Game of Thrones – Loyalty Thicker than Blood

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Thread: Game of Thrones

Post Topic: Loyalty Thicker than Blood

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Scripture: I Samuel 19:1-24

I Samuel 20:1-42

Key Verses:
³⁰Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? ³¹As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!”
I Samuel 20:30-31

Observations

Context

Saul, Israel’s first king, had been rejected by God due to his disobedience.
The young lad David had been picked as his successor.
David had killed the giant Goliath, regularly played the harp to calm Saul, and had become a fixture in Saul’s household.
Saul’s son Jonathan had proven himself to be a great warrior like his father, and would have been in line to be the next king.
David and Jonathan became closest of friends.
David’s successes in battle had resulted in a command in Saul’s armies.
Saul’s jealousy grew as David’s fame grew.

I Samuel 19 – a wild story:

The first effort to kill David:
- Saul has finally figured out that David has been named his successor.
- He resolves to kill David, and instructs his son Jonathan to carry it out.
- But Jonathan has become best buddies with David and warns him. He confronts his father.
- Saul swears an oath to Jonathan that he won’t kill David. Did he mean it? Probably at the time.
- David rejoins Saul’s household.
The second plot to kill David:
- David achieves more success in battle, and Saul again grows jealous.
- He tries to kill David with the spear again, and David flees.
- Saul sends men to his house to watch for him and kill him.
- Saul’s daughter Michal is married to David. She warns him and facilitates his escape.
- Saul’s men force their way into the bedroom and find an idol covered in goats hair in the bed to trick them.
Pursuit, and attempt #3
- Saul’s men pursue David to Ramah, where the prophet Samuel lives.
- The spirit of the Lord overcomes them when they see the man of God, and they cannot carry out their orders.
- After several failed attempts, Saul decides that if you need a job done right, do it yourself. He goes to Ramah.
- The spirit of the Lord comes over Saul too.
- He is found face-down on the ground, naked, prophesying.
- The Lord protected his anointed.

I Samuel 20 – the plot thickens:

David and Jonathan
- A desperate David hunts down his friend Jonathan.
  - “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?”
  - A fair question.
- Jonathan doesn’t believe it at first. After all, his father swore he wouldn’t harm David.
- But David convinces him that Saul would hide his plot from his own son.
David missing at the feast. Saul takes it out on Jonathan.
- David is expected to return to Saul’s household for the new moon feast.
- After all, he is still a servant of the king. And a leader in the king’s army. And Saul did stop pursuing him at Ramah.
- Jonathan tells David not to show up until he can learn more from his father.
- Saul, who still harbors a desire to kill David, is angered when David doesn’t show.
- Jonathan makes an excuse, but Saul doesn’t buy it.
- Saul lashes out at his son. To paraphrase: “You stupid son of a despicable woman! Don’t you know that you’ll never be king if David is left alive!”
- Jonathan still refuses to betray David.
- Saul hurls his spear at his own son.
Jonathan leaves the feast in anger and does not eat.
He finds his friend David and warns him.
Saddened, the two friends swear their lifelong friendship and loyalty.

Interpretation

Setting

This story takes place in the hill country of Judea. Chapter 19 happens mostly in Ramah, the home of the prophet Samuel. It’s a bit north of Jerusalem. Chapter 20 probably happens in and around Gibeah, Saul’s home. It is also north of Jerusalem, but not as far as Ramah. Jerusalem was controlled by the Jebusites at the time, and did not become the capital until David became king.

Genre

Narrative description.

Author

The author is unknown, but they had access to the records of the kings and possessed a thorough knowledge of the life and times of Samuel and the events surrounding the first kings of Israel.

Takeaways

What integrity was shown by Jonathan! He is the hero of this story.
Jonathan could have fallen in line with his father in an attempt to secure the throne.
But loyalty and honor were too important to him.
Jonathan had also been present for most of the rise and fall of his father. He’d seen how Saul had stubbornly defied God to prop himself up.
Jonathan learned to take God seriously – a lesson his father failed to grasp.

Imagine

Jonathan knew his father was troubled. He knew King Saul had been rejected by God. He knew Samuel had said that Jonathan would never be king. And he’d realized that his friend David was the chosen one. But he hoped and prayed that his father would come to his senses and accept this fate. As Jonathan had accepted it.

But then David comes to him and tells him this wild story about his father chasing him to Ramah and prophesying naked. Could has father have fallen that far? Jonathan determines to get to the bottom of it. One thing he knows – he’ll never betray his closest friend. Even if it means disowning his father.

Correlation

2 Samuel 9:1-13 – This is a touching story of King David, many years later, searching out and finding Jonathan’s lame son Mephibosheth. He takes the lad in as one of his own and shows him extreme kindness.
2 Samuel 1:17-27 – David grieves the death of Jonathan in battle, proclaiming in verse 26 that Jonathan’s love for David was greater than that of any woman.
John 15:12 – Jesus says: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

Application

Generic Applications

Attempting to defy God’s plan – a worse idea than charging at windmills. You might end up naked in a gutter like Saul.
Loyalty and honor are more important than position and power.

Personalize it

Who is your most loyal friend? Have you reached out to them lately? If any kind of rift has developed, perhaps it’s time to patch it up.

Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:

Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.

Daniel P Warner