T H E K I N G ’ S
B U S I N E S S
377
June 1924
18:14 We have th e ' beginning of a friendship th a t has gone into history as one of the most beautiful among men. Jonathan and David were doubtless nearly of an age, and, although th e form er had taken no notice of the m instrel, th e heroic though modest w arrio r had commanded his ad m iration and affection a t once, and “ he loved him as his own soul.”—Gray. 18:10 (16 :14 ; 19:9) As to “ an evil sp irit from the Lord” troubling him, we are to regard it as a judgm ent upon him (see Judges 9 :23 ; 1 Kgs. 22 :1 5 :2 3 ; Job 1 and 2; 1 Cor. 5 :1 -5 ), “jealous, irritab le, vindictive and sub ject to morbid melancholy.”—Gray. The Holy Spirit hhs been w ithdraw n from Saul because of his disobedience to God’s commands, and the Lord perm itted an evil spirit to ta k e possession of him a t times. The sp irit of jealousy retu rned and he was beside himself as he sat, etc.-^P ract. Com. 19:4 Had Jonathan simply advised David to flee w ithout endeavoring to bring Saul to a b etter mind, he would have acted to the prejudice of his fath e r’s interests, by depriving him of the best support of his kingdom .— Cam. Bible. David was fo rtun ate in having for his intercessor th e man who, above all others in Israel, was most fitted to mediate between him and Saul. His love for David had brought him into such n ear fellowship w ith him th a t he was quali fied to be a judge of th e aims and motives which actuated him and to pronounce him innocent or guilty, and he was so near akin to Saul th a t he could approach him with freedom and w ithout fear of being suspected of having any motive prejudicial to his fa th e r’s honour and welfare. The relation of Christ to men on th e one hand, and to His Divine F ath e r on the other, constitutes His special and pe culiar qualification to be th e Mediator between God and man. Having been made like unto H is b reth ren He can sympathise w ith human frailties and understand human needs, and as the only begotten of th e F a th e r he can have access to Him as no finite creature canS -H om . Com. 19:7 David retu rn s again to discharge his helpful minis try, and desists only when it is plain th a t his presence only aggravates th e king’s insanity, and uselessly en dangers himself. F aith fu l to God, he is faith fu l to the Lord’s anointed king.—B u tler. 19:12 Fled from th e K ing’s presence and first sought refuge in his own house. To some it seems strange th a t David did no t effect, his escape altogether from Saul after his form er attem p t to sm ite him (chap. 1 8 :1 1 ); but doubtless David regarded Saul’s form er attack as an out bu rst of his madness, not flowing from any deep-seated de sign against his life. But now, afte r the startling revela tions which Jonath an had made to him of Saul’s deadly purpose, he feels th a t his life is no longer safe in the royal courtH -W hedon. 20:34 W hat Jon ath an was to David, Jesus is to us, and more. (Prov. 1 8 :24 ). W hat are the gifts Jon athan gave to David compared to th e gifts of love and grace th a t Christ gives to us? W hat are the loyalty and faithfulness of Jona th an compared to th e faithfulness of Christ? W hat is the measure of our loyalty to our F riend? Did he not say, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you?” (¿no. 1 5 :1 4 ).—P ract. Com. Golden Text: “The soul of Jonathan was kn it w ith the soul of David, and Jon ath an loved him as his own soul.” 1 Sam. 18:1. Memory Verse: John 15:12. Our lesson today begins in a pocket handkerchief! See all those little th read s woven together, back and forth, un til they all become one piece of cloth which makes this dainty handkerchief? Do you know th a t when we give our h earts to th e Lord Jesus He weaves His g reat love into them un til we are made one w ith Him and we ju sf cannot help loving each other as He has commanded us to do, and as our beautiful story today teaches us to do. ELEMENTARY Mrs. S. W. B a rre tt
Jo n ath an was a splendid specimen of manhood w ith a tru e h eart and a nerve of steel— the idol of th e army, the darling of the people. W ith one stu rdy blow he had struck te rro r to th e h ea rt of Israel’s enemy (14 :13 -15 ). His moral courage was equal to his physical valor. He was angered because of his fath e r’s conduct and made a covenant w ith David (vs. 32-35). Saul had th e whole stage set for David’s death, bu t David did not come to the feast. The hatred of Saul for David, only intensified Jona th a n ’s love for him. He recognized th e injustice of his fath er and th is only deepened his desire to serve his friend. Jo n ath an was loyal to his father. He was a tru e son. But he was also loyal to David and found a way to befriend him. Saul would have pu t his own son to death had it not been for th e people (14:44, 45) bu t nevertheless he made a con fidant of him. David found it difficult to believe th a t Jona th an would be tru e to him against his fath e r’s wish and will, and we can sympathize w ith him in his extrem ity. He had received some intim ation o f Saul’s purpose, perhaps through Michal, and had said, “There is b u t a step be tween me and death” (v. 3) bu t Jon ath an replied, “W hat soever thy soul desireth I will even do it for th ee” (v. 4). David laid a plan by which he was to be made acquainted w ith Saul’s intention and Jon ath an carried it out. Saul a t tempted to kill his son and th is drove him to a farewell meeting w ith David when they covenanted together. David prom ising to show kindness to Jo n a th an ’s house forever. This promise he fulfilled by taking Mephibosheth to his own table (2 Sam. 9 :10 ; 2 1 :7 ). The farewell words and th e parting kiss make a mag- nificient picture. Two g reat soldiers w ith records of won derful achievements; two loving friends, w ith h ea rt ties which only they could understand; two names enshrined on the tablets of fame— th eir love to one ano ther th e greatest thing for which they are remembered. Spiritual affinity alone could have made th is blessed bond possible. Topics fo r Study (1) W hat was th e cause of-Saul’s hatred of David? (2 ) Why did Jon ath an love David? (3) How will love show itself in tim e of need? (4) W hat should be the a ttitu d e of one Christian toward another? (5) Was Jo n ath an ’s moral courage equal to his physical courage? ( 6 ) Why was the evil sp irit perm itted to come upon Saul? David’s trium ph over Goliath resu lted in a disastrous defeat for th e Philistines and brought corresponding relief to th e Israelites. To David it brought th e th ank s and honor of Israel. He became greatly beloved by th e nation and th e people were not slow in ex- COMMENTS pressing th eir high regard for him . The FROM THE praises of his exploits, sung by the COMMENTARIES people, aroused Saul’s jealousy to the V. V. Morgan extent th a t he desired to tak e his life. Saul gave him his daugh ter Michal to be his wife, b u t only th a t he m ight be able to bring about his death. As a condition upon which David m ight have her, he asked th a t he accomplish th e death of a hundred Philistines, hoping th a t he, in fulfilling th is condition, would be slain. David more than met th is condition. David was passing th rough experiences th a t would prepare him to ru le Israel ju stly and wisely. God was w ith him and even Saul recognized th is fact.— Selec. (7) Was Saul a m u rderer a t heart? ( 8 ) Was Jo n ath an ’s anger justifiable? (9 ) W hat is th e sure test of friendship?
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