The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 171
SECT. CLXXI.
DAvid taking the opportunity of Saul's extaſie, (wherein he continued a day and a night) he fled from Naioth to Gibeah where Jonathan was, and heavily complaining to him that his father ſhould ſtill perſecute him, he ſaid, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? what is my ſin againſt thy father that he ſo earneſtly ſeeketh my life? Jonathan replies,Chap. 19.6. God forbid it ſhould be ſo; my father hath ſworn to me that thou ſhalt not die; and moreover he doth not uſe to do any thing of moment without acquainting me with it, and I know nothing of any ſuch purpoſe he hath, and therefore I believe thou art more afraid than thou needeſt to be. It ſeems Jonathan had not heard of Saul's ſending his meſſengers to take David at his own houſe, nor of his purſuing him to Naioth David ſeeing him ſo difficult to believe that he was in ſuch danger, he ſolemnly proteſted and ſwore to him, as true as the Lord liveth, it was ſo; and as ſure as he himſelf was alive there was but a ſtep between him and death. And as for his Fathers not acquainting him with it, that was no argument againſt it, for 'tis like he would not let him know of it, that it might not grieve him, and that he might not uſe means to prevent it. Jonathan then ſaid, ſeeing the caſe is ſo, I will do any thing for thee thou canſt reaſonably deſire of me. David therefore propounds a way to him how he might diſcover his fathers affection towards him. It ſeems the Feaſt of the New-Moon was to be celebrated on the morrow, in which they offered Peace-offerings, and Gratulatory Sacrifices, ſounding Trumpets over their Offerings, [ſee Numb. 10.10. & 28.11. & Pſal. 81.3.] and on the remainder of theſe Oblations they feaſted together. And though the Feaſt laſted only one day, viz. the firſt day of the month, yet there being proviſions in an ample and plentiful manner provided, they were allowed to eat what remained the next day, if the Sacrifice which was offered was a vow or voluntary offering, ſee Levit. 7.16. This Feaſt was to be kept at Saul's Court the next day; the chief men of his Court being to ſit with him at Table, and every one having his known ſeat, which was ſo peculiar to him, that if it were empty no other ſat in it. Now David being a great Commander in the Army, and the Kings Son-in-law, had among others his ſeat, and did uſe at this Feſtival to ſit with the King at Table. David therefore tells Jonathan that he intended to abſent himſelf from this feaſt; and not to be at it either the firſt or ſecond day, but on the third day he would come and hide himſelf in the fields that he might be inform'd how things went. He deſires Jonathan diligently to obſerve how the King took his abſence. If he miſſed him and took notice of his abſence, he deſires Jonathan to tell him that he asked leave of him that he might go and keep this New-Moon-Feaſt with his kindred at Bethlem, for their family for ſome ſignal mercy received from God, did annually ſet apart that day to commemorate it. And (ſays he) if thy father accept my excuſe and be not diſpleaſed at my abſence, then we may conclude all is well▪ but if he be angry at it, then it it a manifeſt ſign that he hath determined evil agai…t me, and is vex'd at my abſence, becauſe it did croſs his purpoſe of doing me a miſchief. I pray thee therefore deal kindly with thy ſervant, for thou haſt brought me into a Covenant of friendſhip with thee, which we made in the preſence of the Lord, and with invocation of him to be a witneſs and judge between us, to reward the faithful and to puniſh the tranſgreſſour. And as for me, if thou haſt hitherto found any iniquity in me, ſlay me thy ſelf, for why ſhouldeſt thou expoſe me to thy fathers fury? Jonathan replied, Far be it from thee that thou ſhouldeſt die either by my hand, or my fathers. If I knew of any evil determin'd againſt thee by my father, aſſure thy ſelf, I would not conceal it from thee. Then David ſaid, ſeeing thou canſt hardly come to me thy ſelf without ſuſpition, nor canſt ſafely intruſt any ſervant with ſuch a ſecret, how ſhall I know whither thy Father were enraged at my abſence or no? Jonathan deſires him to go out with him into the field that they might diſcourſe of theſe things more privately; there he tells him that when he had ſounded his Father, and diſcovered his mind and purpoſe concerning him, he would faithfully reveal it to him whether it were good or bad; if I do not (ſays he) then let the Lord God of Iſrael inflict deſerved puniſhments on me as a falſe and faithleſs friend. And as for my part being well aſſured that the Lord hath made choice of thee to ſucceed my Father, I do heartily pray that the Lord would advance thee to the Kingdom as he did my Father, and would make thee victorious over thine enemies as my Father hath been. And when God ſhall have made thee King after my Father, thou ſhalt not cut me off (as a jealous King would do) being the next heir, but ſhalt manifeſt that great kindneſs towards me which by Covenant (made in the Lords preſence) thou haſt bound thy ſelf to ſhew me. And becauſe this Covenant made between us extendeth not only to our own perſons but to our poſterity alſo, thou ſhalt not take off thy loving-kindneſs from my houſe for ever, [ſee 2 Sam. 21.7.] no not then when the Lord hath cut off all the enemies of David from the face of the earth. So Jonathan renewed and ratified the Covenant that was before made between them, and he ſaid, let the Lord require it at the hands of Davids enemies, and conſequently of me if I keep not Covenant with David, but prove his enemy. And as Jonathan renewed and confirmed his Covenant by a ſolemn oath with David and his houſe, ſo he required David to do the like with him and his poſterity (being very deſirous to make a ſure and firm league with him whom he ſo dearly loved) and at his motion David willingly did it, as appeareth ver. 42. Jonathan further ſaid to David, to morrow I ſuppoſe thou wilt be miſſed at the New-Moon-Feaſt, becauſe thy ſeat will be empty; when