Go In Peace

GO IN PEACE

a prayer to open

My Lord, my God, show me your heart. Ground me in your presence.

Draw me near and hold me close.

When the new moon festival began . . . David’s place was empty. Saul didn’t say anything about it that day, for he said to himself, “Something must have made David ceremonially unclean.” But when David’s place was empty again the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse been here for the meal either yesterday or today?”

Jonathan replied, “David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem. He said, ‘Please let me go, for we are having a family sacrifice. My brother demanded that I be there. So please let me get away to see my brothers.’ That’s why he isn’t here at the king’s table.”

Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. “You stupid son of a whore!” he swore at him. “Do you think I don’t know that you want him to be king in your place? . . . As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you’ll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!”

“But why should he be put to death?” Jonathan asked his father. “What has he done?” Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David.

Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat on that second day of the festival, for he was crushed by his father’s shameful behavior toward David.

The next morning . . . Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows. “Start running,” he told the boy, “so you can find the arrows as I shoot them.” So the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, “The arrow is still ahead of you. Hurry, hurry, don’t wait.” So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master. . . . Only Jonathan and David understood the signal. Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to town.

As soon as the boy was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the stone pile. . . . Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye. . . .

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.”

Saul finally showed his true intentions at the feast table before all his guests. His extreme outburst against his own son must have created quite a scene. For David, Saul’s anger meant exile and heartbreak. Not only would David have to live on the run, with no hope of reconciliation with his king, but he would also lose his best friend and confidant, Jonathan, who would have to remain with Saul and cut off contact with David. Yet Jonathan and David parted in peace and somehow, through their mutual love of God, remained connected to one another.

• What emotions must Jonathan have experienced as he sat with his father at the table, knowing the man would likely ask about David’s whereabouts? What would the experience have been like for the others sitting at the table?
• What dinner parties or family gatherings have you attended where someone burst into a fit of anger or instigated a verbal or physical fight? How was it resolved? What has been the lasting impact?
• Have you had a relationship that ended based on circumstances beyond your control? How did you manage the pain? Where did you see God in the midst of that experience?

Father, thank you for friendships like that between David and Jonathan. Thank you for relationships that have touched my soul and brought me closer to you. Help me cherish the friends in my life and have the courage to tell them how much they mean to me. Show me how to be a better friend, one who seeks to honor you through my words and actions. Amen.