul’s good name.