Saul, David, and Jonathan
Preparing for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: Two Days before Sunday (Year B)
Scripture
Semi-continuous: Psalm 9:9-20; 1 Samuel 17:55-18:5; Acts 21:1-16
Complementary: Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32; Job 29:21-30:15; Acts 21:1-16
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Prayer
Lord, I pray you would boldly move the Spirit in my life. I know that any sin can grieve and diminish the voice of the Spirit, and I pray against the temptation to sin. Help me crave your presence more than I crave sin. Help me grow in the fruit of the Spirit and so walk closer with yourself. I pray for guidance from your Spirit—let your will and promises always be a meditation of my heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. - (Kenny Luck)
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Reflection
When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, ‘Abner, whose son is this young man?’ Abner said, ‘As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.’ The king said, ‘Inquire whose son the stripling is.’ On David’s return from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. Saul said to him, ‘Whose son are you, young man?’ And David answered, ‘I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.’
When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armour, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army. And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved (1 Samuel 17:55-18:5).
1 Samuel 17:55-18:5 describes a pivotal moment in the relationship between David and King Saul, as well as the beginning of David’s rise in Saul’s court.
After David defeats Goliath, Saul inquires about David’s identity. Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, does not know who David is. Saul summons David, and David introduces himself as the son of Jesse from Bethlehem.
Jonathan, Saul’s son, forms a deep bond with David and loves him as himself. Jonathan makes a covenant with David, giving him his robe, armor, sword, bow, and belt.
David is successful in all his missions, and Saul places him in a high position in the army. David’s success and his favor with the people and Saul’s officers increase.
Although David had already been serving Saul as a harpist (1 Samuel 16:21-23), this passage highlights a formal introduction after David’s victory over Goliath. This marks the beginning of David’s rise to prominence in Israel.
Jonathan’s immediate love and covenant with David symbolize a deep, loyal friendship. Jonathan’s gifts to David (robe, armor, etc.) signify Jonathan’s recognition of David’s future as a leader and possibly as the next king, given the symbolic transfer of royal items.
David’s success in his missions and his favor with Saul and the people mark the start of his rise within the royal court. His growing reputation sets the stage for future events, including Saul’s jealousy and David’s eventual path to kingship.
Saul’s initial curiosity about David and David’s subsequent success highlight a contrast between Saul, who is losing favor with God, and David, who is gaining favor. This foreshadows the eventual transfer of kingship from Saul to David.
This passage establishes key relationships and themes that will shape the narrative of David’s ascent to the throne and the eventual decline of Saul’s reign.
SOURCES
Bill T. Arnold, 1 & 2 Samuel. NIV Application Commentary.
Walter Brueggemann, First and Second Samuel. Interpretation.
V. Philips Long, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries.
David Toshio Tsumura, The First Book of Samuel. New International Commentary on the Old Testament.
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PRAYER: Remember, O Lord, what you have wrought in us and not what we deserve; and, as you have called us to your service, make us worthy of our calling; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)
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