Love Israel

Guest (Male): Shalom, and welcome to V'ahavta Yisrael, a Hebrew phrase which means "You shall love Israel." We hope you'll stay with us for the next 30 minutes as our teacher Dr. Baruch shares his expository teaching from the Bible. Dr. Baruch is the senior lecturer at the Zera Avraham Institute based in Israel.

Although all courses are taught in Hebrew at the institute, Dr. Baruch is pleased to share this weekly address in English. To find out more about our work in Israel, please visit us on the web at loveisrael.org. That's one word, loveisrael.org. Now, here's Baruch with today's lesson.

Dr. Baruch Korman: Well, we have seen that what has figured in significantly in this last part of Chapter 20 of 1 Samuel is what's known as the new moon. Now, that is a new month in Judaism, and the word for month is the word chodesh, which is derived from the word for new. But here's something important. When we look at that word "new" in the Bible, it can also have the concept of change, and we're going to see that there's a change within this passage.

Now Jonathan, the eldest son of Saul, knows about his father, and we're going to see that this is going to cause Jonathan to be excessively faithful and loyal to David. Because he understands that it's God's will for David to be king, that God wants to use him and use him mightily to bring about a godly change for the children of Israel. With that said, take out your Bible and look with me to 1 Samuel Chapter 20, and we're now ready for verse 35.

Notice how this verse begins where it says, "And it came about in the morning." I've made mention to you that this term "morning" has to do with clarity or a revelation, something being made known, something being declared. And what is that? Well, we're going to see it in a moment. Look again at verse 35. "And it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out to the field." And it says, lemoed David. That means at the appointed time, and the implication is to meet David. And notice what it says, that there was a young man or a little na'ar. The word na'ar means an adolescent boy. So, this one was someone who was small, but this one was with Jonathan.

What does it say? Let's look at the next verse, verse 36. And he said to this young boy, "Run." Now, we remember what the agreement is going to be. They have this plan in order to reveal whether it is Saul's purpose to put David to death or not. And you'll remember what the agreement was. If the young man is told, "Come back for the arrows are not so far away," this is a sign that Saul does not want to kill David. But on the other hand, if Jonathan would say to the young boy, "The arrows are further from you. Go and get them and go further." This concept of further, this Hebrew word hal'ah, would mean that yes indeed, it's Saul's desire to put David to death.

We saw last week very clearly that it is Saul's desire that he calls David ben mavet, meaning a son of death, meaning that he has placed upon him the death penalty. Now, there's something that we need to realize. And what is that? Well, we need to realize that Jonathan is being led by a commitment. Now, the word that is repeated over and over in regard to this relationship between Jonathan, that is Jonathan, Saul's oldest son, and David is the word "love." Now, what does that word mean biblically speaking? Well, when we look at it in the Old Testament, there is this concept of love and giving.

This is what the Bible's telling us. That Jonathan is someone who is willing to give of himself, meaning this: he's willing to sacrifice himself for David. Why? Not because of some special relationship, although they have that special relationship, but the motivation here in this word "love" is obedience. What we find is that Jonathan is obedient to God because he understands that David is being set apart to play a major role in Israel's future. And therefore, Jonathan is committed to that. And when we find that concept of love, love is a sacrificial word. It is a giving word. It's a word of surrender, and this is what Jonathan is willing to do.

So, look again at our text, verse 36, where it says, and Jonathan is speaking and he says to this young boy, "Run and find, please, the arrows which I am shooting." And the young man ran and he shot the arrow, and notice what it says. It says "over him." So, these arrows that Jonathan was shooting, it went over this young boy. And why is that? Because this is a sign that indeed Saul, Jonathan's father, wants to kill David.

Now, let's look at verse 37. This young boy came unto the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, and we find that Jonathan called after this young boy and said, "Surely the arrow is beyond you." Now, the word that is used here once more is this word hal'ah, which means further. So, again, these arrows are beyond; they're further than what this young man is standing. And this is all a sign, a sign of what? A sign that indeed Saul wants to kill David.

