1 Samuel 20:1–23 David’s Distress and Covenant With Jonathan

[Study Aired June 1, 2026]

Our study for today highlights David’s distress in the midst of Saul’s relentless pursuit to assassinate him.  He therefore complained to his friend Jonathan of his present distress and sought Jonathan to be a true friend. The study also focuses on the renewal of covenant between David and Jonathan emphasizes David’s commitment to show kindness to Jonathan’s descendants.

Pro 17:17  A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

David’s Distress

1Sa 20:1  And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? 

As indicated in the previous study, David represents the Lord’s elect who had escaped from Babylon or the church system of this world. Jonathan, on the other hand, is also a symbol of the Lord’s elect who was still trapped in Babylon due to his strong bond with his father, Saul. His unwillingness to leave with David to suffer, as a scapegoat let loose in the wilderness, would cost him his life later.

Here in verse 1, David was wondering why he was going through such a life-threatening experience as if some strange thing was happening to him. That was also our experience at a certain stage of our walk with the Lord, when the Lord came to judge us so that we could learn righteousness. Just like David, we were all not prepared for the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh, when He came with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness into our lives.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.  

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

1Sa 20:2  And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so. 
1Sa 20:3  And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death. 

Jonathan believed that his father Saul did not mean evil against David. Assuring David that he would not die implies that when we were in Babylon as the Lord’s elect, we did not see the present danger of our spiritual death through continued fellowship with the church system of this world. This was because we were not given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven at that stage of our walk with the Lord.   

The fact that Jonathan did not know the intent of his father shows us that at that stage of our walk, we did not have a clue that the devil was our father and not our Lord Jesus Christ.

Joh 8:39  They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 
Joh 8:40  But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 
Joh 8:41  Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

David confessing that he was one step away from death in verse 3 is to let us know that as the Lord’s elect, we are being given over to death throughout our walk with the Lord. 

2Co 4:11  For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 
2Co 4:12  So then death worketh in us, but life in you.  

1Sa 20:4  Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee. 
1Sa 20:5  And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. 

The friendship and love between Jonathan and David is what must pertain among the Lord’s elect. As the Lord indicated, we are to love one another  to demonstrate that we are really the Lord’s disciples. In another perspective, we can say that Jonathan’s love for David demonstrates the love of the Lord for us, His brothers. Jonathan telling David in verse 4 that he would do whatever David desires is the Lord telling us that whatsoever we desire in His name, He would do it for us.   

Mar 11:24  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

As we can see in verse 5, David was running away to hide himself in the field for three days, as a way to avoid sitting with King Saul at meat during the new moon festival. As we have indicated, Saul represents the church system of this world or Babylon. Therefore, David avoiding sitting at meat with Saul as part of the celebration of the new moon implies that we must run away from Babylon with its false doctrines (meat) and the weak and beggarly element of observing days, months, etc., which would endanger our walk with Christ.

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.   

We can see from this story of David that leaving Babylon is a process. We may leave Babylon physically, but still remain in bondage to its false doctrines, observing birthdays, Christmas, Easter, etc. These are some of the idols of the heart which mitigate against our spiritual growth in Christ. 

David running away to hide himself signifies our seeking refuge in Christ, who is our hiding place. 

Psa 32:7  Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 

The fact that David was going to hide himself for three days implies that taking refuge in Christ is a process, resulting in our spiritual maturity through the Lord’s judgment (the significance of the number three). In other words, taking refuge in Christ involves suffering.   

1Sa 20:6  If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 
1Sa 20:7  If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him. 

David’s decision to skip the New Moon festivities because of its potential to endanger his life is a stern warning for us, His elect.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 
1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 

Through this New Moon celebration, the Lord would use it to let both David and Jonathan know Saul’s murderous intention regarding David. In other words, if Saul gets angry about the absence of David from the New Moon feast, then it means that he had evil intent towards David. This implies that at a certain stage of our walk, the Lord wants us to know how we are hated by the world including our brothers and sisters in Babylon. Knowing that we are hated by the world which includes our brothers and sisters in Babylon shows that we are maturing spiritually in Him. As we are aware, it is children who are not able to discern easily those who hate them.   

Joh 15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 
Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Joh 15:20  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 
Joh 15:21  But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.

1Sa 20:8  Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father? 
1Sa 20:9  And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? 

Here in verse 8, David reminded Jonathan of the covenant they made before the Lord. As the Lord’s elect, our relationship with each other is governed by a covenant of love. It is through loving one another that we demonstrate that we are indeed the Lord’s disciples. This love shows itself in dealing kindly with one another as we see David reminding Jonathan in verse 8. 

