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The Bond of Friendship - The Book of 1 Samuel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste,
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  Speaker 1: stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows and
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  Speaker 1: came to his master. 1 Samuel 20.38 Dear God, as
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  Speaker 1: my life continues to grow and evolve, I thank you
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  Speaker 1: for blessing me with covenant relationships like David and Jonathan's.
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  Speaker 1: When I'm on the verge of stepping into my destiny,
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  Speaker 1: Bless me with friendships that have the inside scoop on
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  Speaker 1: whomever is trying to cause me harm or hinder my purpose.
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  Speaker 1: I pronounce love and favor as the main companions in
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  Speaker 1: my friendships. I declare that the inner circle of friends
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  Speaker 1: surrounding my life are purpose-driven and destiny-minded. Thank you, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: that you are bringing the right people into my life
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  Speaker 1: at the right time. From this day forward, I will
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  Speaker 1: make the conscious decision to invest into my relationships and
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  Speaker 1: ensure that our bond of friendship will be strong and purposeful.
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  Speaker 1: Even when it seems like I'm in a season of
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  Speaker 1: hiding and preparing, I will remain confident that distance and
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  Speaker 1: time won't break the God connections surrounding my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
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  Speaker 1: hear the Bible come to life, stay tuned for The
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  Speaker 1: Bible in a Year. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: The Bond of Friendship In our last story, we learned
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  Speaker 2: how Saul sought to take David's life. Jealousy and rage
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  Speaker 2: filled Saul. and he sent men to murder him. But
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  Speaker 2: Jonathan saved David, and David escaped to Samuel. In this story,
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  Speaker 2: we learn how Jonathan and David's friendship grows stronger. Jonathan
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  Speaker 2: protects and nurtures David from the heavy hand of Saul,
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  Speaker 2: as inspired by the book of 1 Samuel.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our story yesterday, we
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  Speaker 3: saw how Saul's jealousy spilled over in his desire to
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  Speaker 3: destroy David. Saul could not take the praise and adulation
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  Speaker 3: and adoration that was growing in the hearts of the
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  Speaker 3: people for David. He knew he was losing his kingdom.
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  Speaker 3: So he tried to kill David again and again. David
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  Speaker 3: fled into Samuel's territory. And David was protected not only
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  Speaker 3: by God but by Saul's own household, his son Jonathan
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  Speaker 3: and David's wife Michael, the daughter of Saul. And today
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  Speaker 3: we will see how Saul continues to pursue David and
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  Speaker 3: how Jonathan once again protects the life of his dear friend.
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  Speaker 3: Let's listen now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: David and Jonathan sat sitting on a stone facing the
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  Speaker 2: city below. Subtle tears welled up in David's eyes as
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  Speaker 2: he watched the city from afar. What have I done
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  Speaker 2: to deserve this from him? David said, shaking his head.
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  Speaker 2: Jonathan sat there silently for a moment, allowing David to
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  Speaker 2: feel the sting of betrayal. He put his hand on
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  Speaker 2: David's shoulder and said, You shall not die, my friend.
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  Speaker 2: My father does nothing without telling me first. I will
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  Speaker 2: know if he tries anything else. David was not convinced.
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  Speaker 2: He was still soaking up the view of the city.
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  Speaker 2: He loved the people as his own sheep. The sun
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  Speaker 2: was beginning its descent, and a mild orange filled the skies. David,
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  Speaker 2: still looking forward, said, Your father knows we are closer
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  Speaker 2: than brothers. He would not tell you of his plans
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  Speaker 2: to kill me again. I'll do whatever you want, Jonathan said.
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  Speaker 2: Tomorrow is the new moon, and your father is expecting
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  Speaker 2: me to feast with him and the elders. I will
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  Speaker 2: hide instead, and you will tell him I am in Bethlehem,
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  Speaker 2: making a sacrifice with my clan. If your father is fine,
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  Speaker 2: then we will know he means me no harm. If
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  Speaker 2: your father is angry, we will know his heart. David
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  Speaker 2: paused for a moment. He felt his tears returning. He
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  Speaker 2: regained his composure and stood up. You and I have
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  Speaker 2: made a promise to be friends. However, if you find
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  Speaker 2: any guilt in me, you should kill me yourself. Jonathan
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  Speaker 2: sprang to his feet and said, Nonsense. Come, let us
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  Speaker 2: go out into the field. So the two walked through
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  Speaker 2: the fields. Jonathan put his arm around David and said,
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  Speaker 2: I shall send word of Saul's temperament. Jonathan paused and
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  Speaker 2: became very serious. Listen. Listen. God will show you favor
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  Speaker 2: wherever you go. He will exalt you as king and
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  Speaker 2: destroy all those that make you their enemy. Please, show
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  Speaker 2: love to my house when God removes your enemies. David
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  Speaker 2: took Jonathan's words very seriously, and the two of them
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  Speaker 2: made a covenant with one another there in the field.
