Rejecting evil and choosing Christ is the general theme I want to work with today as we study this passage of Scripture. In our passage, Jonathan executes a plan to discern his father’s true intentions towards David and then he ultimately chooses to embrace David to keep him safe as he rejects his own father’s evil plans.

24So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty. 26Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely, he is not clean.” 27But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason, he has not come to the king’s table.”

30Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” 32Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So, Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. 34And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.

35In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy. 36And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So, Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” 41And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. 42Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

IMAGINE BEING IN JONATHAN’S SHOES…

Can you imagine being in Jonathan’s shoes? Can you imagine being forced to choose between the father who raised you and the man who has become closer than a brother to you? I can only imagine how deeply traumatic it must have been for Jonathan to come to terms with depths of evil in his own father, to fully reject that evil – and by default reject his own father in the process – and then choose to embrace the man whom his father had marked as “public enemy number one”.2

REMEMBER WHO SAUL WAS…

We must not forget that in our study of 1 Samuel we have observed exactly whom Saul was. Saul was the king of Israel, who was chosen by the people, anointed by God to give the people what they wanted and deserved – a king like the other nations who would eventually bring ruin upon the nation of Israel – who was ultimately rejected by God for doing what was evil in the sight of God. Suffice it say… Saul is an example of how to destroy your relationship with God and those closest to you.

DAVID IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EXAMPLE…

David is the neighbor who is better than Saul that God warned Saul about when he rejected him for his evil ways. David is the new incoming king who has been chosen by God, unbeknownst to the people, but loved by the people nonetheless for his defeat of the big bully Goliath – not to mention his other accomplishments in defeating Israel’s enemies – he was loved by Jonathan like a brother, and now he is being hunted by a demon possessed, Saul. If you ever thought that maintaining a vibrant relationship with God would be all rainbows and unicorns, let David’s story reinform your heart regarding the trials and tribulations of following God in obedience. Speaking of faithful obedience…

DO NOT FORGET JONATHAN’S FAITHFUL CHARACTER…

We have to remember that Jonathan, Saul’s son, was the crown prince of Israel (he was next in line to become the king) and he walked by faith, fully believing that “it may be”that God would choose to do miraculous things if he remained faithful in the face of certain defeat as he faced down his enemies with only his armor bearer at his side. This same Jonathan, loved David, submitted his throne to David, and ultimately wound up protecting David from his father’s evil and murderous plans. Jonathan’s love and commitment to the King who was chosen by God is a shining example of the kind of faithful love and commitment we should have for Jesus.

SPEAKING OF FAITHFUL LOVE AND COMMITMENT…

Last week we observed David’s fear of Saul’s murderous rampage, but we also observed Jonathan’s deep love for David – even though Jonathan appeared to be a little naïve about his father’s ongoing murderous plans for David. Despite Jonathan’s naivety – and who can blame him? We are talking about the man who raised him; he probably wanted to believe that his father had a brief lapse in judgement and had snapped out of it – but despite his naivety, Johathan acknowledges David’s fear of his father and this week he executes a plan to discern the evil intentions of his father’s heart and to keep David safe as he embraces the incoming King as a brother.

Ultimately, in executing his plan to discern his father’s heart and to keep David safe, Jonathan winds up rejecting his father and choosing David; Jonathan literally rejects evil and chooses the One True King whom God had chosen. Again… can you imagine being in Jonathan’s shoes? I am sure many of us have had to reject a family member or a friend or a coworker because of the evil intentions of their heart. But on a deeper level, as I started off with earlier, we all have a responsibility to reject evil and choose Christ every single day.

We all – as believers – have a responsibility to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves as we wage war against Satan, Sin, and Death. This will oftentimes mean that we reject or turn away from people so that we can embrace Christ without hindrance. We must learn how to pick up our crosses, to die to ourselves, to throw off every weight that hinders us, and to follow Jesus in full faith-filled obedience as we place our hope in the promise of the gospel.3

How do we do this? How do we choose Christ daily? How do we reject evil in all its forms? What can we learn from Jonathan that will help us to reject evil – even if it means drawing sharp lines in the sand that may cause division and brokenness in a relationship – as we choose to follow and embrace Christ as our Savior and King?

#1: PRACTICE PRACTICAL DISCERNMENT (VV. 24 – 29)

The first thing I notice in the passage is that we need to practice practical discernment. In verses 24 – 29, Jonathan executes the plan that he and David agreed upon in verses 5 – 23so that he can practically discern whether or not there was still evil in his father’s heart.

In this portion of the text David remains hidden in the field and Saul gathers his entourage around the table for a couple days of religious feasting. It does not take long for the king to realize that David is missing and he writes off David’s absence – initially – as a possible issue of being ceremonially unclean. But when the second day came and David was still absent, Saul knew something was up and he began to question his son, Jonathan, as to David’s whereabouts.

Jonathan answers his father’s question with the prearranged lie about David heading home to celebrate the feast with his own family. Again, the intention here was to discern whether or not Saul would truly relent from his murderous attempts on David’s life.