Look now to the end of this verse, verse 38 actually. And Jonathan called after this young boy and he says, "Quickly," and then he says, "without haste," meaning do this very quickly. And this is a message for David more than it is for this young boy. He's telling David, "You need to depart and you need to do so quickly. And you need to do it with haste. Don't delay, but immediately depart from this field for your life." Because now Jonathan knows and David knows that indeed Saul wants to put him to death.

Look at the end of verse 38. He says, "Do not stand and have this young boy gather up the arrows which are, but rather," he says, "but bring them to his master." Now, this is as well a symbol of something. That this young boy is set now to go and gather up those arrows that are over you, go further and then bring them to your master. All of this is being set forth in one purpose, that David knows the truth of the situation. That Saul has indeed sentenced David to death, even though David has done nothing wrong.

David has not displayed any disloyalty to King Saul. But nevertheless, because of this insecurity, because of this fear, because Saul wants to keep his position as king, anyone who might be a threat to that, what does Saul want to do? He wants to put him to death. So, now we see this young boy is being told to go gather up these arrows that are over you, go further and then bring them to your master.

Now, let's press on to verse 39. We read that this young boy did not know anything, meaning he was not aware of this plan that Jonathan and David had between them as a way of signaling whether it was safe or whether it was not safe. So, he knew nothing of this. But notice what it says, "but Jonathan and David, they knew the matter. They knew the situation."

Verse 40. And Jonathan gave his vessels to the young boy which was to him, meaning all of these vessels, all of his equipment, he gave to this young boy that was with him. And he said to him, "Go and bring it to the city." Now, all of this is to bring about a conclusion of this matter. What's happening is this: now David knows the reality of the situation. He knows that Saul does indeed want to put him to death. Jonathan has confirmed it. And now this matter is coming to its conclusion, and therefore things are going back to the city.

Look, if you would, to verse 41 where it says, "And the young boy came and David got up from the place, this place that was in the south." And what happens? It says, "and he fell upon his face towards the ground and he bowed down three times and the man kissed his neighbor," meaning they kissed one another. And this is an action of respect. It is a token of affection in the most godly way. Now, why do I say that? Very simply. If we look at the New Covenant, what does Paul say a few times? He says, "Greet each other with what? With a holy kiss."

Now, this is a very important concept, a holy kiss. I have made mention to you several times that the word "holy" is connected to the purpose of God. What is holy? God's purposes. This is what we have been set apart for, not to do our will, not to fulfill our desires, but very clearly to do the will of God. So, this kiss between one and both of them is a signal of commitment. It is a signal to their commitment to the purposes of God and not any of their own plans.

So, notice what it says, that David bowed down three times, they kissed one another. And notice what it says, "and a man," meaning each of them, they did something. They cried, a man for his neighbor, that is for his friend, cried. But notice what it says, but David did so more in a greater way. Now, what is this signifying? It shows that even though Jonathan was making great sacrifice, that he was being faithful to God and he was going to suffer for that, nevertheless David, David was demonstrating a great and abiding love that he had for Saul's son, Jonathan.

This love was godly, it was pure, it was holy, it was righteous. And again, I made mention last week, it is so disheartening and really disgusting for people to try to read something into the text that is not there when we look at it in the normal way, when we apply the proper methodology for understanding a biblical text. There is nothing immoral, nothing ungodly, nothing displeasing to God. Everything that's listed here is a love that is godly in origin. And therefore, how those who want to take this passage and turn it into what the Bible calls an abomination, this is false. It is without any foundation. It's displeasing to God, and I would say this: woe to those who would distort the Word of God for a purpose that is rooted in wickedness and evilness and that which God calls an abomination.

So, we need to understand something. When we look at the Word of God, the Word of God is holy. The Word of God is given to us in order to teach us truth, how we should think, how we should behave, how we should speak. All of these things we get from the authority of Scripture. And it's when we begin to distort God's Word that what happens to us? Well, we need to be very careful. Because remember what the Scripture says earlier on about Saul, that Saul loathed the Word of God. He did not revere it, he did not respect it, he did not submit to it. He loathed the Word of God.

