1st Samuel 20 A COVENANT IS MADE When covenants are made, two parties come to an agreement that has binding power on both. The interests of both parties are involved. Mutual agreement is reached and the form of making the covenant is agreed on. In Israel there was a covenant made by giving a shoe. Another was a salt covenant. There were blood covenants. The whole purpose was to establish a consensus in which mutual interests were shared. We are blessed by the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which is the basis of the "New Testament" (covenant).
The interaction of the two close friends, David and Jonathan, was solidified when they were brought into a covenant relationship before the Lord as the witness. To be able to be open and frank with each other is a benefit of a covenant because faults and well as blessings can be recognized and addressed. Openness is a characteristic of a covenant in which fellowship and mutual love is a reality. Words are not just passing thoughts but means whereby we communicate from a sincere heart. David and Jonathan had that when David came from Ramah to Gibeah to talk about the crisis that had come in David's life.
David was open about his concern as to what he had done to incur Saul's envy, jealousy and wrath. Jonathan on the other hand was either naive or blinded by family ties, to not know why his father was so bitter against David. Saul wanted to retain leadership of the kingdom in spite of God having chosen another person to be king, and he wanted to be able to pass the leadership of the kingdom on to Jonathan. Saul never really took God seriously. Jonathan in his guile-less way, realized David was going to be the king, and he was satisfied with that. Saul was not. Jonathan was able to love the man God loved. Saul was not.
In a similar way we can feel the sorrow and wounds of a friends who is going through times of serious difficulty. When we know a person well, we can empathize with them and would like to be able to help our friend bear the burden, or at least to ease the load.
At the beginning of David's public life, he was like "a sparrow alone upon the housetop," and "a pelican in the wilderness." He did not know what he had done wrong. It wasn't what he had done wrong that agitated Saul, but what he had done right. Our Lord, went through the same kind of abandonment, but He had no "lover and friend" to comfort Him. He truly had "done nothing amiss."
David was willing to die at the hand of his friend Jonathan if he had done wrong, because he was assured of the love of his friend who had proven to be true to him. To die for no reason at the hand of Saul made him to be only a victim of jealousy. The love of these two friends was confirmed when they were in the privacy of an open field. Jonathan bound himself to David in a covenant before the Lord. David saw himself as one about to die. Jonathan saw him by faith as one who was going to be the king upon the throne of the nation.
"We see Jesus" who was "despised and rejected of men," " now crowned with glory and honor." People of faith look beyond the cross, the grave and the waiting time, to the future when Jesus shall reign over all the earth. Jonathan got the assurance that when he was gone, David would "show kindness to the house of Saul" for Jonathan's sake. Mephibosheth came into that blessing at a later date. David was a "stranger" in his own country and among his own people, but he would be the one who would reign as the shepherd-king.
We are identified today as Christians, with One who is not accepted by most people as the Supreme Authority over the world. But this is only a temporary situation even though God has full control over all the affairs of men. In the future our Shepherd-King will bring the lasting peace that has been missing since the fall of man. When we stand for that which is right because of our love for the Lord, that will bring conflict from various sources. The flesh will say, "Up with man" and "You can change the world." The world says, "No fear. We have everything under control." The devil says, "No God for me. Do whatever pleases you."
In the face of such conflicts, one will have to stand up and declare themselves, and will have to leave their seat beside the Lord's empty seat at the table of the world, the flesh and the devil. The beginning and ending of the feast of the New Moon was not a happy time. There is no lasting joy at that table. A father, Saul, attempted to kill his son, Jonathan. in a fit of rage and envy. We cannot eat of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. We have to choose who we will follow. Ties will have to be broken. That is inevitable. Our Lord is dishonored now, but He should still "have the preeminence" among those who love Him.
When the time comes to face the fact that we "are not of the world," those who love the Lord supremely will have to walk away from those who want to retain ties to the world. Even though we admire and appreciate them and what they do, and have associated with them and care for them, and even though they are children of God, they have to live with the consequences of their choices and we have to make our choice to follow our Lord to the outside place.
It is not easy to walk alone in a different direction and path from those who have the same desires we have, but seek to do the work of the Lord in the way of their own choosing. David and Jonathan parted because Jonathan had earthly ties that held him. He could not bring himself to follow David into exile and leave his father. Saul was hostile to David, and if Jonathan followed him, Saul, in the power of sinful flesh, would be hostile to him even though he was his own son. Family allegiance is a good thing, but when it goes contrary to the word of God, our choice must be to follow the Lord to wherever He leads us.
The call from God to the outside place challenges us to leave all and follow Him. Jonathan shot his arrow "beyond," but was not willing to follow the direction the arrow pointed. True, the covenant had been made, but there was only so far, he was willing to go. "Let us go therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach."
1Samuel.20:18. “Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.”
THE EMPTY SEAT. The empty chair stands out above all others at the table; not because we can see all the beauty of its carvings but because someone is missing.
The empty chair seems out of place because it indicates someone should’ve been there and his place was set, but he is missing.
The empty chair surely reminds us that some kind of troublesome thing is happening, all is not well, because she is missing.
The empty chair draws attention to the empty space above it, because the familiar face, the words of fellowship, the song from the lips is missing.
The empty chair shows with the glare of a spotlight, the absence of the head bowed in worship that usually is there, the audible or inaudible fragrance of prayer is not rising in that spot, because someone is missing.
The empty chair means that the One who is in the midst of His people, looks and sees a blank place where usually there is the solid wall of full fellowship, because someone is missing.
Who is missing? The white-haired saint that sat there for over fifty years is now seated at a different table above, and though we miss that person, we are content that the presence of that person in the Father’s house, is far better than here with us, and we are sad, but content.
Who is missing? The busy servant, off on the Master’s business in some other area of the full-ripe field, is trying hard to get the harvest in before the judgment falls. We bow our heads and pray for the work in their hands and share in the labor as intercessors and ask for God’s blessing on them, and we are glad, and content.
Who is missing? The caring shepherd sitting by the side of one who is hurting because of physical pain, the loss of a loved one, or a deep longing to be in that chair but can’t, and we share with that shepherd, and are content.
Who is missing? The wayward soul, that thinks there are things more important, than heavenly manna, the Bread of God, the presence of the Lord, the use of their gift, the missing ingredient in the mixture of the body; and we bow our heads, and as one, are sad, and discontent. And then we pray, we intercede, we supplicate – and we wonder what happened, what can we do, how can we help? Because the chair is empty!
“O Father of all us failing and potentially wayward sheep: Keep us with a sense of who we are and where we belong. Move our conscience if we are at the seaside when we should be filling our seat. Disturb our peace if we are at home with a bitter spirit when we could be warmed at the fire of fellowship. Make us uncomfortable in whatever we are doing if it is possible that we could have been where we should be – in that seat. Help me understand the hurt of others when my seat is empty. Keep me from making a habit of the empty seat. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”