FRIDAY July 19, 2019
A Time to Flee
And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” And Jonathan cried out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”
1 Samuel 20:35-40
David hid safely in a field waiting to hear Jonathan’s voice. Imagine David, thinking about the words Jonathan would come back and say. Would Jonathan’s words sound the all clear––was he safe? I am sure David did not expect that; he must have prepared his heart for the worst.
David trusted in the Lord. It was important for his friend Jonathan to see his father’s true character. Unknown to David, was all that had transpired between Saul and his son––the anger, insults, shame and murderous attempt. When Jonathan arrived at the field at the arranged time with the little lad, he asked the lad to run, and he shot the arrow beyond him. David heard the words of warning: “Is not the arrow beyond you?” David now knew Saul was determined to kill him––sad.
There would be an emotional goodbye between Jonathan and David. This would be the last time David would see Jonathan’s face. The next time David would hear about his friend was when he received the news of his death. He would die in battle against the Philistines, with Saul––his father.
Life has many different seasons, and God is with us through them all.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn,and a time to dance….
~Ecclesiastes 3:4~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!