“My Friend My Brother” - 1 Samuel 20
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 21 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Booker T. Washington describes meeting an ex-slave from Virginia in his book Up From Slavery : "I found that this man had made a contract with his master, two or three years previous to the Emancipation Proclamation, to the effect that the man was to be permitted to buy himself, by paying so much per year for his body; and while he was paying for himself, he was to be permitted to labor where and for whom he pleased.
"Finding that he could secure better wages in Ohio, he went there. When freedom came, he was still in debt to his master some three hundred dollars. Notwithstanding that the Emancipation Proclamation freed him from any obligation to his master, this man walked the greater portion of the distance back to where his old master lived in Virginia, and placed the last dollar, with interest, in his hands.
In talking to me about this, the man told me that he knew that he did not have to pay his debt, but that he had given his word to his master, and his word he had never broken. He felt that he could not enjoy his freedom till he had fulfilled his promise."
Promise - a declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified or a legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act. Promises are that which cause things in society to be done decently and in order and the foundations on which we can surely build. Promises and those kept are vital for the healthy functioning of a culture. That is why broken promises are so devastating. Chief Joseph writes, “It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and the broken promises.” Is our land and society sick at heart because of the endless examples and instances of broken promises over the years? Promises are made constantly consistently compulsively and it almost seems a surprise when it is actually kept these days.
Wives are left with the broken pieces of the promise till death do us part. Dinner gets cold sitting and waiting on the table. An empty seat on the bleachers where a father promised his son he’d be sitting at the game. A friend who promised to be there for you will not return your phone call. A co-worker sitting in the chair you were promised a year ago if you stayed with the company. A politician who has been in office for 4 years and has yet to deliver. Contracts are broken, agreements are forgotten, covenants are severed, pledges are disregarded, commitments are easily ignored…oh how can we rest and progress in a time where we cannot depend on people. Even in the church, where we are commanded to have our yes be yes and our no be no, this happens way more than it should.
And now we all wonder why we cannot rest assured when we hear the wonderful promises of Christ week after week. We maybe see and agree more with Jonathan Swift who said, “Promises like pie crusts are made to be broken.” and Pierce Brown who said, “Liars make the best promises.” We may struggle as Christians today because it is almost habitual these days to expect promises to be broken even ones the Lord has made. Do we struggle resting in the promises of God which are yes and Amen… do we struggle believing it? Well if we don’t why do we despair? Why so despondent? Why do we worry? The reality is that God keeps his promises and has kept his promises… our struggle is not only misunderstanding the promises of God (this is why we need to go to bible studies) but believe that He will keep them. This is what we will see in our passage today.
Last week we saw how Saul made it public and clear that he wanted David dead. To protect David, we saw Jonathan’s argument, Saul missing David with the spear again, Mical helping him escape, and the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul and his men. And now the saga continues with his friend and brother.
David of course is in trouble and he goes to Jonathan for help (key point here). He told Jonathan that his father was trying to kill him. Jonathan said no. He tells me everything. “Jonathan dude I promise to God. Your dad knows about our friendship and does not want to hurt you. But I cross my heart and hope to die promise that your dad wants to kill me.” Ok David, “What can I do?” Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival a celebration of the beginning of the lunar month and I always eat with the king. Tomorrow I am going to hide in the field till evening of the 3rd day. If your father asks where I am, tell him I got permission to go to Bethlehem for a family sacrifice. (lie?) If he says ok, then all is well, but if he just loses it, then you will know that he wants to kill me. Please do this for me… we have made a covenant together. Kill me (death is the breaking of a covenant) if I have betrayed you, but please do not betray me as one who has promised to be my loyal friend. Jonathan agreed. David said how will I know what happened? Hide by the stone pile where you hid before and I will shoot 3 arrows. I will send a boy out to get it. If I say they are on this side, then you will know that all is well. But if I say that it is further out then you leave immediately. So the next day came and as expected Saul wondered where David was, but the 2nd day came and still no David. Saul asked. Jonathan said he asked me if he could go to Bethlehem and I said ok. Saul yelled at Jonathan calling him a stupid son of a rebellious and perverse woman. Do you think that I don’t know that you have chosen David over even yourself to your own shame? Get him…I want to kill him. Jonathan said why, what did he do? Then Saul threw a spear at his own son to kill him, but obviously missed. Now, Jonathan knew that his father was going to kill David. Jonathan left angry. Jonathan shot the arrows and yelled out that they are still ahead of you hurry hurry do not wait. He told the boy to go back to town. When the boy left, David bowed before Jonathan with his face to the ground with the both of them in tears then they embraced each other to say good-bye. At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.”
