Читать книгу Youth Teacher - R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation - Страница 21

KJV		NRSV
4 And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee–ward very good:		4 Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you;
5 For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great salvation for all Israel thou sawest it, and didst rejoice wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?		5 for he took his life in his hand when he attacked the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against an innocent person by killing David without cause?”
6 And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan and Saul sware, As the Lord liveth, he shall not be slain.		6 Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.”
7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.		7 So Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.

Jonathan knows his father is trying to kill David and Jonathan lets David know. He devises a plan to help David and shares the information with his beloved friend. Discuss with the class why Jonathan was a great friend to David. Ask them if they would be willing to do something like that for their best friend, even if it meant going against family members?

Jonathan tells David that Saul wants to kill him, but he also lets David know that he is going to try to save his life. Jonathan thinks Saul is wrong and would be sinning if he killed his friend. Saul would be killing David without cause. This feud between Saul and David continues throughout the book Samuel.

So regardless of his family ties, Jonathan stands up for David. He intervenes to save his friend’s life. It’s the right thing to do. “Some friends play at friendship but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin” (Proverbs 18:24.)

CREATE INTEREST: Who do you need to stand up for this week?

Not only did Jonathan try to help David by disclosing that Saul wanted to kill him, Jonathan tried to intervene and stop his father from hurting David. In verse 4, Jonathan made a bold move and stood up to his father, the King. Would you be willing to stand up to your parents if you knew what they were doing was wrong?

Discuss with the class that what Jonathan did was called, “standing up for what is right”. Ask the class if they have ever stood up for what is right and ask if they would be willing to share.

Jonathan told his father that he shouldn’t commit the sin of murder against his servant David. Jonathan chose words to remind his father that David had done nothing but serve him well. He reminded his father that David had not sinned against him and David had even put his own life at risk to attack the Israelite’s enemies, the Philistines.

Jonathan reminded Saul of the victory God had delivered in the hands of David (v. 5). Even Saul had rejoiced with the people over the victory God had given David. So, after all David had done for King Saul, ask the class why was he turning against David now?

Jonathan pleaded with his father not to hurt David and to consider all he had done for him and the Israelites. Jonathan pleaded with Saul to do what was right. David was not his enemy and Saul should not want to harm him.

Jonathan’s bold stance to protect his friend worked— for a while. First Samuel 19:8–24 tells us how Saul once again turned against David and tried to have him killed, only David’s wife intervened on his behalf this time.

After Jonathan had reasoned with his father, Saul heard his son’s words. By hearing one person stand up for what was right, Saul had a moment of pause and agreed. He realized that David had been a great servant to him and he even swore that he would not put David to death.

Jonathan’s actions caused Saul to reconcile with David. Saul allowed David to enter into his presence again. “So Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before” (1 Samuel 19:7). Ask the students what this verse means, focusing on the words, “in his presence as before”. What does that mean?

CREATE INTEREST: Would you choose your friend over your parents? In what circumstances?

It was no small feat for Jonathan to take a stand for his friend—especially against his father and the king. But Jonathan was driven by his love for David and his sense of justice and truth.

We can all learn from Jonathan’s love and loyalty. We should be committed to what is right regardless of who it may go against. Be bold and stand up for righteousness. Let your actions show your love and loyalty for God and God’s people. Discuss ways the class can show their love through their actions to help one another.

Remind the students that as Christians we should be one of the first to stand up for those who are being mistreated. Especially our friends.

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13, NRSV). This verse does not literally mean that you should lay down your life (die) for your friends, it simply means to always be there for your friends when they need you.