KING SAUL IGNORED YAHUSHA AND WAS DETERMINED TO RULE HIS OWN WAY. HE USED HIS LIBERTY AS A REDEEMED HEBREW (EVEN AS ONE ORIGINALLY ANOINTED BY YAHUSHA), NOT TO RULE IN SUBMISSION AND OBEDIENCE TO YAHUSHA, BUT INDEPENDENT, SELFISH, A POWER-HUNGRY DICTATOR, SUBJECT ONLY TO HIS OWN DESIRES, FOLLOWING HIS OWN HEART, AND RESULTING IN PERMANENT SEPARATION FROM YAHUSHA. SUCH IS THE NATURE OF THE SPIRIT OF THE ANTI-MESSIAH. OUR ENEMY DESIRES HIS OWN WAY, HIS OWN AUTHORITY, AND REJECTS YAHUSHA’S.
EVEN THOUGH YAHUSHA’S WORD HAD PAUSED SAUL’S MURDEROUS AMBITIONS AT NAIOTH, AS SOON AS THE PROPHESYING ENDED, HIS WICKEDNESS RETURNED. YAHUSHA'S WORDS ALWAYS EFFECT US AND CHANGE US, BUT ONLY IN AS FAR AS WE'RE WILLING TO GIVE OVER AND CO-OPERATE. HOW OFTEN HAVE WE HAD A VICTORY ONLY TO WAKE UP THE NEXT DAY AND FORGET ALL ABOUT IT (LIKE THE MAN WHO LOOKS IN THE MIRROR, THEN WALKS AWAY AND FORGETS WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE) ... FORGETTING YAHUSHA !
RACE (SAM.20)
So David ran away from Naioth in Ramah (where the prophets lived) and found Jonathan. “What’s his problem? What’ve I done to piss off your Dad so much that he wants me dead?”
“That’s not true, don’t be so dramatic!” Jonathan protested. “You’re not gunna die. He would’ve told me if that was his intent. He always tells me everything and wouldn’t hide something like that!”
Then David took an oath before Jon and said, “I’m dead serious Jon, your Dad’s keeping his murderous plans from you because he knows about our friendship. I swear to you that I’m one step away from being dead as a dodo! Trust me!”
“Ok, whadda you want me to do?”
“Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. I’ve always eaten with the King on this occasion, but tomorrow I’ll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day. If your Dad asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice. If he says, ‘No Worries!’ you’ll know he's chill. But if he’s furious and loses his temper, you’ll know he’s dead-set on killing me. Show me this loyalty dear friend, I know he’s your Dad n'all, but we made a Covenant before Yahuah, so either get back to me about this or kill me yourself if you think I’ve wronged your father in some way. Please continue to show me kindness and don’t tell the King of our plans, OK?”
“Are you serous? Settle down, I’d never betray you mate! If Dad’s coming for you I’ll be the first to spring the news!”
“So how will I know if your father’s coming for me or not?”
When they reached the field Jon said, “I promise by Yahuah, the Alahim of Yisharal, that by this time tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father and let you know how he feels about you. If he's OK, I’ll tell you, and if he’s plotting to kill you, then may Yahuah strike me down if I don’t warn you, so you can escape. And I hope Yahuah will be with you as he used to be with my Dad, and that you'll treat me with the loyalty of Yahuah’s love as long as I live. But if I die, please treat my family with this same loving-kindness, even when Yahuah destroys all your enemies from the face of the earth.” And Jonathan made another Covenant of Kindness with David, saying, “Let Yahuah destroy all your enemies!” And he made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jon loved Dave as he loved himself and knew that he was truly the new anointed King.
THIS COULD BE A VERY BITTER PILL FOR JON TO SWALLOW, BUT HE’S DOING IT WITH REAL KINDNESS AND DIGNITY. AFTER ALL, BY CUSTOM JONATHAN WOULD AUTOMATICALLY BE THE KING TO SUCCEED HIS FATHER. SO BY JON SURRENDERING THE THRONE TO DAVID, (RECOGNISING YAHUSHA’S WILL), SAUL’S DYNASTY WILL END BEFORE IT EVER REALLY GOT STARTED.
THE WHOLE IDEA BEHIND DAVID PROMISING NOT TO HARM JONATHAN REFLECTS A RATHER USUAL PRACTICE WHEREBY MEMBERS OF THE PREVIOUS ROYAL DYNASTY WOULD BE KILLED OFF BY THE NEW ONE. THAT WAY THERE WOULD BE NO ONGOING STRUGGLE FOR THE THRONE BY A FAMILY MEMBER OF THE FORMER DYNASTY OR HIS LOYAL SUPPORTERS. SO JONATHAN (PROBABLY A MARRIED MAN), WAS CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF HIS FAMILY ONCE DAVID ASSUMED THE THRONE. BUT AS IT TURNS OUT, HE HAD NO REASON TO DOUBT DAVID’S LOYALTY TO THE COVENANT OF KINDNESS (WHICH HE FOLLOWED THRU ON LATER IN 2 SAM 9, LOOKING AFTER JON’S FAMILY).
