1 Samuel 20
There are several layers of profound goodness that we may reflect upon in 1 Samuel 20. The friendship of David and Jonathan is chief among them, and their covenant of friendship will be renewed again in chapter 23. But what is most profound, especially in our day, is the way that Jonathan never breaks the fifth commandment - to honor his mother and father.
Certainly his father accuses him of such, in v. 30. But the accusation comes from the mouth of a man who is now a bitter liar. And Jonathan’s behavior throughout this chapter shows his obedience to the command, even in the most difficult of times.
The chapter begins with Jonathan assuming the best of his father (2). We might attribute this to naïveté, but I don’t think so. In the absence of confirming information, Jonathan must make an assumption, and assumes in obedience to the command, as he should. But then David rightly talks him out of assuming, to confirming it, with a test, over the new moon feast.
By this test Jonathan is able to both confirm his father’s intentions and also to keep covenant with his best friend David. And by this test, Jonathan is able to mark out for himself, very clearly, what are his boundaries in his obedience to the fifth commandment. Once his father Saul demonstrates his murderous intent to David (and even to Jonathan himself, v. 33), Jonathan knows that Saul has forfeit his son’s obedience to honor him, at least in the matter of David. Jonathan is free to allow his covenant with David to take precedence.
Jonathan, it says, loves David, as his own soul. Some in our day have tried to say this implies homosexuality, but there is no hint of that sin in the text. In fact, it is a sin against Jonathan’s sparkling obedience to imply such a thing. Once again, the commands of God form the contours of Jonathan’s life - he loves David more than his own soul, yet without sexual sin.
After warning David off, Jonathan does the most remarkable thing: “Jonathan went into the city” (42) - back to his father. Having kept covenant with David, Jonathan defaults back to obedience of the fifth commandment. Jonathan knows who the king will be - David, and he knows who the King is - the LORD.
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