1 Samuel 23:14 Commentary and Bible Study

David is far safer remaining in the vicinity of Saul by the will of God, than ever he would be finding his own refuge far away from his enemy. The Lord has told him through the prophet Gad to return to Judah (1 Samuel 22:5). David has been chosen by the Lord as Israel’s future king, and although he can do nothing to accelerate the process of taking the throne, he must in a sense claim the kingdom for his own, by at least living in it. David represents all those who wait for promised future blessing, but know that they cannot take possession of it until the Lord’s time comes. What the Lord willed for David was that he would go through this difficult period of persecution in which he would have to live by faith, and he would have a demonstration in his own life of the preserving power of God. It was a strange position to be in, for he had to remain there, and yet he must do nothing to oppose King Saul, and his men were not there as a rival force. But it was impossible for the paranoid Saul to believe that David posed no threat. It is impossible for the worldling to understand the mind of the believer. At times David was going to come close to being captured by Saul, and yet it would not happen, and he could observe the many different ways in which God was able to keep him. This living in Judah required additional faith which his flight into another land did not involve, and it was constant – ‘Saul sought him every day.’ It was not easy to live in this way, but it was the life that the Lord wanted him to live, and he could assure himself that the path of obedience was the most profitable path he could walk. Saul was not inactive; his mind was gripped by this one purpose: to destroy his supposed rival, and to put his son on the throne. David is in a wood in the wilderness of Ziph in Judah. Somehow Jonathan receives word of David’s whereabouts, and arranges to comes down secretly and meet him there. Jonathan has not lost his devotion to his friend. The circumstances are very unusual, – his own father is daily pursuing his friend to death, and he himself is obliged to remain with his father, though doing nothing to assist him in this evil quest – and yet Jonathan attempts to do his duty still and also to remain true to David. Jonathan came as the great encourager of his friend. He knew how distressing the situation must be and he knew that David counted him as a a close friend and that his effort to console him would mean a great deal to David, so he risked his father’s wrath, and came down to encourage his father’s adversary. This is the last recoded time that they met together. Jonathan speaks words of comfort, but he is not a prophet, and he does not know the future perfectly. He is right about what has already been revealed by God – that David will take the throne – but he is wrong about his own place in that future kingdom. He will not be number two in David’s kingdom, because it will be the Lord’s will to remove this faithful servant from earth, and to bring Jonathan home to glory. But it is nevertheless an expression of his faith that he is ready to forfeit the throne and to serve his friend. This is a sacrifice which has very rarely been made in the history of earthly kingdoms. Jonathna is completely submitted to the will of God, and he has reached that state of quiet contentment which is happy to see others blessed by God, even at our own expense. Jonathan even assures David that his father, Saul, knows what the outcome will be and cannot prevent it. In other words, all his murderous plans will come to nothing and David has nothing to fear. It is an encouragement to trust in the Lord.