Show me this loyalty as my sworn friend—for we made a solemn pact before the Lord—or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don’t betray me to him!”
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.
1. David holds on to his covenant
2. Christ holds on to His
We can hold on to ours
3. We can hold on to ours
The first thing we will look at today is how David holds on in trust to the covenant bond between him and Jonathan. Still hoping on and believing in promises, he asks the unthinkable. The second thing we will see is how this parallels Christ Himself, as He hopes on and believes in the promises made to Him by the Father. Finally, we will see how in Christ we can hope on and believe in the promises He made to us, like Jonathan made to David and like the Father made to Christ, we too have a covenant with the Lord.
Thesis: In the face of difficulty, in a world filled with all kinds of threats, violence, deception, broken promises and sorrow, our hope is in the covenant that the Lord has made with us knowing that no matter what happens we will always hope in our eternal bond of peace in Christ our friend that sticks closer than a brother.
I. David Held on to His Covenant
- David held on and believed in his agreement made with Jonathan.
A. If there is one thing in our world, especially with this current generation, is the unfortunate ignorance of what is a covenant. Much of it is from the continued bad examples of how these bonds are treated. Lies, Lies and more lies. In the news, politics, work, school, friends..ect
B. We are living in a world full of broken promises. Full of lies. And because of this, there is no trust. When there is no trust, there is no hope in anything other than yourself. For you cannot put hope in soap on a rope and scapegoats. And eventually, when you cannot trust in yourself. Then you have no hope at all. And when you have no hope… we cope with hope in dope. But in the end…nope, all is lost for there is no hope. We have no hope in promises even ones we make to ourselves… news years resolutions.
C. The study of Covenants is a difficult endeavor indeed, but it is easily understood. Covenant—translated from the Hebrew berith and the Greek diathēke—at its most basic level, a covenant is an oath-bound relationship between two or more parties. Or even more simply, an Agreement.
D. The sad thing for us in our day and age is that we may have lost how important this little thing call a promise is. The Scriptures are governed by it. The framework of actually understanding the scripture is in light of covenants. The scriptures make very clear the gravity and the immensely important subject called covenants or promises, vows or oaths. In the scriptures, covenants were, for the most part, just not broken. No way Jose, no matter what the reason. In the book of judges, the tribes vowed not to give Benjamin wives after what they did. They were faced with the extinction of a tribe of Israel and none would go back on their vow. Jephthah vowed to kill the first thing that runs out of the house to meet him. It was his daughter. The Gibeonites lied to the Israelites about who they were and yet the Israelites would not break their promise. This is a promise and agreement, that yes means yes and no means no and never means never. When it was sung… never gonna let you go, I’m gonna hold you in my arms forever… it is on lock. It is not broken! No matter what.
E. Now hold that thought... David did not do things well here. You get the sense that he has taken matters into his own hands. He devises a plan to convince Jonathan of Saul’s immoral intentions. He essentially did not go about this the way he probably should. I mean did he not lie? Did he not strategically develop an action that was deceptive? Did they not try to keep the secret from the young boy that was probably used for accountability purposes? An alibi? The plan almost got Jonathan killed. It was a plan to betray his own Father.
F. Yes there are some issues with how both David and Jonathan planned. But I believe that the author wants to emphasize something more important. Covenant. All of this brings emphasis to the foundations of covenant… the backdrop does so illuminate this important piece. What was it that gave David confidence that Jonathan would do this? A covenant.
G. If there is one thing that David did right; he relied on the strength of a covenant. When he went to his friend Jonathan, his brother in bond, he believed that he could devise an essentially treasonous plan with the king’s son, because of the covenant that they made with each other. You swore to be my friend. How could he do this… trust in a covenant. The audacity, the presumption… What was it? A Covenant
After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home. And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself. Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt.
