Big Idea: Even when faith wavers, the Lord confronts his chosen servants with their divinely appointed destiny.

Understanding the Text

As David left Jonathan, he knew that Saul was now fully committed to murdering him. The king tried to kill him in a variety of ways, but each time David escaped (chaps. 18–19), once through the Lord’s direct intervention (19:23–24). Apparently unaware of Saul’s latest attempts to kill David (19:9–24), Jonathan was confident that his father would not harm David (cf. 19:6–7). But when Saul rejected Jonathan’s latest attempt to defend his friend, and Jonathan had to dodge one of his father’s spears (20:30–33), Jonathan realized the truth and warned David. The situation looked bleak for David, but he still had a devoted friend and protector in Jonathan. The n…