This Song’s Gonna Get Stuck Inside His Head (1 Samuel 18:55-19:9)

In 1959, America was singing Frank Sinatra’s hit song, High Hopes. It was featured on the silver screen, nominated for a Grammy, and won the Oscar for Best Original Song.^[1]) But Frank had his sights set on more than Oscar gold. He wanted a place in the Kennedy circle – American royalty.^[2]

So, in 1960, he had the lyrics rewritten to focus on JFK’s greatness. High Hopes became Kennedy’s campaign anthem. Kennedy spent time at Frank’s Palm Springs home. Events together, parties, introductions. The song was Frank’s ticket into Camelot. After JFK’s win over Nixon, Sinatra was tapped to produce the Inaugural Ball.^[3] Quite a promotion from golfing buddy.

But the song had unintended consequences. The FBI heard it and took notice. What was a mob-connected crooner doing with the president? J. Edgar Hoover started compiling files.

What started with a happy song threatened to bring down JFK’s presidency. Kennedy soon turned his back on his famous friend. It was a blow, but Frank’s star was still rising. By ‘62 he had his own record label, his own private jet. He was “Chairman of the Board.” A year later, Kennedy was dead.

In our text, young David ascends in fame and position. He’s made a fixture in the king’s court. He’s promoted, successful, beloved. But when a hit song about him hits the airwaves, things change. Saul becomes angry, jealous, and full of suspicion toward David. Their relationship never recovers.

As we watch David, we’ll see his consistency. We’ll also see that though his relationship with Saul breaks apart, God replaces it with one of the most powerful, most significant relationships in all the Bible. A friendship that speaks volumes of our Lord’s love and affection for us.

1 Samuel 17:55 – ⁵⁵ When Saul had seen David going out to confront the Philistine, he asked Abner the commander of the army, “Whose son is this youth, Abner?” “Your Majesty, as surely as you live, I don’t know,” Abner replied. ⁵⁶ The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is!”

These verses jump around in time a little bit. Here we have a quick flashback. As David trots out to fight Goliath, we’re shown Saul and Abner talking.

Right away we might think, “How could Saul not know him? He’s been his court musician and armor bearer.” Well, it’s possible the end of chapter 16 actually happens chronologically after chapter 17. Or, what’s also possible is that David had served for a brief, intermittent time when he was 12 or 13 years old.^[4] This scene could be several years later, with David more like 17 or 18.

It’s not that Saul doesn’t know who David is. He asks who his father is. Typically the boss doesn’t know the family of the interns. He’s wondering about David’s social status and pedigree.

But while Saul and Abner are looking at David, our author has us looking at them. These two men should’ve been leading the fight, not just looking out at others who were willing to do God’s work. Both of these men had been called and commissioned and positioned by God to be a part of His plans and purposes. Instead, because of their lack of faith and obedience, they’re on the sidelines, depicted as weak, frozen, hard-hearted, and somewhat ignorant of what’s going on.

Friends, you’re called. You’re commissioned to go and make disciples. That’s not only the job of a pastor or a youth leader. It’s a responsibility and privilege we’ve all received. It will not do for us to sit on the sidelines while others serve the Lord.

1 Samuel 17:57-58, 18:2 – ⁵⁷ When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head still in his hand. ⁵⁸ Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” “The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David answered… ^18v2 Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him return to his father’s house.

Look at how askew Saul’s priorities have become. There is a war going on. An army had invaded Israel. Thanks to God’s miraculous mercy, their Nephilim champion was dead and the Philistines were running for the hills. But what does Saul do? Does he engage the enemy? No. He wants to talk. Saul is not actually concerned for the people of Israel, he cares only about himself.

He’s focused on collecting David. His interest is how David can benefit him. The word there where it says “Saul kept David” refers to snatching,^[5] to grasp and take hold of something.^[6]

This is the default of our human hearts, by the way. That is the sin nature. It’s the same word used when Eve took the fruit and ate it. The Christian is commanded to die to self. To that inclination.

Saul asks David about his father – partly because he needed to keep his promise to not impose taxes on the family and partly because he was going to send a message saying, “You’re tax free, but I’m permanently drafting your son.” But Saul’s priority – his real concern and investigation – should’ve been to ask about the Heavenly Father. He should’ve seen that the Spirit of God was filling up David’s life. Saul should’ve longed for that filling that he had before. But he doesn’t care about spiritual things. He’s inward focused. He’s consumed with material, worldly concerns.

Lives were hanging in the balance. There was battle to be done. But Saul’s thinking about himself. He’s so sluggish to serve the Lord and to follow the Spirit.