We must remember that Jonathan was unsure of the disposition of his father’s heart towards David; I think he thought that maybe his father had come to his senses and no longer wished any harm to come upon David. But Jonathan exhibited much wisdom by employing a practical way to discern the true intentions of his father’s heart. 

If his father’s response was warm, then he would know that his father had come to his senses and that he was no longer practicing evil towards David. Of course, we know the outcome here. Saul still hates David, and he still wants to do him great harm, which means that Jonathan is going to have to make the decision to stand firm and dodge some spears in the process.

#2: STAND FIRM & DODGE SPEARS (VV. 30 – 34)

In verses 30 – 34, the evil intentions of Saul’s heart are revealed, and Jonathan stands firm and even questions his father’s evil desires which leads to Saul trying to kill his own son with a spear, and Jonathan eventually leaves his father’s presence in anger after dodging the deadly spears that were hurled against him.

In this portion of the text, specifically verses 30 – 31, Saul’s anger is unleashed first with a barrage of verbal abuse as he calls his own son the “son of a perverse, rebellious woman”even though the reality is that Jonathan is the “son of a perverse, rebellious father” (though Saul was too blinded by his evil intentions to ever admit that).4 

Saul moves on with his verbal abuse when he accuses Jonathan of choosing David “to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness” and then he tries to manipulate Jonathan when he explains that if David is allowed to live then he will steal the kingdom from him (even though God has already told Saul that the kingdom was being ripped away from him due to his own wickedness). Saul is literally trying to blame David for his own evil desires and behaviors. This is classic gas lighting at its finest!

This is the point where Jonathan goes all in on his commitment to David. Up until this moment, Jonathan could have chosen to align himself with his father’s evil intentions, but his questions and subsequent action – of warning David of the danger – is clear proof that Jonathan was in the process of rejecting his father and choosing David.5

This of course moves Saul to the level of attempted murder when he hurls his spear at his own son which then causes Jonathan to leave his father’s table, full of anger because of the disgrace he had just experienced.

Aligning yourself with evil will always lead to disgrace in one form or another. Jonathan, knowing that his father was full of evil, has stood firm against that evil and has effectively dodged the spear that got thrown at him because of his refusal to align himself with his father’s evil plans and he now leaves his father’s presence – effectively rejecting the disgrace of that evil – as he heads out to warn and embrace the One True King of Israel.

#3: HEED WARNINGS & EMBRACE THE KING (VV. 35 – 42)

In verses 35 – 42, Jonathan warns David of his father’s evil plans, he embraces him as a brother and the future king of Israel, and then David heeds Jonathan’s warnings and flees the area.

In this portion of the text, Jonathan follows through on the prearranged plan of communication utilizing a servant boy and some arrows to let David know that he is not safe and that he needs to run for his life. The beauty of this portion of our text can be seen in verses 41 – 42 where Jonathan and David embrace each other, share an affectionate kiss (likely on the cheek) and shed many tears together as David eventually heeds Jonathan’s warning and the two of them part ways under the banner of their mutual love and commitment to one another.

At this point, Jonathan’s rejection of evil and choice to embrace the One True King is fully formed. Jonathan has practiced practical discernment, he has stood firm and dodged the spears that got thrown at him, and he has embraced the king who then obeyed his warnings. Rejecting evil and choosing the One True King requires deliberate, and practical (not to mention heroic) action. Jonathan has taken all the steps necessary to reject evil and to choose the One True King.

APPLICATION…

By way of application, if we are to be like Jonathan, if we are to reject evil and choose Christ on a daily basis, we must live like Jonathan. Every day we have plenty of opportunities to either make alliances with evil or to ruthlessly reject it as we choose to follow Jesus. We must – like Jonathan – Practice discernment, Stand firm, Dodge fiery darts, Heed the warnings, and Embrace the One True King. Let us look at each of those briefly, one at a time.

#1: We Must Practice Discernment…

Like Jonathan with his father, we are all faced with needing to discern whether or not something is evil or whether or not someone has evil intentions. It is too easy for us to run headlong off a cliff of evil intentions without even knowing it. This usually happens when we react emotionally to something or someone without first testing the purity of the thing or the person in question. 

I have learned over the years to ask evaluation questions of people, decisions and things before I move forward. Questions like, “What does the Bible say about this?” Or “Does this bring dishonor to God?” Or “Is this person known for living a God honoring lifestyle?” 

When Scripture says in Romans 12:2 that we must “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”, I believe we do this by asking good questions before aligning ourselves with something or someone who is actually practicing evil. This is what it means to practice practical discernment.

#2: We Must Stand Firm…

Like Jonathan, when he questioned his father’s evil desires and effectively stood firm against those evil desires, we too cannot be caught napping or hiding in the corner when evil rears its ugly head in our midst. Ephesians 6 is a clear example of what it means to stand firm against evil with the full armor of God wrapped around our entire being; to put on that armor is to put on Christ daily so that we can stand against evil in this present darkness.

How could you stand firm if not for the pieces of the armor? What kind of standing will you do if you do not have Christ’s righteousness covering your heart? How strong do you really think you will stand against evil if you do not have the shield of faith?

