1 Samuel 20:34

And Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger.

Jonathan’s moral courage

I propose to enquire into the moral meaning of this incident; to see whether there is anything in it that applies to our own circumstances. I think it impossible to read this story without having the mind arrested as several points of unusual interest.

I. Here is the saddest of all sights--man arrayed against man. Not man against a savage beast; but man against his own kind.

II. Here we have the rupture of the most sacred bonds. Who is it that is offended in this case? It is not a stranger; it is the son that rose in fierce anger, being grieved for David and ashamed of his own father. When fathers occupy their right positions, sons, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, will be likely to occupy theirs. A good example is never lost.

III. Here, too, is the assertion of the highest instinct. What is it that asserts itself in this case? It is the spirit of right. Men that get up from dinner tables and say, “Not I am ashamed of your evil doing; and I will not taste your bread!” We, poor hounds, tarry at the trough and satisfy our appetites, and slake our thirst, but the man that is going out will save the world!

IV. Here we have a disproof of a familiar proverb. The familiar proverb is, “Blood is thicker than water.” Jonathan says, “Right is thicker than blood.”

V. Here we have the espousal on a noble policy. What was the policy of Jonathan? He espoused the cause of right against might. David had no resources. (J. Parker, D. D.)