David came out and dropped to his knees, bowing down three times with his face to the ground.
Jonathan’s throat closed. “Get up, David. I am not the king.” Jonathan embraced him. They kissed as brothers. Jonathan wept. How long before they saw one another again? before they could sit by lamplight and read the Law together?
“I know the truth now, David. God will help us both. It is not right that this has happened to you, but the Lord will bring good from it. I am convinced of that.”
David cried. “I can’t go to my wife. I can’t go home or Saul might think everyone in my family is his enemy. I can’t go to Samuel without risking his life. Where am I to go, Jonathan?”
Tears ran down Jonathan’s cheeks. “I don’t know, David. All I know is this: The Lord will not abandon you. Trust in the Lord!”
David sobbed.
Jonathan looked back toward Gibeah. There was no time. His father’s men might come at any minute.
What did the future hold?
Jonathan gripped David’s arms and gave him a gentle shake. “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.”
David looked bereft. His mouth worked, but no words came.
Jonathan fought against the shame that filled him. How could his father hate David? How could he not see the goodness in him, the desire to serve the Lord with gladness and fight beside his king? Did any man in Israel love the Lord as David did? Sorrow filled him. “Go!” He gave him a shove. “Go quickly, my friend, and may God go with you!”
Still weeping, David ran.
Throat tight, tears streaming, Jonathan looked up. He raised his hands in the air. No words came. He didn’t know what to pray. He just stood, feet spread, in the middle of the fields of the Lord, and silently surrendered to whatever God would do.
* * *
FIVE
* * *
Saul had Jonathan brought to him, the prince fully expecting to be executed for treason. Refusing to bow his head, he stood before his father and waited.
What could he say? The king would not listen to the truth. My life is in your hands, Lord. Do what You will.
“I know of your covenant with David! You incited him to lie in wait for me!”
“Everyone knows of my friendship with David. They also know he has never lain in wait for you, nor have I betrayed you. He is your strongest ally, and your son by marriage.”
“You are my son! You owe me loyalty!”
“And you have it! Who among your sycophants will tell you the truth, whether you want to hear it or not?” Jonathan was so angry he trembled.
Saul’s eyes flickered. He turned away. He paced and then sat. “I was not myself when I threw the spear. Surely, you must know I would not kill you.”
Jonathan didn’t know whether to believe him or not. “It would appear I don’t know anything anymore.” Least of all the heart of his father.
Saul kept Jonathan close, including him in council meetings and when he listened to the people’s cases beneath the tamarisk tree. Reports began to come in: David’s parents now lived in Moab under the protection of its king. David had gone to Gath. At the news, Jonathan’s heart leapt. Could David fool King Achish into believing he had turned his back on Israel?
“Do you see how David betrays me? He runs to our enemy!”
Abner smiled grimly. “King Achish will execute him. Goliath was not just Philistia’s champion, but Gath’s favorite son.”
Saul waved a parchment and threw it down. “He pretends he is mad. They won’t touch him for fear he is possessed by one of their gods.”
Jonathan lowered his head so that neither his father nor Abner would see how excited he was. If David was hiding in Gath as the reports said, he was there for a reason other than to wait out Saul’s wrath.
He would find out how to forge iron weapons!
Months passed and all was quiet. Jonathan attended his father and offered sound advice when asked. Saul loosened his hold and gave Jonathan more freedom. Jonathan continued to study the Law, while keeping abreast of what was happening through Ebenezer, now a trusted officer in the court.
One day Ebenezer came to Jonathan. “Your father is in a rage, my lord. David is no longer in Gath. One of your father’s men saw David with Ahimelech, the leading priest in Nob. The king prepares to leave within the hour with a contingent of warriors.”
Knowing anything he might say could fan his father’s anger, Jonathan ran to Abner. “You must dissuade the king from this venture. Nothing good can come of it!”
Abner strapped on his sword. “Your friend may not be as loyal as you believe. Every man has his ambitions. Did you hear of Doeg’s report?”
“Will you trust Doeg? an Edomite? You know what they are like. The man is a troublemaker who would say anything to find favor with the king.”
“The king will be waiting.”
“David will never raise his hand against the king!”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I know him! And so does the nation!”
“Your father is the king!”
“No one knows that better than David, or has shown the king more honor and loyalty. I didn’t go down into that valley to fight Goliath. Nor did you. And yet David went to Gath. Why, do you suppose? To learn how to make iron weapons!”
Abner looked uncertain. “If that’s so, why didn’t he come to Saul?”
“And be speared before he could open his mouth?”
“I must go.”
“You would do King Saul and our people more good if you told him the truth rather than follow like a sheep!”
Abner turned, his face livid. “Perhaps you should rethink your alliances, Jonathan. If Saul falls, so will you! David may be your friend, but there are those in Judah who would gladly see you dead if it placed David on the throne!” He headed out the door.
“Abner!” Jonathan went to him. “I know of your loyalty and fierce heart. But remember, whatever you do, God is watching. And God will judge your actions. Remember that when you are in Nob.”