When we misrepresent Scripture, when we distort it, when we teach something that the Word of God does not speak of, this is a very dangerous position to be in. Why? Well, in the same way that we see that King Saul found himself out of control. He was obsessed with his desire to hold on to being the king. And therefore, anything that put that desire at a threat, what did King Saul do? Well, when his son, for example, we saw this last week, when his son was not being obedient to Saul's desires, he picked up that spear and he hurled it at his son, wanting to kill him. That's the type of person that Saul was. He was out of control. He was someone who was being possessed by demonic influence rather than by the Spirit of God.

Well, look now to verse 42. What does it say there? "And Jonathan said to David, 'Go,'" and notice this next phrase. What it literally says is lech, which means go, and then it says leshalom, which means for peace. Now, again, we need to understand the biblical word "peace." Because many people hear "peace" and they think of an English expression. We ought not do that. They think of peace as simply the absence of conflict. Well, we're going to see in the weeks to come that David is in God's will. He is walking and moving in order to fulfill the will of God. And what does he have? He has great conflict. But what's he doing? He is fulfilling the will of God.

So, we need to understand a biblical truth. When we are faithful to God, we will suffer. What's one of the best examples of that? Messiah Yeshua, Jesus of Nazareth. He was faithful. There was never a time that he did not obey his Father's will. Over and over, for example, if you look at John's Gospel, you will find something in John's Gospel. Messiah speaks about his heavenly Father over and over with the same term, and that is "the one who sent me."

He understood that he was on a mission, that he was sent by his heavenly Father to do something. And what was that? To be that Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. That through the shedding of blood that we might experience redemption and remember we could experience eternal redemption. That's the emphasis of the New Testament. Not a temporary, not a partial, but a complete, a full and eternal redemption, which gives us assurance.

This is what the Scripture is speaking of. Look again at verse 42 where it says, "And Jonathan said to David, 'Go for peace, which the two of us that we have sworn, the two of us in the name of the Lord saying.'" Now, everything in the Scripture is written for a reason. And notice what this Scripture says. Look again at verse 42 where it says, "which the two of us, we have sworn," and here's the key: "in the name of the Lord saying."

It is so important that we see this. This puts any type of false interpretation aside. Why do I say that? Because it writes "in the name of the Lord." I have made mention that most of the time when we find that word "name," it refers to character. This tells us something. It tells us that what David and Jonathan are doing, they're doing it in the name of the Lord, meaning under his authority. They are submitting to his plans, his purposes because they want the will of God to be fulfilled. That's why Jonathan said, "Go for peace." What's peace? The fulfillment of God's will.

So, it's very clear here that we ought not read any ungodliness into this because they're both functioning, as it says, in the name of the Lord, meaning in his character. Well, let's conclude. Notice how this verse finishes up. It says, "The Lord will be between me and between you, and between my seed," meaning my offsprings, my descendants, and between your offsprings, your family. How long? Notice what it says: ad olam. Now, in this chapter, this is the third time that we've seen this expression. Hopefully you remember something. And what is that?

You will remember that this term ad olam is a technical term that relates to the kingdom of God. Anytime we've seen that word olam, we could translate it unto forever. It is a reference to the kingdom of God. That word, whenever it appears in the Scripture, this Hebrew word olam for all of time, it speaks about a kingdom connection, a context that relates to the kingdom of God.

What we're speaking of here, and it's very important that we get this right, look again. He says, "The Lord shall be between me and between you." So, it's speaking about this wonderful, godly, pleasing relationship that these two men have with one another that's under the authority of God. And then it says, "and in between my seed," who's speaking? Well, this is Jonathan. He's speaking, and he says, "between my seed, my offspring, my family, and between your offspring, your descendants, your family."

What it simply says is this: that this act of surrender. Now, David, he is surrendering to his Father's will. When I say his Father's, I'm speaking about God's will for his life. David didn't set out to be king. He wasn't trying to achieve that. That was not what he was up to or interested in. He was what? He simply wanted to be faithful to God. He didn't want to please others, he wanted to please God.

