1 Sam. 20:26-34
26 Saul did not say anything that day; for he thought, ‘Something has befallen 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 his son Jonathan, ‘Why has the son of Jesse not come to the feast, either yesterday or today?’ 28Jonathan answered Saul, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem; 29he said, “Let me go; for our family is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favour in your sight, let me get away, and see my brothers.” For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.’
30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan. 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 upon the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.’ 32Then Jonathan answered his father Saul, ‘Why should he be put to death? What has he done?’ 33But Saul threw his spear at him to strike him; so Jonathan knew that it was the decision of his father to put David to death. 34Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, and because his father had disgraced him.
BLOG DISCUSSION QUESTION: That Saul was a real spear thrower....throwing his spear at his son, Jonathan. Does it surprise you that when Saul pointed out to Jonathan that as long as David was alive, the thrown would not go to Jonathan that Jonathan didn't seem to be too upset by that news?
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What is happening to the nations fight against the nation of Israel? What will happen to Sauls sons that listen to their father? What is going to happen when one doesn't recieve Christ for their salvation and keep his mind into worldlyness?
It was much more common in the days of David, and even until recently, for sons to follow in the footsteps of their father. A fisher father would expect his son to be a fisher....and so on. Parents often have hopes and dreams for their kids, and when the kids don't share those hopes and dreams it can cause trouble. It happened that way for Martin Luther. His father had planned on him being a lawyer, but Luther went a different route, much to the dismay of his father. Likewise it was for Saul and Jonathan. We don't know if Jonathan had ambitions to be the king, but certainly Saul's hopes and dreams were in that direction. Saul's words to his son are sharp and biting, so sharp and biting that it is hard to imagine a father saying such things...but then again, Saul did like to throw spears. It may be a bit surprising to us that Jonathan was not very upset about David's competition, but it sure was surprising to Saul..and probably most of the countryfolk. But here's a lesson to learn....our hopes and dreams for our kids may be very self-serving, as they were for Saul, and besides that when a person seeks to follow God's hopes and dreams, that path may not be exactly what a parent might think.
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