Each time a messenger entered the city, Jonathan dreaded the news. He prayed that David had escaped; he didn’t want to hear of his friend’s death. He prayed that his father would repent and turn back from Nob, not wanting to hear that his father had insulted Ahimelech or any other priest in Nob. The people seemed to feel the tension, for squabbles broke out and Jonathan found himself acting as mediator.
Jonathan did not wish to share his concerns with Ebenezer or any other officer, but his mother became his willing confidante.
“There is nothing you can do but wait, my son. David is just one man with a few followers. He can move faster than your father and his train of warriors. David will stay out of reach of the king.”
“I can only hope so.”
“Your father won’t give up easily. Samuel’s prophecy has given him cause to fear and become suspicious of any man who rises in power. David rose to the heights with one stone, and continued to add to his popularity with every victory.”
“God gave him that success, Mother.”
“Yes, and that adds to your father’s frustration. I don’t need to remind you that your future is also in the balance, Jonathan.”
“My future is in God’s hands, Mother. He is sovereign.”
She searched his face. “You must rule in the king’s absence, Jonathan. Whether Saul realizes it or not, he has left us vulnerable to our enemies.”
No one knew that better than Jonathan. “Gibeah is well protected.” And he had already sent word to the outposts to keep close watch on any movement of the Philistines.
“You cannot leave things to the officers your father left behind. Who are they? What are they? You are his eldest son. The people respect you. You have fought bravely, and God has been with you. You are honest and courageous and bold.”
“You make me blush with your flattery.”
; “I do not speak merely with the pride of a mother. You have nobility of heart, my son.” She put her hand on his arm. “If anything happens to your father, you will rule, whether you wish it or not.” Her eyes glowed. “And then Israel will know what it is to have a truly great king!”
“Mother, we had the greatest king in all the earth. The Lord God of Israel was our king. And He has rejected Saul. Do not put your hope in me, Mother. There will be no dynasty.”
She shook her head. “Jonathan, Jonathan.” Her eyes grew moist. “The Lord rejected your father. He did not reject you.”
A messenger arrived sweat-streaked and ashen. “I come from Nob.” He trembled. “Ahimelech is dead! He is dead and every member of his family, and every priest in Nob.”
Jonathan leapt to his feet. “The Philistines attacked?”
“No, my lord.” He bowed his face to the ground and would not raise his head.
“The king ordered Ahimelech and his whole family killed. And then all the priests of the Lord.”
“No!” Jonathan shook violently. “It can’t be. No! Saul couldn’t. Abner wouldn’t! No one would dare commit such a sin against God!”
“Abner and his men didn’t, my lord. They refused to obey the king’s command, but Doeg went ahead with it. He killed eighty-five men, still wearing their priestly garments! And then he put the sword to the priests’ families—even the women, children, and babies in Nob. Even the infants, the cattle, the donkeys and sheep. He murdered everything in Nob that breathed!”
Jonathan cried out and tore his robe. He fell to his knees and pounded his thighs. Wrath and despair filled him. Doeg, that evildoer, disgraced God’s people! Who but an Edomite would dare raise a sword against priests and their families? Who would give in to a king’s mad order and carry out such evil?
His father would live to regret this. It would haunt him more than the loss of the crown and dynasty. It would plague him until he breathed his last.
In an agony of shame at what his father had commanded, Jonathan raised his arms. “May the face of the Lord turn against Doeg! May You cut off the memory of him from the earth! May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation!”
Even as the curses tore from his throat, Jonathan wondered how he could still love and serve the king who had ordered such an atrocity. How can I honor this man? I am ashamed of the blood that runs in my veins!
The Law broke his heart and burned his soul. It did not say the father had to be worthy to be honored.
“God!!”
What hope of mercy now? What hope of forgiveness for a king who murders priests? What hope for his people?
King Saul returned to Gibeah under the cover of night and went out the next morning as usual to hold court.
Abner looked years older. “The people fear Saul now. They fear him more than they love David.”
“It is the Lord they should fear.” Jonathan turned away. He could not bear to look at his father. Not yet. He went into seclusion. He read the Law until he could not keep his eyes open and slept with the scroll in his hand.
Spies reported that David had gone to a great and defensible cave in Adullam. David’s brothers and his father’s entire household went down to him there. Others joined him when they heard what Saul had done to the priests of Nob and their families. Some debtors and malcontents, men of violence, and raiders joined David. Even one whole tribe, the Gadites, defected to David.
Jonathan prayed unceasingly that David would hold firm to his faith in God and do what was right in all circumstances, no matter what Saul attempted to do or what others might advise.
Keep David strong in the power of Your strength, Lord, or how will he keep those men from becoming worse than the Philistines? God, use this time to train David in faith. Give him wisdom and courage to endure! No matter what my father does, keep David faithful and within the bounds of Your perfect Law! Lord, may he never sin against You!
Saul raged. “My enemies increase with every day that passes!”