Joh 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 
Joh 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

In verse 9, Jonathan’s statement that if he knew that his father meant evil, he would have told David shows us that at that stage of our walk, where we were the Lord’s elect but were still trapped in Babylon, we did not know that we are hated by the world including our brothers and sisters in Babylon. This is because we were not given yet to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, since we were just like the multitude. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

Who Would Tell David about Saul’s Behavior?

1Sa 20:10  Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly? 
1Sa 20:11  And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. 
1Sa 20:12  And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about tomorrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee; 
1Sa 20:13  The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father. 

In verse 10, David wanted to know who would inform him of Saul’s reaction when he realized that David was absent from the feast. In response to David’s question, Jonathan took David into the field to show him how he would relay the message to David. As we can see, both Jonathan and David represent the Lord’s elect. Jonathan taking David to the field implies that although, we, His elect, are of the world, we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, to one another, which the people of the world are not given to understand.  

1Co 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: 
1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 
1Co 2:8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 

1Sa 20:14  And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not: 
1Sa 20:15  But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David everyone from the face of the earth. 

As the Lord’s elect, we are to show the kindness of the Lord to one another. This kindness to each other is from one age to another or age-enduring. It is insightful to note in verse 15, that Jonathan was in a way prophesying that David would overcome his enemies. In other words, as the Lord’s elect, we are promised victory over our enemies. According to the word of the Lord, our ultimate enemy is not flesh and blood, but Satan and spiritual forces of evil. 

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

1Sa 20:16  So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David’s enemies. 
1Sa 20:17  And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 

It is important to note that Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David. This house of David is the assembly or the church of the Lord’s elect. We are all in a covenant relationship with one another as the Lord’s elect.  

1Pe 4:8  Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (ESV)

Rom 13:8  Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (ESV)

Jonathan making David swear again in verse 17 is to remind us that we are witnesses to the fact that we are to love one another. Jonathan loving David as his own soul implies that when one member suffers, we all suffer together. 

1Co 12:26  If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 

1Sa 20:18  Then Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.
1Sa 20:19  And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. 

As we can see in verse 18, David was going to miss the new moon festivities because he had to run for his life. What this signifies is that our continued attachment to the weak and elementary principles of this world (beggarly element) would cost us our lives.

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. 

In verse 19, David was required to stay away for three days in order to have the response from Jonathan about whether Saul meant evil or not. These three days represent the period of our judgment, where we grow in maturity, able to discern between good and evil. David being required to remain at the stone called Ezel indicates that we must be ready to depart (Ezel means departure) permanently from Babylon. This departure is predicated on our being able to discern that our continued fellowship with the church system of this world or Babylon (represented by Saul) would cost us our life.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 
Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.    

1Sa 20:20  And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. 
1Sa 20:21  And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the LORD liveth. 
1Sa 20:22  But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away. 

As we have indicated earlier, the Lord was seeking an occasion to judge David. In the negative context, arrows signifies the judgment of the Lord as shown in the following verses:

Psa 38:2  For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.

Psa 144:6  Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.

Eze 5:16  When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:

The fact that Jonathan intended to shoot three arrows affirms the fact that what David was about to go through was part of the process of his spiritual maturity through the judgment of the Lord. Jonathan sending a lad or a young man to go and find the shot arrows signifies that David was a novice at that stage of his walk with Christ and therefore needed to mature spiritually through the judgment of the Lord. 

Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. 

As shown in verse 21, if Jonathan tells the young man that the arrows he shot were close by, then it means that David’s life was not in danger. The rationale behind this riddle is that if what we are looking for is close by, then we do not need to exert effort to find it. That is the greasy kind of religion which permeates in the church system of this world where we thought we were already saved and therefore did not need to strive for the mastery. The Lord wants us to persevere in our quest to know Him. 

Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. 

In verse 22, if the arrows shot by Jonathan are beyond the reach of the young man, it signifies that the judgment of the Lord is at hand and that David must run for his life. It also means that the Lord intentionally hides his truths, mysteries, and deep wisdom and as the Lord’s royals, we must search for it. This searching out is a lifetime pursuit which involves hearing the voice of the Lord in the midst of the fire of our affliction. 

Pro 25:2  It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings (the Lord’s elect) is to search out a matter. 

Deu 4:36  Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. 

Deu 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.   

1Sa 20:23  And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between thee and me forever. 

The matter which Jonathan and David had spoken about pertains to David’s  salvation. This suggests that what every joint supplies in the body of Christ concerns our salvation and therefore, we must pay attention to it. 

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 
Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.  

Jonathan reassuring David that the Lord was in their midst is to let us know that whenever two or three of us are gathered in His name, He is there in our midst.  

Mat 18:19  Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 
Mat 18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 

May the Name of the Lord be Praised. Amen!!