therefore thou haſt ſtayed three days at Bethlem, or at ſome other private place, come down quickly to the place where thou didſt formerly hide thy ſelf when I firſt gave thee notice of my Fathers reſolution to kill thee, [Ch. 19.2.] and remain by the ſtone Ezel, viz. the ſtone that directs Travellers in the way they ſhould go; and this ſhall be a token between me and thee, whereby I will ſhew thee what thou ſhouldſt do: If I cannot come with conveniency to ſpeak with thee my ſelf, I will ſhoot three Arrows on the ſide of that ſtone as though I ſhot at a mark, and I will ſend a lad to find out the Arrows, and if I call to him and ſay, the Arrows are on this ſide of thee, take them up, then come thou away, for there is peace to thee and no hurt: But if I ſay to the lad, Behold the Arrows are beyond thee, then go thy way, for the Lord by this ſign (given thee by me) commands thee to be gone, and to ſhift for thy ſelf. And as touching the Covenant which we have mutually made and confirmed by Oath, the Lord be a witneſs between us, and a juſt avenger of either, if either of us tranſgreſs, that ſo it may ſtand firm and inviolable for ever. The New-Moon being now come, the King ſat down to eat in his Chair of State by the wall, and Jonathan ſat down by him, and Abner coming after to ſit down, Jonathan aroſe to give him honour and reſpect being the Kings Couſin and General of the Army, and David's place was empty; but Saul ſaid nothing of it that day, but ſuppoſed he abſented himſelf by reaſon of ſome legal pollution that had befallen him, which rendred him unfit to come, and forbad him coming under the penalty of being quite cut off from the people, Levit. 7.20, 21. On the next day Saul ſeeing David's place empty again, he asked Jonathan why the Son of Jeſſe (by which diminiſhing title he intimated his diſpleaſure and indignation againſt him) was abſent both thoſe days? Jonathan anſwer'd, he earneſtly deſired leave of him to go to Bethlem, telling him that their family had a Sacrifice to offer in that city, and his brother (having commiſſion from his Father ſo to do) had commanded him to be there, that he might on that occaſion meet his Brethren, and on that account he was abſent. Saul hearing this, his anger was kindled againſt Jonathan, and he told him he was right his mothers *Whether Jonathans mother had deſerved this cenſure we need not enquire; for this is the property of wrathful perſons to ſpeak any evil whether right or wrong of the perſon againſt whom their ſpirit is ſtirred.ſon, for ſhe had been perverſe and rebellious againſt him, and ſo was he. He tells him he had choſen the Son of Jeſſe to be his friend and favourite to his own ruin and confuſion, and to the confuſion of his mothers off-ſpring that ſprang from her womb. For (ſays he) thou maiſt aſſure thy ſelf that as long as the Son of Jeſſe liveth thou ſhalt never attain the Crown and Kingdom, which by right of inheritance belongs to thee. Therefore I charge thee to ſend for him, for he ſhall ſurely die. Jonathan humbly replied, O my Father, what hath he done? what is his crime, that he muſt die? Saul hearing him ſpeak thus, in a rage caſt a Javelin at him to kill him, but he nimbly eſcaped the ſtroke, and ſo plainly ſaw what was his fathers deſperate reſolution againſt David. And thus Saul by his own rage and fury fruſtrated his own deſign; had he diſſembled his anger, he might eaſily have got David into his hands, but by thus openly diſcovering it, he taught him to ſhift for himſelf. Jonathan ſeeing how things went, roſe from the Table in a great diſcontent, and would not eat any thing on the ſecond day of the Feaſt, for he was heartily grieved for David, becauſe his fathers anger was ſo implacable againſt him, and becauſe he had in that furious manner diſgraced him in that publick aſſembly, as though he had been a Traytor and Rebel. On the third day in the morning (which was the day before appointed between David and him) Jonathan went out into the field and a little lad with him; he bad the lad run before and find out the Arrows he ſhould ſhoot; as the lad ran he ſhot an Arrow beyond him, and when he was come to the place, Jonathan cried out to him that the Arrow was beyond him, and bad him make haſt and bring him that and the other Arrows that he had ſince ſhot. Jonathan and David agreed upon this ſecret way of giving intelligence concerning Saul's mind, becauſe they thought that ſome body poſſibly might be preſent in the field where David was to hide himſelf, and they could hardly hope for an opportunity to meet and conſult together without being obſerved▪ But Jonathan (as it ſeems) now perceiving the coaſt to be clear, he immediately ſent away the lad with the quiver, bow and arrows, and then David roſe out of the place where he had hid himſelf, and bowed himſelf three times with his face to the ground before Jonathan, and they kiſſed each other and wept over one another until David exceeded, whoſe condition at this time in the eye of reaſon was moſt deplorable, for now he ſaw he was to be ſeparated not only from his dear friend Jonathan, but from his wife and family, and from proſecuting the wars againſt the enemies of God, in which he had ſo often been ſucceſsful, and which was worſt of all he ſaw he was now like to be baniſhed from the Houſe of God, and all his publick Ordinances in which his ſoul ſo much delighted; and this alſo aggravated his miſery, he knew not well whither to flee and betake himſelf. Into theſe great ſtraights God was pleaſed to bring him for the exerciſe of his faith and patience, and to teach him to flee unto him by fervent prayer as his only rook and refuge. Jonathan and he having diſcours'd ſome time together, at length Jonathan embracing him, wiſhed him all happineſs, and deſired him to be mindful of the Covenant they had both of them ſworn in the name of the Lord, calling upon him to be a witneſs and a judge between them, and their ſeed after them, and to puniſh thoſe of them that did not inviolably keep that Covenant. So they parted.
1 Sam. Ch. 20. whole Chapter.