Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
1 Samuel 23:14-18
Jonathan Comes To David In Order To Encourage Him As Saul Continues To Pursue Him (1 Samuel 23:14).
Meanwhile David had a pleasant surprise, for Jonathan came looking for him and found him. Jonathan was unquestionably a true man of faith (as we have already seen) and a godly and humble man. And he was totally submissive to what YHWH wanted to do. He was indeed quite content to play second fiddle to David. He was so unlike his father that in many ways it is difficult to understand how he could have been a son of Saul at all, even though he was. Furthermore it is clear that from the beginning he had seen the genius of David, and had been willing to accept it without rancour. Jonathan would have made a good, steady king, but he did not have David's genius, and he knew it. And he was therefore perfectly willing to go along with being his lieutenant. He was a truly great man.
And besides he loved David in a way that can only be understood by comrades-in-arms. That is why when he saw how things were going he put himself at great personal risk by seeking David out in order to encourage and strengthen him. At this torrid time in his life Jonathan's friendship and love must genuinely have been a great encouragement to David. To have a friend like Jonathan (which means ‘gift of YHWH') was to have a friend indeed.
Analysis.
a And David abode in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill-country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand (1 Samuel 23:14).
b And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life, and David was in the wilderness of Ziph among the brushwood (1 Samuel 23:15).
c And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose, and went to David among the brushwood, and strengthened his hand in God (1 Samuel 23:16).
b And he said to him, “Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you, and that also Saul my father knows” (1 Samuel 23:17).
a And they two made a covenant before YHWH, and David abode in the brushwood, and Jonathan went to his house (1 Samuel 23:18).
Note that in ‘a' David abode in the wilderness in the hill country and in the parallel he abode among the brushwood. But note also the great contrast. On the one hand we have David versus Saul in continual opposition, and in the parallel we have David and Jonathan in complete harmony. In ‘b' Saul comes out to seek David's life, and in the parallel Jonathan assures David that he will not find him. Central in ‘c' is the fact that Jonathan seeks David out in order to comfort him and make him strong.
‘ And David abode in the wilderness in the natural strongholds, and remained in the hill-country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.'
Compare 1 Samuel 23:7. There Saul had convinced himself that God had delivered (literally ‘rejected') David into his hand. But it had been a vain dream. Now we learn that God continued with His policy of not delivering David into Saul's hand. Indeed we will shortly learn from the mouth of none other than Saul's son, that God would never deliver David into Saul's hand. He was inviolable in the purposes of God. (Nevertheless God would still give him a hard time. After all he was in training).
David and his men were ever on the move in order to avoid Saul. They were now in the barren wilderness of Judah, the wild uncultivated tract between the mountains of Judah and the Dead Sea. And in that area, the hill of Hachilah in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph appears to have been a favourite camp site (1 Samuel 23:19). From there they would be able to scan the area for miles around, and be aware of anyone approaching from any direction. In view of the undoubted strength of David's small army, which having got used to the terrain would be able to pick off any enemy unless they came in unusual strength, this continual movement must have been as much because David did not want to attack his fellow country men as because he was afraid of them. Indeed from what we know of his exploits it was Israel who would have been wise to be afraid of him. But fortunately for them he had no desire to vent his rage on them. He was prepared to bide his time, and clearly kept his men in good order, even protecting local communities from those who meant them no good.
On the other hand Saul's determination to find him had increased even more, for while we must not take ‘every day' too literally, his manoeuvres clearly took up a large part of Saul's time. It could not have been good for Israel, for Saul should have been watching the borders. But Saul had become obsessed with David, and to him nothing else mattered.
‘ And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life, and David was in the wilderness of Ziph among the brushwood.'
David was now well aware that this was a life and death game. He had no wish to harm Saul, but he knew that Saul did not feel the same and was unquestionably seeking his life. He knew therefore that if he was caught he could expect no mercy. This was why he and his men constantly changed their haunts, and it was why they had come to this desolate region. Life would not have been easy there. The burning heat and the shortage of water would have provided them with a constant problem. But its undoubted advantage was that it was not a place to which most men liked to come, and while it is doubtful if there were trees in that dry and barren land, the brushwood would provide ample cover for men as skilled as David's men had become in avoiding being seen. Indeed they were becoming so skilled as fighting men that we have to wonder what would have happened if Saul had ever come up with David and his men without a huge force behind him. Perhaps fortunately for Saul it never happened. David and his men were too elusive.
The whole wilderness of Ziph was a hot, waterless and almost barren place. It is doubtful if trees would grow there. But brushwood (choresh) is very persistent and probably grew there in some profusion. On the other hand, some see Choresh as signifying a place name which is simply not mentioned elsewhere.
‘ And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose, and went to David among the brushwood, and strengthened his hand in God.'
But then out of the blue another Saulide sought David. He had clearly learned of where he was and sought him out to strengthen his hand in God. He must have constantly grieved over his father's attitude towards David. Not being aware of the kind of mental illness that his father had, he must have been totally unable to understand it. But Saul was a prisoner of his own mental instability and delusions. What Saul did not, of course, realise, was that he was preparing David for a bright future. David would never have become the man he was without Saul.
Jonathan's faith and loyalty to God shine through in all that he does. He would have made a good and godly king. But he would never have achieved what David did, and even compared with his, David's godliness was exceptional (in spite of his mistakes). We may wonder how Jonathan found David when Saul could not. The answer probably lies in the fact that people would tell Jonathan things that they would never tell Saul. And, of course, Jonathan's approach would neither have been hindered or avoided. Indeed he would have been helped. All knew that he was David's friend.
‘ And he said to him, “Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you, and that also Saul my father knows.”'
Jonathan, a man of great spiritual insight, recognised the hand of God in David's life. He therefore knew that God would keep him safe from the hand of his father. He knew that come what may, Saul would never find David. And that was because he knew in his heart that it was God's purpose that David be king over Israel, and he knew that deep in his heart that was also something that Saul knew. And then he, Jonathan, would be quite content to be ‘next to him'. He was quite prepared to be his second-in-command. And that was something that Saul also knew, and which added to his fury.
‘ And they two made a covenant before YHWH, and David abode among the brushwood, and Jonathan went to his house.'
And there in the burning wilderness the two men made a further covenant before YHWH, confirming the covenant that they already had, solemnly agreeing to protect each other's future, and guaranteeing that they would work together in harmony in the future. And then they parted for the last time. And meanwhile David continued to live among the brushwood, and Jonathan returned to his home in Gibeah. For those who would serve God fully the way is often in the brushwood.