Parting Peace

(1 Samuel 20:1-42)

Yearly Theme:  “Peace is…”

Series Title:  “Peace in the Promised Land”

March 21^st, 2021

Something to think about:

Trust is often a commodity that doesn’t come easily, and something that’s not cheap.  However, trust is something we were created to do.  Humans are not only created with the capacity to trust, but with the innate desire to trust.  The problem occurs in the Enemy’s deception and perversion of the truth.  Since the fall in the garden in Genesis 3, trust has been the great destroyer of relationships and nations.

Because of the breakdown of trust among people in every generation, peace has been in short supply, for one cannot have peace without trust.  It’s for this reason that Jesus came as “the way, the TRUTH, and the life.”  Because Jesus was and is truth, He can be trusted because He is trustworthy. 

As we continue in our series today on Peace in the Promised Land, we come to the story of David and Jonathan.  David, who would become king of Israel, was best friends with Jonathan, King Saul’s son.  Though their friendship would be tested because of Saul’s hatred toward David, Jonathan and David’s relationships, and trust in one another, was so strong that it became a bond of peace that even surpassed the grave.  Let’s take a look at the story that exemplifies this truth.

When we come upon the scene in 1 Samuel 20, David has been hiding from Saul for a short amount of time due to the fact that Saul has become jealous of the popularity of David within the nation of Israel while his own popularity wanes.  As a result, Saul determines to try and have David assassinated.  In chapter 20, David and Jonathan meet up and plan to see if Saul is truly serious about killing David.  The following is the ongoing narrative of this saga:

Turn in your Bibles and read:  1 Samuel 20:1-42

Key Point:  “The bond of peace requires trust.”

Trust takes risks, and risks take trust.  It all depends on who/what you put your trust in.  Is who/what you put your trust in, trustworthy?

Let’s look at how this bond of peace between David and Jonathan required trust…

• David trusted Jonathan with his  .

1 Samuel 20:8 (NLT), Show me this loyalty as my sworn friend—for we made a solemn pact before the Lord—or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don’t betray me to him!”

• Jonathan trusted God’s  on David’s  .

1 Samuel 20:16-17 (NLT), ¹⁶ So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, saying, “May the Lord destroy all your enemies!” ¹⁷ And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

• The bond of peace between David and Jonathan would extend  the  .

1 Samuel 20: 13b-15, 42 (NLT), May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father. ¹⁴ And may you treat me with the faithful love of the Lord as long as I live. But if I die, ¹⁵ treat my family with this faithful love, even when the Lord destroys all your enemies from the face of the earth. …

… ⁴² At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.

Something to take home:

Because of Jesus, God the Father has not only proven His love for us, but His trustworthiness.  And, because of God’s love for us and His willingness to show us the embodiment of His truth in Christ, we know that God took a big risk on us knowing that many people would look squarely at the truth and reject it.

Trust takes risks, and risks take trust.  It all depends on who/what you put your trust in.  Is who/what you put your trust in, trustworthy?

Who/what have you put your trust in this morning?  Are you like this:  “You don’t trust anyone… not even God Himself?”  Or are you like this:  “You trust God so much that You know ‘He’s got this!’”?

If you want to live a life of peace, you have to learn to trust.

Key Point:  “The bond of peace requires trust.”