Then Jonathan said, “Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. You will be missed when your place at the table is empty. The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile. I will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as though I were shooting at a target. Then I’ll send out a boy to bring the arrows back. If you hear me tell him, ‘They’re on this side,’ then you will know that all is well, and there’s no trouble. But if I tell him, ‘Go further out, the arrows are still way out ahead of you,’ then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for Yahuah is sending you away. And may Yahuah make us both keep our promises to each other, for He has witnessed them.”
THIS SIMPLE COVENANT THAT BEGAN AS FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN FRIENDS, NOW INCLUDES YAHUSHA AND ALL THE DESCENDANTS OF THESE MEN TOO.
So David hid himself in the field, as the new moon festival began (A FEAST CLEARLY BASTARDISED BY TRADITION, SINCE SAUL IS OBSERVING IT HIS OWN WAY FOR MULTIPLE DAYS AND NOT ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO MOSES, WITH PRIESTS ETC YET IT WAS TREATED AS DIVINE AND ASSIGNED A “SET-APART” LABEL - JUST LIKE ALL THE ANNUAL MAZZAROTH FEASTS TODAY).
And King Saul sat down to eat at his usual place in the Feast, against the wall, with Jon sitting opposite him and Abner beside him. But David’s place was empty. Saul didn’t say anything about it that day, for he thought 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 yesterday or today?”
“O’ David asked me if he could go to Bethlehem to see his family, because they’re doing a sacrifice with all the relos and his brother demanded that he be there. Sorry we thought you knew Dad, that’s why he’s not here at the King’s Table!”
And Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. “You stupid son of a bitch!” (HEBREW EXPRESSION: PERVERSE, REBELLIOUS WOMAN) Do you think I don’t know that you want him to be King in your place, shaming yourself and your mother’s womb that you came from? As long as that son of Jesse is still alive, you’ll never be King. Now go and get him right now so I can kill him!”
“Why should he be put to death?” Jon asked his father, “What’s he done?” Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him, and at last Jonathan realised that his father was criminally insane and wanted to kill David. Then 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 behaviour toward David.
Then the next morning, as agreed, Jon went out into the field and took the young boy with him to gather his arrows. “Start running now so you can find the arrows as I shoot them.” So the boy ran, and Jon shot arrow after arrow beyond him. And when the boy had almost reached an arrow, Jon bellowed out, “The arrow is still way ahead of you boy. Hurry, race ahead and don’t wait, get out of here!” So the boy quickly raced ahead and gathered up the arrows and returned to his master, suspecting nothing, but David understood the signal and got the answer he needed.
Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to town, and as soon as the boy was gone, David came out from hiding near the stone pile and bowed three times before Jonathan with his face to the ground.
Then both David and Jonathon embraced, kissed and howled in anguish together (David moreso for his life would never be the same now, as a hunted fugitive). And the two men bid each other the saddest of farewells, knowing that this was probably good-bye forever to the most loyal, close friendship one could ever imagine. Then finally Jon said to Dave, “Go in peace mate, we know we'll be loyal to each other in Yahuah’s name for He’s the witness of this bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left and Jon went to town.
IT ALL SEEMED SO UNFAIR. ALL DAVID HAD EVER DONE WAS FIGHT SAUL’S WARS, DEFEAT SAUL’S ENEMIES, SOOTHE SAUL’S INNER DEMONS WITH MUSIC, AND SHOW HIM THE GREATEST RESPECT AT ALL TIMES. DAVID HAD NO IDEA THAT SAUL WAS ACTUALLY THE ONE WHO BETTER UNDERSTOOD THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION. SAUL (AND JONATHAN) KNEW THAT DAVID WAS DESTINED FOR THE THRONE OF YISHARAL UNLESS HE COULD BE STOPPED. DAVID WAS TOTALLY UNAWARE OF THE IMMENSE HONOR THAT YAHUSHA HAD PUT ON HIM, AND SO HE COULDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY THINGS WERE GOING THIS WAY.
JUST LIKE FOR JOB, THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO US IN OUR LIVES MAY SEEM TORTUROUS AND INEXPLICABLE AT THE TIME BUT IT’S ALWAYS YAHUSHA WORKING OUT HIS PLAN THROUGH US. AND MOST OF IT IS SELF-INFLICTED BECAUSE WE JUST WON’T SURRENDER AND GO HIS WAY IN A SITUATION. WE KICK AND SCREAM AND GET DRAGGED DOWN THE PATH BY YAHUSHA, INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY RUNNING OUR RACE LIKE WE’RE SUPPOSED TO. DAVID WAS ALWAYS CRYING OUT AND SCREAMING `WHY?’ TO YAHUSHA, AND (DESPITE HIS MANY FLAWS) HE KEPT HIS LOVE-AFFAIR WITH YAHUSHA ALIVE AND WAS ALWAYS RUNNING AFTER HIS HEART WITH A PEACEFUL ACCEPTANCE THAT HE IS ACTUALLY THE ONE IN CONTROL OF EVERYTHING.