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  Speaker 2: Jonathan promised to serve David and protect him, and David
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  Speaker 2: swore to show Jonathan and his entire household love and favor.
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  Speaker 2: Jonathan spoke again, saying, In the next three days I
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  Speaker 2: will go out into the field for target practice where
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  Speaker 2: you are hiding. I will shoot three arrows towards you
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  Speaker 2: and send my servant to go and retrieve them. If
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  Speaker 2: you hear me yell, The arrows are on that side,
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  Speaker 2: it means the coast is clear for you to return.
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  Speaker 2: If you hear me yell, Go further, then that means
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  Speaker 2: Saul is still seeking your life and you should flee.
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  Speaker 2: The two of them embraced in parted ways. David loved
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  Speaker 2: Jonathan's soul as much as his own, and there were
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  Speaker 2: no closer friends in all of Israel. The moon festival
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  Speaker 2: had begun, and David's place at the king's table was empty.
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  Speaker 2: Saul paid little attention to David's absence, thinking he may
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  Speaker 2: have just been ill. However, when the second day of
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  Speaker 2: the festival passed, Saul asked Jonathan, saying,' Where is the
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  Speaker 2: son of Jesse?' Jonathan cleared his throat and replied, David
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  Speaker 2: asked me if he could go back to Bethlehem to
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  Speaker 2: make a sacrifice with his clan. His brothers demanded it.
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  Speaker 2: Saul drove his knife into the table. You stupid son
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  Speaker 2: of a whore, he yelled. Do you think I'm a fool?
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  Speaker 2: I know you want him to be king in your place.
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  Speaker 2: You shame yourself and your mother. As long as David lives,
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  Speaker 2: you will never be king. Saul shoved his chair back
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  Speaker 2: and pointed to his servants. Go, find David so I
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  Speaker 2: can slaughter him myself. Jonathan stood up and yelled back
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  Speaker 2: at his father. Why should he be put to death?
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  Speaker 2: As Jonathan was speaking, Saul took his spear and hurled
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  Speaker 2: it at Jonathan. He missed, and the spear was driven
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  Speaker 2: into the wall behind him. The room was silent. Saul
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  Speaker 2: was huffing in anger. Jonathan met his father's gaze with
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  Speaker 2: complete rage in his eyes. Jonathan did not fear Saul,
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  Speaker 2: for he knew that the Lord was with David. Jonathan
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  Speaker 2: said nothing and left the room in a silent fury.
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  Speaker 2: The next morning, Jonathan went out into the field with
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  Speaker 2: his servant for target practice. He shot three arrows into
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  Speaker 2: the distance where he knew David was hiding. He turned
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  Speaker 2: to his servant and said,' Start running. You will find
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  Speaker 2: the arrows as I shoot them.' So the boy ran
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  Speaker 2: unknowingly in David's direction. The boy was close to where
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  Speaker 2: the arrows were, but Jonathan yelled, Keep running! The arrow
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  Speaker 2: is still ahead of you! Hurry! Hurry! Do not wait
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  Speaker 2: even a moment! So the boy ran faster, but the
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  Speaker 2: command to run was really for David. He bowed in
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  Speaker 2: Jonathan's direction and fled into the wilderness to escape the
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  Speaker 2: judgment of Saul. Although David was in hiding, God's desire
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  Speaker 2: to use him was not finished. Neither would there be
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  Speaker 2: separation between his heart.
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  Speaker 3: Today's scripture begins with David and Jonathan having a conversation.
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  Speaker 3: The mood is heavy because Saul is trying to kill
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  Speaker 3: David and remove the threat to his own kingdom. But Jonathan,
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  Speaker 3: though he is Saul's son, is loyal to David. He
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  Speaker 3: knows that God has anointed this man to be the king.
