1 Samuel 20:1-11

1 Samuel 20:1-11

[1] And David  fled  from Naioth  in Ramah,  and came  and said  before  Jonathan,  What have I done?  what is mine iniquity?  and what is my sin  before  thy father,  that he seeketh  my life?  [2] And he said  unto him, God forbid;  thou shalt not die:  behold, my father  will do  nothing  either great  or small,  but that he will shew  it me: and why should my father  hide  this thing  from me? it is not so. [3] And David  sware  moreover, and said,  Thy father  certainly  that I have found  grace  in thine eyes;  and he saith,  Let not Jonathan  know  this, lest he be grieved:  but truly  as the LORD  liveth,  and as thy soul  liveth,  there is but a step  between me and death.  [4] Then said  Jonathan  unto David,  Whatsoever thy soul  desireth,  I will even do  it for thee. [5] And David  said  unto Jonathan,  Behold, to morrow  is the new moon,  and I should not fail  with the king  at meat:  but let me go,  that I may hide  myself in the field  unto the third  day at even.  [6] If thy father  at all  me, then say,  David  earnestly  leave of me that he might run  to Bethlehem  his city:  for there is a yearly  sacrifice  there for all the family.  [7] If he say  thus, It is well;  thy servant  shall have peace:  but if he be very  then be sure  that evil  is determined  by him. [8] Therefore thou shalt deal  kindly  with thy servant;  for thou hast brought  thy servant  into a covenant  of the LORD  with thee: notwithstanding, if there be  in me iniquity,  slay  me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring  me to thy father?  [9] And Jonathan  said,  Far be it from thee:  for if I knew  that evil  were determined  by my father  to come  upon thee, then would not I tell  it thee? [10] Then said  David  to Jonathan,  Who shall tell  me? or what if thy father  answer  thee roughly?  [11] And Jonathan  said  unto David,  and let us go out  into the field.  And they went out  both  of them into the field. 

What does 1 Samuel 20:1-11 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

David was wondering if he had done something wrong that had provoked Saul"s hatred ( 1 Samuel 20:1). Walking with God is sometimes confusing. We need to learn, as David did, that when we try to follow God faithfully some people will oppose us simply because we want to do God"s will. Their antagonism is not the result of our sinfulness but theirs. Jonathan assured David that he had done nothing wrong (cf. 1 Samuel 14:45), but Jonathan did not understand the intensity of Saul"s hatred for David (cf. 1 Samuel 19:6). He was in a state of denial.
There are several oaths and strong affirmations in this chapter ( 1 Samuel 20:3; 1 Samuel 20:12-13; 1 Samuel 20:16-17; 1 Samuel 20:23; 1 Samuel 20:42). The one that David made in 1 Samuel 20:3 is very strong. He believed correctly that he was in mortal danger, and he tried to make Jonathan see this. Jonathan was open to anything David wanted to suggest to prove his point ( 1 Samuel 20:4).
The new moon introduced the new month that the Israelites celebrated with a sacrificial meal. It was both a religious and a civil holiday ( Numbers 10:10; Numbers 28:11-15; cf. 2 Kings 4:23). David would normally have been present at the king"s table since he was one of Saul"s high-ranking military commanders. However, David evidently believed that Saul would try to kill him again if he ate with the king (cf. 1 Samuel 18:11; 1 Samuel 19:10-11). Hiding in a field seems to be an extreme measure. Why could David not have gone home to Bethlehem or stayed with friends who would have kept his presence secret from Saul? Perhaps David trusted no one but Jonathan now.
Apparently David"s family held a reunion on one of these holidays each year ( 1 Samuel 20:6; cf. 1 Samuel 1:21; 1 Samuel 2:19). David told a lie; he did not go to Bethlehem but hid in a field. At the beginning of his period of flight from Saul, David resorted to trickery as well as trust in Yahweh. As this trial wore on, he learned to trust God more completely, as we shall see. His trials purified his character (cf. James 1).
David proposed his test ( 1 Samuel 20:7) to convince Jonathan that Saul really intended to kill David. The covenant to which David referred was the one he and Jonathan had previously made ( 1 Samuel 18:3-4). David appealed to it and asked Jonathan to kill him himself if he must die, rather than allowing Saul to do it. David wanted to die at the hand of his friend rather than at the hand of his enemy. David had temporarily lost sight of God"s promise that he would rule over Israel.
Jonathan refused to kill David but promised to tell him if Saul responded angrily as David predicted he would ( 1 Samuel 20:9). Jonathan then suggested a plan by which he could communicate with David without revealing David"s location ( 1 Samuel 20:10-11).