THE KING’S BUSINESS
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ward and love for David really sprang out of his piety toward God. “Thou sawest it, and didst rejoice.” Jon athan recalls to his father his own joy at seeing Jehovah’s victory through David. He would call his father back from his present mean selfishness to nobler impulses by recalling past and better days. v. 6. "Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the Lord liveth, he shall not be slain.” For the time being Saul was persuaded, reason reas serted itself, but there was no d^pth to Saul’s repentance and the persuasion did not last. Constantly through his history from this time on he was the victim of con flicting impulses, yielding at times to rea son and right, but always yielding to wrong in the end. His envy and hatred were too deep to be permanently overcome by rea son. v. 9. "And an evil spirit from Jehovah was upon Saul.” Again God had given victory through David (v. 8) but his in creased success simply awakened anew the enyy and hatred of Saul. The “evil spirit” that came upon Saul was a demon (cf. ch. 18:10; Acts 16:16-18; Mark 1:23-26). It is said that this “evil spirit” was '“from Jehovah.” He was a messenger of Satan, but was permitted by God for Saul’s disci pline, just as in the case of Paul “a mes senger of Satan” was given to him by the Lord to buffet him (2 Cor. 12:7). This messenger of Satan given by the Lord to Paul was given for his own good and re sulted in his good, and this messenger of Satan was given for Saul’s good and would have resulted in his good if he had received him right. As far as God’s permission was concerned, this “evil spirit” was intended to torment Saul and thus bring him to re pentance. He manifested his presence in this instance in dissatisfaction and discon tent and wretchedness in the heart of Saul. Dissatisfaction and discontent and wretch edness were just what Saul needed at this time of rebellion against God so (in this aspect of mercy) the “evil spirit” was called “an evil spirit from Jehovah.”
the kingdom slipping from his own hands and going over to another. In his earlier and better days, he had not desired the kingdom for himself (ch. 10:21, 22), but now he would not give it up. In the his tory of Saul, as in the history of few others, we see the tragedy of a soul, but essen tially the same story has been repeated again and again in human history. From the day that Saul heard the women extoll ing David above himself (ch. 18:6-9) there was no peace nor joy for Saul. He never looked at David without a feeling of envy and hatred. v. 2. “But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David.” There is something mar velously beautiful in Jonathan’s unselfish love for David. He knew that David’s suc cess /meant the loss of the throne to him- . self but none the less “he delighted much in David,” and sought to save David’s rlife, even though the saving of that life meant the loss of the throne for himself. Jon athan’s unselfish love looks all the more beautiful over against the black background of Saul’s persistent envy and hatred. v. 4. "Jonathan spake good of Davidr unto Saul his father.” It took courage as well as self-effacement on Jonathan’s part to “speak good of David unto his father” (cf. ch. 20:32, 33);. for the envious heart counts everyone an enemy that speaks well of the object of its hate. Jonathan was really taking his life in his hand in trying to reconcile Saul to David. He very bravely defended David from any imputa tion of wrong-doing and very frankly sought to expose his father’s sin. His de fense of David was absolutely true: David’s works toward Saul had always been “very good.” He had “put his life in his hand.” v. S. “And -Jehovah wrought a great sal vation for all Israel.” Jonathan was a man of genuine piety as well as noble gen erosity. He saw clearly that it was Jehovah back of David that had wrought the salva tion and brought victory to Israel. Even in defending David he would not attribute to him the glory that belonged to Jehovah alone. In fact, Jonathan’s generosity to
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