HEBREW UNDERSTANDING:
A well-trodden road, a caravan, manner, path, rank, traveller, troop, way .... effervescing (i.e. hot and active). A run (the trial of speed) - a race (the act), whether the manner or the progress:--course, running. The web (or transverse threads of cloth); also a mixture, (or mongrel race):--Arabia, mingled people, mixed (multitude), woof.
SCRIPTURE UNDERSTANDING :
“So since we’re surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses, let’s strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run the race before us (that Yahusha has entered us into) with endurance. How do we do this? By keeping our eyes on Him, for He’s the reigning champion who initiates and perfects our belief. It’s because of the joy awaiting Him, that He endured the torture stake, disregarding its shame, and now He’s seated in the place of honour beside Yahuah’s throne. Think of all the hatred and hostility He endured from sinful people, then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you haven’t yet had to give up your life in your struggle against sin, have you? ..... So get a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weary knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong”. HEB 12 BRS
"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk, stay away from corrupt speech and keep looking straight ahead, fixing your eyes on what lies before you, marking out a straight line for your feet, so you stay on the safe path. And don’t get distracted to the right or left, but keep your feet from following evil”. PROV 4 BRS
"Yahusha is trustworthy and won’t allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. So that when you’re tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure it. So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols”. 1 COR 10 BRS
“Don’t you realise that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So go hard and run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training in order to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal crown. So I run with purpose in every step. No, I’m not just shadow-boxing! I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after teaching this to others, I myself might be disqualified”. 1 COR 9 BRS
“I’ll run the race You lay out for me through Your Word, but please just show me how. Expand my heart”. PS 119
“No one wins a race without obeying the rules!” 2 TIM 2 BRS
A sexual sin is different from all others, because it violates the set-apartness of our own bodies which were created to “become one” with another, in Yahusha's pattern of love. Or didn’t you realise that your body is now the Temple, a set-apart place of Yahusha’s Spirit?
Don’t you see that you can’t live however you want, squandering the set-apart property He’s paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is just as important as the spiritual, and Yahusha owns the whole lot. So let people see Him in the behaviour of your body”. 1 COR 6 BRS
A RACE (BY DEFINITION) IMPLIES COMPETING AND COMPARING PROGRESS WITH OTHERS, WHICH OF COURSE IS UNAVOIDABLE WHEN IN THE COMPANY OF OTHER COMPETITORS. BUT IS OUR STRUGGLE AND FIGHT ACTUALLY AGAINST PEOPLE, OR AGAINST DEMON POWERS AND PRINCIPALITIES IN HIGH PLACES? DODGING THEIR FLAMING ARROWS (WEAR YOUR ARMOR).OUR RACE IS AGAINST TIME AND THE SIN THAT WANTS TO ENSNARE US.
THE TRUE RACE (A CLEAN PATH OF BEHAVIOUR) AND THE SPEED/STATUS OF OUR PROGRESS IS ALL ABOUT KEEPING UP WITH YAHUSHA - HIS PERSONAL PLAN FOR YOU. YES HE HAS A COMMON GOAL AND DESTINATION FOR HIS BRIDE, BUT HE ACHIEVES IT VERY DIFFERENTLY IN EACH PERSON FOR ONLY HE KNOWS HOW TO GET YOUR ATTENTION, DRAW YOU, WOO YOU, LOVE YOU, CORNER YOU, GET YOU HOOKED AND DEPENDENT ON THE MAGNIFICENCE OF HIS LOVE, THEN VERY SLOWLY WITHDRAW HIMSELF (LIKE THE LOVER IN SONG OF SOLOMON) SO THAT WE MISS HIM, FEEL HIS ABSENCE AND THEN RUN AROUND MAD LIKE A LOVE-JUNKIE, CRAZY PERSON, LOOKING FOR HIM, UNABLE TO BE CONSOLED OR QUIETED UNTIL WE FIND HIM AND CAN REST AGAIN IN HIS LOVING ARMS.
HIS WAYS ARE DEFINATELY NOT OURS BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND IF YOU'RE FEELING THIS PUSH AND PULL WITHIN YOU, THEN THROW OFF THE SIN THAT HOLDS YOU BACK (STOPPING YOU FROM HEARING HIS WONDERFUL VOICE) AND RUN. HEARING AND DOING IS HOW TO KEEP HIM AND CATCH HIM ... THIS IS THE RACE - AND WE JUST HOPE THERE ARE MANY WINNERS.
SO WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE AND LIFT UP THOSE AROUND US, MAYBE EVEN STOP AND DOUBLE-BACK IF WE'RE RUNNING FASTER AND HELP UP SOMEONE WHO'S STUMBLING - SO THEY CAN KEEP RUNNING TOO.
REMEMBER WE WIN BY KEEPING OUR EYES ON HIM AND CHOOSING HIS BEHAVIOUR, NOT THE WORLD.