What was he willing to do? Well, we saw with the account of Goliath, that is Goliath, that David was willing to risk his life. Why? Because he believed in the holiness, the character of the living God. That that one, that uncircumcised Philistine that came forth and wanting to shame the armies of Israel and bring contempt upon the name of the Lord, what did David do? He was motivated immediately to act, to respond, to risk his life. Why? Because he had great faith in God's ability, and here's the key: God's ability to deliver.

Now, this is something that we need to always focus in on: that God is able to deliver us. Nothing is too difficult for God. Therefore, when we find ourself in a difficult circumstance, when we find ourselves under attack, being persecuted, as long as we're being persecuted for righteousness, don't give up. Don't fret, don't worry, don't become discouraged, don't doubt. Why? Deliverance is just a matter of time.

When you are suffering for righteous purpose, when you are committed to doing the right thing, you can be assured that God is watching. And if that deliverance does not come today, it'll come tomorrow. If it doesn't come tomorrow, it will come by the end of the week. And if it doesn't come by the end of the week, it will come next week. But be assured, those who are committed to the plans and the purposes of God, we can expect that God will deliver. That God will move in our circumstances, move in our life. And what will he do? He will do what he always does, and that is to bring salvation. And salvation is a word of victory.

So, we need to understand something. When we are committed to God's will, when we are behaving in the character of God, what can we expect? Well, we can expect God to give us victory. Victory over our enemies, victory over all those who want to attack us, come against us, persecute us, cause us to suffer. It's only a matter of time until we have a wonderful gift from God. And what is that? It is the word "liberty."

Now, I want to close with this because most people are confused about the liberty that God gives us. That liberty is a liberty or a freedom to do something. And what is that? We are set free by means of redemption, that is through the blood of Messiah, we have been set free in order that we might serve God. That we might do the things that God would have us to do. And that we would walk in obedience, that we would live a life of self-denial. That is what we're called to do.

What does Messiah say to us and to me? This is the most important verse for believers as we approach the last days. And what is that? When Messiah says, "Take up your cross and follow me." That's what we're called to do, all of us. We need to realize that we are called as disciples of Messiah to suffer. That we're going to go through difficult times, we're going to have hardship, there is going to be opposition. We are going to experience adversity in our life, but that's okay. Why?

Remember what David says. David says in the Psalms that he has been afflicted, but nevertheless, out of all of these problems, all of these hardships, all of these attacks, what does David say? "God has delivered me from all of them." David experienced victory. And as we move through the chapters, the closing chapters of 1 Samuel, we're going to see that Saul did not change. He wanted to put David to death.

When we get into the next chapter, Chapter 21, David is on the run for his life. Why? There is no change. Saul is just as committed to putting David to death. But God is with him. And this is what we need to remember. It doesn't matter where we are, if we are in a covenant relationship, especially a New Covenant relationship with God by means of the blood of Messiah. We do not need to fret, we do not need to worry, we do not need to be discouraged. Why? Because if God is for us, it doesn't matter who is against us.

This is going to be a lesson that Saul is going to learn. The more that he tried to put David to death, the more that he failed. The more that he was deceived by the enemy, meaning by his enemy, and who's that? We're talking about Satan. What does he do? Satan is a horrible individual because he will eventually turn against the ones who are faithful to him. Why? Because he cannot do the right thing. He cannot be kind, he cannot be faithful, he cannot be loyal.

In the end, we're going to see over and over that those who enter into a covenant, so to speak, with the enemy, they are going to be turned against by their leader, their master, and they are going to know shame, they are going to know defeat. And all of these things they're going to have forever and ever and ever. I'll close with that. Shalom.

Guest (Male): Well, we hope you will benefit from today's message and share it with others. Please plan to join us each week at this time and on this channel for our broadcast of loveisrael.org. Again, to find out more about us, please visit our website, loveisrael.org.

There you will find articles and numerous other lectures by Baruch. These teachings are in video form. May download them or watch them in streaming video. Until next time, may the Lord bless you in our Messiah Yeshua, that is Jesus, as you walk with him. Shalom from Israel.