#428 Closer Than A Javelin

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

2 And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.

3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

6 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music.

7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.

11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.

12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.

13 Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.

14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him.

15 Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.

16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

17 And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the Lord's battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.

18 And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

19 But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.

20 And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.

21 And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain.

22 And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son in law.

23 And Saul's servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?

24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.

25 And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law: and the days were not expired.

27 Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.

28 And Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him.

29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually.

30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by. 1 Samuel 18 KJV

Saul has had a chance and a time at king, his son who would be next in line gives the honor of his attire to the one that will inherit the throne next. He is passed over for the position, as in Adam all fall out of communion with God, and under the curse, but Jonathan is glad to see God's chosen is a man such as David. He loves him like a brother, but more than a brother is the one who recognizes God in another. In all my years I have never had a friend like that. I have had buddies who would kick your butt for me, would help me move, would go drinking with me, do drugs and always tell me what a great and marvelous heart I had. I have never had so close a friend that I prayed with, who actually was set upon my betterment and to honor God. In a world of likes and pluses on Facebook, everyone looks for someone who approves of them, to find the beat of the masses, or to draw men to themselves and their ideology. I would like to find that one friend, who God put it in their heart to love me, to everyday take my name before the throne of grace, tell me I am wrong to my face and help me get back up. Iron sharpeneth iron, so much of a blessing must Jonathan have been to David. How much they could relate to each other. I would love to find a friend like that, who did not care for their own ideology, who only wanted to know what God was saying. Did I not tell you when I started all of this, that my opinion doesn't matter; I want to know the author's intent in Scripture, my own would be another gospel, the wide path, unfit to walk. I don't need a billion voices agreeing with me, and I do have a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. He took on my humanity, but without sin, He was tested like me, but remained Holy, He was overlooked by me, but continued to draw me in, His kindness and His grace, His love and forgiveness were overwhelming. Then, when it was time for me to pay, to settle up with Holiness, my pockets were empty, and though I had talked poorly of Him, laughed at Him, mocked such lofty claims, he offered to cover my debt. I do have more than a friend, of that I am certain. 

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12

4 Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?

5 Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.

6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses. Proverbs 27: 4-6

While he has found a friend in Jonathan, a kindred Spirit, Jonathan's father Saul goes fully mad when the women come out singing their praises, and attributing to David more than the king. The king has relinquished the duty of the throne through disobedience to the One who put him there. This is between him and God, but David is all he sees. He relinquished even the attempt at glory for himself or honor to the God of Israel, Who again put him there. He himself tried to pass off his armor, gave away such wonderful combat as Goliath to another man, a man he thought too young and inexperienced to be there, but would gladly send to avoid such duty. David does the right thing and now Saul hates him. He tries to provoke him by promising his daughter and then giving her to another, much like Samson lost one of his Philistine wives, but David is not yet concerned for his own honor. He hears that his other daughter loves David, and Saul sees her as a snare, so maybe where David could not be provoked by one he could be destroyed by the other. He is humble about it though, that he is not a man of means as usually would be married to the king's daughter, and this should remind Saul from whence he came, the least of the tribes, almost vanished. Humility is not so well understood by most who rule, but it could make them great, and some have a little vantage of that but always muster at the counterfeit. Saul takes David's counsel and makes a dowry greater than gold or sheep, the foreskins of his enemies, and the death of the man that goes to take them. The gentiles loathed the practice, for once it came once in deceit by Simeon and Levi, and now by the hand of David. They would hate him all the more. Saul ask for 100 and David brings back double. God is with the boy, but Saul hates him even more, so are you starting to understand that it is not David that Saul really hates? Michal and David are married and I think she becomes a snare to him in other ways as well, contention in a home, nagging, a spoiled daughter of royalty, can all be a snare. Men would also break you by giving you burdens that are too grievous to bare and then pointing to your failure to do so. He sent him on an errand to either kill him or make him look bad, and was too happy to give him Michal, I think I would want my foreskins back. 

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.[b]
Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,[c] who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[d] behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Supremacy of the Son of God

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[g] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. Colossians 1: 1-23