1 Samuel 20: What Covenant Does

Order of Service

• Prelude — Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
• Call to Worship — Psalm 113
• Hymn — Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
• Prayer of Invocation
• Corporate Confession of Faith — Second Article of Luther's Small Catechism
• Scripture Reading — Acts 10:34-48
• Hymn — All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Prayer of Dedication
• Hymn — Blessed Assurance
• Sermon
• Hymn — Great Is Thy Faithfulness
• Benediction — Hebrews 13:20-21

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Sermon Title: What Covenant Does

Scripture: 1 Samuel 20

I. Introduction: David Flees to Jonathan

A. After fleeing Naioth in Ramah (1 Samuel 19), David's world has disintegrated into disorder — on the run from Saul B. David runs to Jonathan, son of the very man who seeks his life — the reason is covenant C. The covenant made in 1 Samuel 18:3 is the foundation: Jonathan believed David would be king and pledged loyalty to that end D. Covenant language (including hesed — steadfast love/unfailing kindness) runs through the entire passage as its main support beam E. The horizontal covenant between Jonathan and David foretastes the benefits of a better vertical covenant with God

II. The Reliable Refuge of Covenant (vv. 1–11)

A. David's life has been upended — shepherd, then king-elect, warrior, son-in-law to Saul, now a fugitive B. Naioth in Ramah was supposed to be a refuge; instead David flees from there to Jonathan C. David flees toward covenant — it is called "a covenant of the LORD" (v. 8), made with God as witness

1. The use of a hand on a Bible in a courtroom illustrates the instinct that God's witness lends seriousness to a promise
2. Because this covenant is rooted in Yahweh's hesed, it is reliable

D. The vertical covenant to which this points: God covenants with his people through Christ

1. The blood of Christ is the blood of the new covenant — and "the blood of the eternal covenant" (Hebrews 13:20)
2. Refuge in Christ does not end; it is eternal and cannot be broken
3. David was innocent before Saul; sinners come to Christ guilty — yet the covenant God welcomes guilty sinners

E. Application: Flee to Christ for refuge — do not trust your own strength, goodness, or good intentions

III. The Reciprocal Responsibility of Covenant (vv. 12–34)

A. The plan formulated in the field: Jonathan will sound out Saul's true intent and signal David B. The covenant places heavy cost on Jonathan

1. He has already surrendered his right to the earthly kingdom (1 Samuel 18:3–4)
2. He must deceive his father — fracturing that relationship; Saul hurls an insult and then a spear at Jonathan (vv. 30–33)

C. The covenant involves a surprising compassion from David

1. Jonathan asks David to protect his life and preserve his line when David comes to the throne (vv. 14–15)
2. Normally the incoming dynasty destroys the outgoing royal family; David agrees to care for Jonathan's descendants
3. David will fulfill this in 2 Samuel 9 by showing kindness to Jonathan's son Mephibosheth

D. The vertical covenant is different in a crucial way: God alone fulfills all responsibilities

1. In Genesis 15, God alone passes between the cut animals, taking all covenant obligations upon himself
2. The demand on mankind was obedience to the moral law — but sinful people after the fall cannot meet it
3. God in Christ fulfills the demands himself, at great cost: the Son who knew no sin became sin for his people (2 Corinthians 5:21)
4. On the cross Christ bore the forsaken feeling of the Father — he cried, "Why have you forsaken me?" — and he did this for his people, to do for them what they could not do for themselves

IV. The Rescuing Reward of Covenant (vv. 35–42)

A. The covenant's reward for David is his rescue — saved from Saul's clutches through Jonathan's faithfulness B. Jonathan declares that the Lord will cut off the enemies of David and bring him to the throne; Saul has become an enemy who must be foiled C. Jonathan executes the plan: he goes to the field with a small boy as a smokescreen; David escapes undiscovered D. Jonathan's parting word: "Go in peace" (v. 42)

1. David will remain on the run with many close calls — yet he has one harbor, one friend, one refuge of peace
2. The covenant between them is the ground of that peace

E. The vertical covenant brings the rescue and peace that this horizontal covenant only foretastes

1. Christ came to rescue guilty sinners and to restore peace between God and his people
2. Trusting Christ does not guarantee an easy life, a perfect marriage, or freedom from suffering — but it does mean rescue and peace with God
3. Peace with God is what the heart truly needs; Christ brings vertical reconciliation through the covenant

F. Peace with God also makes horizontal peace possible

1. It does not guarantee peace with every neighbor or family member, but it makes it possible
2. Peace with God enables forgiveness — of others and from others — and the laying aside of pride that fractures relationships
3. As Christ transforms his people, peace with neighbors becomes a real possibility

G. Summary: Covenant brings reliable refuge, reciprocal responsibility, and rescuing reward — all pointing to the greater, stronger, more sure covenant God makes with his people through Christ