The logic of Saul vs the logic of Jonathan
(1) 20:30 Saul became angry with Jonathan and said to him, “You stupid traitor! Don’t I realize that to your own disgrace and to the disgrace of your mother’s nakedness you have chosen this son of Jesse? 20:31 For as long as this son of Jesse is alive on the earth, you and your kingdom will not be established. Now, send some men and bring him to me. For he is as good as dead!”
According to Saul, David must die otherwise he would take over the kingdom. Therefore, when Jonathan tried to protect David and lied for him Saul called him a "stupid traitor."
(NET) Heb “son of a perverse woman of rebelliousness"...Saul, now incensed and enraged over Jonathan’s liaison with David, is actually hurling very coarse and emotionally charged words at his son. The translation of this phrase... is “bastard of a wayward woman” ...or... “You stupid son of a bitch!” ...Saul is full of bitterness and frustration. That he would address his son Jonathan with such language, not to mention his apparent readiness even to kill his own son over this friendship with David (v. 33), indicates something of the extreme depth of Saul’s jealousy and hatred of David.
In the mind of Saul, keeping his throne was the most important thing. Anyone who stands in the way needed to be removed. If his son did not agree with him then he needed to be put to shame, and guilt.
(2) 20:32 Jonathan responded to his father Saul, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”
That was not the first time Jonathan directed Saul to look at what David has done 19:4. To Jonathan, whether he would be the next in line for the throne or someone else was not the most important. If God had ordained someone else to be the king he would not take him off. He would submit to the will of God.
Reflections: What is the most important thing to you that you rather sin and get mad if you do not get it? In other words, what is the idol in your heart? To Saul, being the king and keeping the throne within his family was the most important. He rather sinned and killed David. Got mad and scorned his son when Jonathan did not agree with him. It was pretty obvious that his idol was more important than God. He did not care what was the will of God. Do we? Are we willing to find out the will of God and more importantly are we willing to submit to the will of God like Jonathan?
Audrey
2024
v.24-32
Bright spots
1. What is the new moon celebration v.24? Why do people need to be ceremonially clean to attend the meal v.26?
The OT suggests that the monthly new moon festival was more popular and cultically eventful than weekly sabbath observance in Palestine during the pre-Hasmonean period. Several texts emphasize the festive nature of the holiday (Num. 10:10; 1 Sam. 20:5, 18–19, 24–29; Ps. 81:3 [MT 4]; Hos. 2:11 [13]). Celebration of the new moon in Jerusalem is reminiscent of the sabbath observance: normal business is suspended (Amos 8:5), special sacrifices are initiated (Num. 28:11–15; 2 Chr. 31:3), and festive meals may have been common (1 Sam. 20:18). If a normative practice can be extrapolated from Jdt. 8:6, fasting was forbidden on the day of the new moon.M. Roš Haš. 1.3–3.1 relates that the Sanhedrin was responsible for proclaiming the advent of a new moon, based on sightings by reliable witnesses; the Jewish lunar calendar was not calculated mathematically until the 4th century C.E. The Jewish new moon festival maintained its popularity during the first centuries C.E., when some early Christian authors used it for drawing invidious contrasts between Jewish and Christian ritual observance (Col. 2:16; Justin Martyr).
Holloway, S. W. (2000). New Moon. In D. N. Freedman, A. C. Myers, & A. B. Beck (Eds.), Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible (p. 962). W.B. Eerdmans.
2. What is a family sacrifice v.29?
(BDAG) annual sacrifice, sacrifice of the clan
(v.29b my brother urged me to be there)
3. An emotional response to a seemingly very common excuse of absence from duty
v.30 A better English approximation of the sentiments expressed here by the Hebrew phrase would be “You stupid son of a bitch!” However, sensitivity to the various public formats in which the Bible is read aloud has led to a less startling English rendering which focuses on the semantic value of Saul’s utterance (i.e., the behavior of his own son Jonathan, which he viewed as both a personal and a political betrayal [= “traitor”]). But this concession should not obscure the fact that Saul is full of bitterness and frustration. That he would address his son Jonathan with such language, not to mention his apparent readiness even to kill his own son over this friendship with David (v. 33), indicates something of the extreme depth of Saul’s jealousy and hatred of David.
Biblical Studies Press. (2019). The NET Bible (Second Edition). Thomas Nelson.
v.31 For as long as this son of Jesse is alive on the earth, you and your kingdom will not be established
Reflections
Saul's anger was out of place because he himself was the reason why his kingdom was lost to David. He disobeyed God and therefore God found another one to replace him, not because of Jonathan.
Do I get mad at other people because of my own fault and I am blind about that? Do I just blame other people for the failure of the church but not seeing my own fault as part of the reason?
v.33-42
Bright spots
1. When J knew for sure that Saul wanted to kill David he was enraged to the point that he did not want to eat any food that day v.34. He did not upset because his father humiliated him (see v.30 above), but because his father humiliated David v.34.
34 Jonathan got up from the table enraged. He did not eat any food on that second day of the new moon, for he was upset that his father had humiliated David.
2. Question: Why did David and Jonathan needed to have a coded conversation with the arrow shooting? Why did not Jonathan just go to the field and tell David to escape? v.20-22, 35-40. If it was for the safety of the fugitive David v.19 then why didnt Jonathan to go the field along? Why did he bring a servant and then sending the servant away when David came out v.40, 41? If there was any danger to protect David from it would be from Saul. Maybe, it was not usual for Jonathan to go to the field to practice shooting arrow by himself, but ok if he went to practice with a servant and sending him home earlier...
3. Their farewell was emotional but with a confirmation of their covenant v.42. But, most importantly, David, the future kind bowed 3 times to Jonathan. He respected his friend even though David would be the king (instead of him), but Jonathan was noble in reporting to him of his potential threat and kept him alive.
Reflection
Would I put myself in a position that gives me disadvantage, but give others the advantage?
What is noble to me?
Questions
1. Jonathan was noble in reporting to him of his potential threat and kept him alive. v.4, "4 Jonathan replied to David, “Tell me what I can do for you.”
2. If Saul became angry of David's absence of the New Moon fest then they would be sure that he had decided to harm him.
3. In J's mind the chasing of one's enemy is the sign that the LORD has sent that person away v.22b. In good and bad times God is in control. I trust that God overrule in my circumstances, but sometimes my faith is weak when I'm in bad situations.
4. v.31 Saul thought J's friendship with David is shameful bc he thought anyone giving up their throne is shameful v.31 For as long as this son of Jesse is alive on the earth, you and your kingdom will not be established.
J was willing to give up his throne when he told D to flee and kept him alive to be the future king of Israel
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