Or what kind of effective stand do you really think you will take against an evil thing, an evil decision, or an evil person, if your mind is not covered by the helmet of salvation? How will you stand firm if you are not held together by the belt of truth, or if your feet are not equipped with the readiness of the gospel, or if the sword you hold in your hand is merely human philosophy and relational experience?

The reason professing believers do not stand firm against evil today is because we all too often embrace worldly forms of thinking – especially when we boil relational conflict down to human experience rather than recognizing that the core issue is actually theological in nature. 

Evil is primarily a theological issue not a relational issue, although those theological issues are the result of problems in relationship to the One True King, and evil does reveal itself in relational conflict. Regardless, if you stand with Jesus, you will stand against evil with Christ as your entire covering; without Christ covering you entirely, you will not stand because you will consistently compromise and kneel to the throne of human wisdom. Will you stand against evil, or will you kneel in submission and agreement with the very evil that Christ defeated at that cross and that empty tomb?

#3: We Must Dodge the Fiery Darts…

Just as Jonathan dodged the spear that his father threw at him once he realized that he could not get his son to join in on his evil plan, we too must be “innocent of evil” and “wise to what is good” according to Romans 16:19. But we must also have our guard up as we stand against evil because Jesus promised over and over again that if we truly follow him then we will be hated and persecuted for standing for what is right (John 15:18, 20).

One of the best promises in all of Scripture is found in Psalm 64:7 – 8 which tells us that “God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin.” Dodging fiery darts requires the awareness of those incoming darts as well as the faith to trust that God will shield you from them and will eventually use them against those who plan evil against you. Dodging fiery darts is all about hiding yourself in Christ Jesus, holding onto the truth of the gospel, and trusting that God will avenge evil in his timing.

#4: We Must Heed the Warnings…

When Jonathan went back and warned David about the evil that was in his father’s heart, he was effectively rejecting his father’s evil ways, but he was also providing a way for David to escape the evil that was coming his way. Can you imagine what the outcome of this story would have been if Jonathan had chosen to ignore the warning signs, or if David had chosen to ignore the warning and go back to Saul’s table?

Half of the problem for us when it comes to rejecting evil and choosing Christ revolves around our inability to see the warning signs clearly and then to act upon them appropriately. For instance, we know cheating on our budget is sinful, but we ignore the warning signs when we begin to rob Peter to pay Paul and we justify our ignorance by pretending to be victims of circumstance.

By doing this, we actively choose evil and reject Christ because of our lack of faith. What we need to do in this journey of being disciples who die to ourselves daily, is to see the warning signs, heed them, and take appropriate action steps of obedience to Christ to avoid practicing evil in the sight of the Lord – something Saul should have done a few chapters ago. Rejecting evil requires that we heed the warning signs.

#5: We Must Embrace the One True King…

Jonathan’s embrace of David is the full visible fruit of his rejection of the evil within his father. What Jonathan did by embracing David was essentially embracing the rightful king that God had chosen for him. Jonathan could not sit on the fence and pretend to be an innocent or uninvolved bystander; if he had done that, we would argue that he never fully embraced God’s desire or purpose for his life but in fact had become complicit in his father’s evil.

That said, we will only reject evil and choose Christ to the extent that we actually embrace Christ as the Savior and King of our lives. Fence sitters make fences their God; those who make Christ their God and embrace him as such, reject evil unequivocally. This gets to the heart of daily discipleship and should cause us to ask “how am I doing with embracing Jesus each and every day?”

CONCLUSION…

In conclusion, as one commentator points out, Jesus’ words about rejecting evil and choosing Christ are shockingly clear and harsh when he says in Luke 14:26 that “if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” However we may try to soften Jesus’ words here, you cannot get past the harsh reality that Jesus expects us to reject evil – even if that means rejecting those closest to us – as we choose to follow Christ.6

So, how do we obey Jesus’ command here? In some small way, we have seen that we can do some practical and spiritual things to reject evil and choose Christ such as practicing discernment, standing firm, dodging fiery darts, heeding the warning signs, and embracing the One True King on a daily basis. But ultimately, we must submit to Christ throughout every moment of our day. 

Submission to Christ affects everything from the way we relate to our friends and spouses, to how we manage our finances, to how we handle conflict, to how we interact with our coworkers, to how we protect our eyes, ears and hearts from impurity. To practice full submission to Christ on a daily basis, I literally have to imagine him not just as my Savior but also as my King.

When I imagine Jesus as the King who was crucified in my place, and as the King who defeated Satan, Sin, and Death when he left the tomb empty, and as the King who will return soon to take us into eternity, when I imagine Jesus this way, I am encouraged and strengthened to submit to him daily as I reject evil and choose him who chose me first. – Amen!

1 Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references are to the English Standard Version Bible, The New Classic Reference Edition (ESV) (Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 2001).

2 John, Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Preaching the Word Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2008), 404.

3 Ibid., 397 – 414 (my thinking was greatly influenced by the general theme of discipleship outlined in this section of the commentary).

4 Ibid., 401.

5 Ibid., 403 – 404.

6 Ibid., 397.