Church of England -- Sermons; David, King of Israel; Sermons, English
Then David and Jonathan agree upon a sign between them, by which
David may know Saul's humour without his bow-bearer finding out
David. He will shoot three arrows toward the place where David is
in hiding; and if he says to his bow-bearer, The arrows are on this
side of thee, David is to come; for he is safe. But if he says, The
arrows are beyond thee, David must flee for his life, for the Lord
has sent him away.
Then Jonathan goes in to meat with his father Saul, and excuses
David for being absent.
'Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto
him, Thou son of the perverse, rebellious woman, do not I know that
thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto
the confusion of thy mother? For as long as the son of Jesse liveth
upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom.
Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.
And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore
shall he be slain? what hath he done? And Saul cast a javelin at
him to smite him; whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of
his father to slay David.'
He goes to the field and shoots the arrows, and gives the sign
agreed on. He sends his bow-bearer back to the city, and David
comes out of his hiding-place in the rock Ezel.
'And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward
the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself
three times; and they kissed one another, and wept one with another,
until David exceeded. And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace,
forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord,
saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy
seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into
the city.'
And so the two friends parted, and saw one another, it seems, but
once again, when Jonathan went to David in the forest of Ziph, and
'strengthened his hand in God,' with noble words.
After that, Jonathan vanishes from the story of David. We hear only
of him that he died fighting by his father's side, upon the downs of
Gilboa. The green plot at their top, where the Israelites' last
struggle was probably made, can be seen to this day; and there most
likely Jonathan fell, and over him David raised his famous
lamentation:
'O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. I am distressed
for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto
me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How
are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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