H. Again, do we trust in the covenants that God has made with us? He has promised a new covenant which we are reminded of and receive its benefits when we take the Lord’s table and drink the new covenant in the blood of Christ. Do we even believe it?
I. Do we really understand what it means to come to the table of the Lord? Some of us might be thinking that it’s really not that important. Even if you think that it is a memorial to be remembered… why would we not want it every week to be reminded? We need to be reminded of and experience the benefits of His promise.
J. Do we realize that we have a covenant made and bonded with blood with a God who cannot lie and we trust the promises of the world instead? David put complete trust in the covenant he made with his sinful friend Jonathan and we can’t trust the good holy and living God who does not lie and continues to do more for us than we could ever imagine. Can we not trust? We sure can!!
God is not a man, so he does not lie.
He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
K. Our God is greater than any promise that we can get from the world. Our God is greater than any contract that can be signed. Our God is greater than anything good that we can find. Our God is greater than anything man can provide. The promise of God is too great to cast aside.
L. Yet when we are in need, why do we keep turning to promises of this world? David could trust his friend and we can’t trust our friend who sticks closer than a brother who has shown to have never lied? Why?
II. Christ Held On to His
- Like David, Christ held on and believed in the promises of the Father.
A. And here we go, once more… Like David, did not Christ trust in the covenant made with the Holy Spirit and the Father?
And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.
Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.
Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.
E. Listen… like David and Jonathan. The all-important Covenant of Redemption. From before the creation of the world, the persons of the Trinity entered into a solemn pact to accomplish the work of redemption, the Father promising to give a people to the Son as his inheritance, the Son undertaking to accomplish their redemption, and the Spirit covenanting to testify to Christ, and apply His redemption to His people's hearts, is most evidently biblical.
F. Christ held on to the promise of the Father all way to the cross and the promised work of the Holy Spirit to raise Christ from the grave. Like David, Christ obeyed because of this thing called covenant. Covenant! If we have no covenant from God then we have nothing… I mean nothing. We must see today how important it is to be a promise keeper… if you do not have it, you have nothing!
G. This is the essence of the scriptures. It is the framework of how we are to interpret the scriptures. It is the promise that all began with the proto evangelium, the Gospel promise… the seed of the woman that will crush the head of the serpent. The promise made to Noah… of his families deliverance and the promise made that we are reminded of, with the rainbow. The promise to Abraham for a land and a people. The promise of salvation made to Moses. The land promised to Joshua. The promise made to David of his everlasting throne. The promise of the return to the land after captivity. The promise of the Messiah. The promise of deliverance for all fulfilled in Christ. The promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise of the resurrection from the grave. The promise of eternal life. The promise the inheritance of Christ. And the promise of the rule of Christ over all things for all eternity… There is so much more. Covenants! If we don’t have the promise… then we have nothing.
H. But we have promises from Christ, which means we have everything. Do we believe it?
III. Hold on to ours
- He will never leave us nor forsake us
A. There is covenant here before us today an amazing one. Made with us by a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
B. This is all fulfilled with the work of Christ and His death on the cross. Let us not look away from this important piece by getting caught up in the covenant friendship of Jonathan and David that we miss what this is pointing to. Our covenant friendship between Christ and us. Again… all scripture is about Christ!
C. If we are honest, we see this covenant and we may not believe it. Many of us believe in it but do not fully trust it. Many today simply struggle with trusting it. All of us at one point or another have had trouble resting in it. Our struggle is faith again. Oh ye of little faith. It is our greatest weakness. It is our greatest sin. And all have sinned!
D. But today, there is a covenant. That He who began a good work in us will see it to completion. He will get us ready for his return. That once He has us in the palm of His hands He will never let us go. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is lord and believe in your hearts … all who call upon the name of the Lord… These are promises given to us by a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
E. If you trust that all that Jesus said is true and all he did really happened, then the work that Christ will complete, has begun. This is the Gospel of Jesus.
F. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures and he was buried and he was…
G. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost.
God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.
I. The grass withers, the flower fades but the word of our God stands forever.
J. Jonathan was a great friend to David. But today, you are great friends with the greatest friend any man could ever befriend. One that sticks closer than a brother.
2 Corinthians 1:20-22
For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.
It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, 22 and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.