When a few Benjaminites deserted to David, Saul grew more afraid than ever. He summoned Jonathan every morning and kept him close. Was his own tribe about to turn against him? “You won’t desert me, will you? You’re my son, heir to my throne. You and Abner are the only ones I can trust!”
Jonathan pitied him.
Malkishua and Abinadab, now warriors themselves, stayed close to the king. Though they were his brothers, Jonathan felt no true closeness with them, not as he had with David. They saw God as their enemy and feared His judgment. He encouraged them to study the Law, but they “had no time for such pursuits.” They were eager to bring glory to Saul and themselves in battle, failing, as their father had, to grasp the truth: Victory came from the Lord!
And Jonathan’s mother lay dying, shame corroding her life. She no longer desired to live and locked herself away from everyone except Jonathan. “I’m glad he has Rizpah. For if he called for me, I would send word I never want to see his face again!” Jonathan saw her every day that he was home. Then he was sent out to destroy Philistine raiders. When he returned, his mother was dead. Whether she died by her own hand, he never heard. Nor did he ask.
Saul mourned. “Your mother wanted you to marry, Jonathan. And so you must.”
Jonathan did not want the king choosing his bride. He would not take an idol worshiper to wife, nor anyone outside the tribe of Benjamin. She must be a virgin and a woman of faith. He knew whom his mother had chosen, one who met his criteria. Rachel was of the tribe of Benjamin and a woman of excellence. She was not fascinated by idols and divination, by jewels and entertainments like Michal and so many others. “I will marry Rachel, Father.”
“Rachel? Who is Rachel?”
“Mother’s nurse for the past two years.” Clearly, the king had not bothered to visit his queen. “She is a relative, on Mother’s side.”
“Your mother comes from a long line of farmers.”
“As were we, before you became king. And happier then than now.”
Saul’s eyes narrowed. “We can find a much more suitable match for you than a poor farmer’s daughter. After all, you are the crown prince. One day, you will be king.”
Jonathan was weary of his father’s insistence that his marriage be used to forge a military alliance. He would marry in accordance with the Law and to please the Lord, not his father.
“The Law is clear, Father, and I would not risk incurring more of God’s wrath upon our house by marrying someone outside the tribe of Benjamin.”
Saul frowned. “I suppose you are right.” He smiled. “Her father will be pleased with the match. The bride-price can be dispensed with easily enough. A year’s exemption from taxes should suffice.”
“I hope you will be more generous than that, my lord.”
“Two years, then. That is more than generous.”
“How many years exemption did you give Rizpah’s family?” Jonathan had difficulty keeping his voice even.
Saul glared at him, his face reddened. “Do you dare to criticize me?”
The richer his father became, the more tightly he held the purse. While the people sacrificed to pay taxes in order to keep Saul’s army equipped and paid, the king gave up none of his pleasures. Instead, he increased and spread gifts and allowances among his advisors and counselors and higher officials. Did he hope to buy loyalty? Human lusts are never satisfied!
Furious, Jonathan did not retreat from his father’s glare. “Surely King Saul can be as generous to the family of the future princess of the realm as he was to the family of his concubine.”
His father’s chin jutted. “Fine. Have your way! A royal price for a humble bride.”
Tense with anger, Jonathan bowed low. “Thank you, my lord. May your generosity be rewarded a hundredfold.” He could not keep the sarcasm from his voice.
“I still have three other sons who need wives. I doubt they will be as difficult to please as you are.”
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“No doubt.” And more laws would be broken, adding to the sins already blackening Saul’s reign.
Veiled and seated on a platform, Rachel was carried to Jonathan through the throng of well-wishers. Careless of custom, he lifted her down and took her hand. It was cool and trembled in his. “You don’t need to be afraid of me,” he whispered in her ear as those around them laughed and shouted blessings.
Wed, he lifted the veil and stared into wide, innocent eyes, bright with tears of happiness.
When they were alone, Jonathan found himself more afraid of her than of any man he had ever faced in battle. He almost laughed. How was it possible that he could scale a cliff and defeat an army of Philistines, and yet stand trembling before this lovely, fragile girl? It took all his courage to bend and kiss her. When she stepped easily into his embrace, her body pressed to his, he felt exalted. The sweet taste of her lifted him into the heavens.
The wedding celebration lasted a week. The people danced and sang. Jonathan wished his mother had lived to see the fulfillment of her hopes.
Ebenezer acted as Jonathan’s best friend and made certain there was plenty of food and wine for everyone. But he was not David. David had been Jonathan’s equal. David would have written a song for the wedding and sung it himself.
How Jonathan missed his friend! With hundreds of people celebrating his marriage, with a beautiful young wife at his side, Jonathan had never felt more lonely.
God had commanded that a new husband have no work for a year so he could make his bride happy, but Jonathan and Rachel were not to have that pleasure.
David was in Keilah, fighting the Philistines who had been looting the threshing floors, and Saul saw an opportunity he could not resist.
“God has handed him over to me! David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with walls and gates!” Saul called up his forces for battle and left Jonathan to guard and administer the affairs of the kingdom in his absence.