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  Speaker 3: Proverbs tells us that there is a friend that sticks
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  Speaker 3: closer than a brother. And certainly this is the relationship
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  Speaker 3: between these two men, David and Jonathan. They are like brothers.
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  Speaker 3: It is a beautiful example of the closeness and the
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  Speaker 3: commitment that is stronger than even the bonds of family.
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  Speaker 3: Jonathan wants to reassure David and says his father would
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  Speaker 3: not do anything to David without telling Jonathan first. But
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  Speaker 3: David has already had his life threatened by Saul on
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  Speaker 3: multiple occasions. He is understandably anxious and he's certain that Saul,
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  Speaker 3: knowing the closeness between these two, would hide his plans
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  Speaker 3: from Jonathan. Jonathan promises to do whatever he needs to
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  Speaker 3: do in order to help David. So David devises a plan.
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  Speaker 3: Jonathan will tell his father that David has decided to
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  Speaker 3: go to Bethlehem to offer sacrifices with his people there.
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  Speaker 3: If Saul seems okay with that, David can rest easy.
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  Speaker 3: But if he flies off into one of his now
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  Speaker 3: characteristic tirades, Jonathan will know that he means harm to David.
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  Speaker 3: So Jonathan tells David that he will do as he asks,
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  Speaker 3: and he tells David how he will use a code
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  Speaker 3: to get him the word of his safety. He would
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  Speaker 3: shoot arrows for practice, and if he tells his servant
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  Speaker 3: who goes to retrieve the arrows that they are farther out,
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  Speaker 3: David will know to run. These two men swore an
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  Speaker 3: oath to each other. and David promised to show kindness
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  Speaker 3: to Jonathan's offspring no matter what would happen to Jonathan.
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  Speaker 3: In 1 Samuel 20, verses 13 to 15, this is
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  Speaker 3: what Jonathan says in God's Word. May the Lord be
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  Speaker 3: with you as he has been with my father. If
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  Speaker 3: I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of
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  Speaker 3: the Lord that I may not die. And do not
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  Speaker 3: cut off your steadfast love in my house forever when
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  Speaker 3: the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of
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  Speaker 3: David from the face of the earth. Jonathan knew that
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  Speaker 3: God had chosen David to be the king. Jonathan would
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  Speaker 3: not stand in God's way. He would support God's man.
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  Speaker 3: He only wanted to ensure that his offspring, his children
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  Speaker 3: and their children, would not suffer for the sins of
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  Speaker 3: their father or their grandfather. And so at the New
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  Speaker 3: Moon Festival, Jonathan tells his father that David wanted to
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  Speaker 3: go to Bethlehem to offer sacrifices. And Saul's response couldn't
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  Speaker 3: be more clear. He is incensed and turns his anger
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  Speaker 3: to his own son, cursing him for his loyalty to David. Saul,
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  Speaker 3: in a fit of rage, accuses Jonathan of not caring
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  Speaker 3: that someone else would be the king and not Jonathan.
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  Speaker 3: And he's right. Jonathan would have been the rightful heir.
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  Speaker 3: But Jonathan is not interested in power. He only wanted
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  Speaker 3: to obey God. And clearly, God's plan, God's purpose, was
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  Speaker 3: for David to rule. So Jonathan sends his message to David,
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  Speaker 3: who bows in his friend's direction. He is deeply indebted
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  Speaker 3: to his friend as he flees into the wilderness. David's
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  Speaker 3: path to the throne would twist and turn even more
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  Speaker 3: before he would finally become king. And tomorrow, we'll hear
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  Speaker 3: how he continues to run for his life. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: we thank you for faithful friends, for the people in
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  Speaker 3: our lives that love us, care for us, and always
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  Speaker 3: seek our best. Thank you in this passage of Scripture
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  Speaker 3: that we can learn about the loyalty of Jonathan and
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  Speaker 3: David and practice that same kind of faithfulness with our
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  Speaker 3: family and our friends. Help us to be friends that
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  Speaker 3: others can trust with their very lives. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app
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  Speaker 3: and make prayer and Bible study a priority in your life.
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  Speaker 3: power for Christian living, be sure to visit jackgram.org. God
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  Speaker 3: bless you.