God forbid that we slip into that mentality. That we forget what living out our faith is really about. There’s a war out there. Not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces that destroy lives, destroy the work of God, and ruin communities. Lives and souls hang in the balance and we are empowered, called, commissioned, and positioned to be a part of Christ’s work of rescue.

1 Samuel 18:1 – ¹ When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan was bound to David in close friendship, and loved him as much as he loved himself.

Jonathan is back! His courage and ability in battle have been impressive. His faith in the Lord is inspiring. But it’s his loyal, hesed love toward David that is the most profound aspect of his story.

First, because of the time in which we live, I should address a controversy that perhaps you’ve heard. There are those today who suggest that David and Jonathan had a sexual relationship. That flies in the face of thousands of years of careful Hebrew and Christian scholarship. But there was a paper written in 1978 which made that assertion. In reality it has nothing to do with the text, but the continual sexualization of every aspect of life in Western societies.^[7]

The text says Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself. It is not suggesting Jonathan had an erotic relationship with himself. Also, while the term used for “loved” is used in a romantic sense in Song of Solomon, but it’s also used to describe Jacob’s love for his son, Benjamin.

In the Old Testament, it is mainly used to describe Yahweh’s love for His people.^[8] Our author wants us to understand that Jonathan’s love for David was not sexual, and wasn’t run-of-the-mill friendship. There is a theological component to it. And throughout the story, the transcendence of this relationship will be highlighted. It is more important than the other relationships in their lives.

Jonathan serves for us in many was as a foreshadow of Christ. In Jonathan’s life, character, activity, and choices, we can see glimpses of the gracious, loyal, hesed love that Jesus shows us.

We see one of those glimpses here. The verse says, “Jonathan was bound to David.” It speaks of inseparable devotion.^[9] That is exactly how God’s love for you is described. Paul wrote,

Romans 8:38-39 – ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But not only can we not be separated from God’s love, we need to understand that He has bound Himself to us. He has attached Himself to us. In Deuteronomy 10, God says He set His heart on His people and loves them. It’s the same word – that He is bound tothem.

Jesus loves you. You know, in this early part of the David story we’re told everyone loves him. A couple passages ago we were told Saul loved him. Later in this chapter we’ll be told all the people loved him. Saul’s daughter Michal falls in love with him. But Jonathan’s love was different.

You see, Saul loved David for what he could get from David. The people loved his celebrity. There would be times where they weren’t so enamored with David and couldn’t decide if they really wanted him to be king. Michal loved David at first – his charm, his handsomeness. But her love for him would dry up after a few years. But Jonathan’s love would endure to the very end. And more than once he promised and proved it. Look at verse 3.

1 Samuel 18:3 – ³ Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as much as himself.

The grammar clear: Jonathan initiated this covenant.^[10] It wasn’t like a 50/50 idea. Jonathan had all the power. Jonathan had the position. Jonathan was the crown prince of Israel. David’s a teenager from a tiny town. He didn’t own a sword or a chariot. He had no treasure to give to the throne of Israel except himself. All he could do is go along with and benefit from Jonathan’s covenant.^[11]

Why would Jonathan do this? It was motivated not by political agenda, not for clandestine reasons, but out of love. Jonathan’s was a selfless, sacrificial, pure love. We see just how sacrificial in verse 4.

1 Samuel 18:4 – ⁴ Then Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.

Do you remember when Joseph was taken out of the prison and brought to Pharaoh? He needed a palace outfit. This is a generous gift, but we have to understand that more is happening here than just helping David look the part.

Jonathan is transferring his status as crown prince to David.^[12] We don’t know how he knows, but he recognizes that David is going to be the next king. Now understand – everyone thinks Jonathan will be the next king. Saul takes it for granted.^[13] But Jonathan gives it all over to David.

The Lord Jesus does not abdicate His throne to us. But He has made a way that we can rule and reign with Him. And consider the symbols in this scene. Christ gives us His robe of righteousness.^[14] Christ provides us with the full armor of God. Christ shares what is His with those He loves.

When Saul tried to give clothing and armor to David, what did David say? “I can’t walk in these.” They didn’t fit. That’s not the case here. And it’s not just because Jonathan and David happened to be the same size. The clothing and armor that Christ gives us always fits. It’s always sufficient. Always effective. But we must never forget what it cost for our Lord to share these things with us.

1 Samuel 18:5 – ⁵ David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the fighting men, which pleased all the people and Saul’s servants as well.

This job Saul gave David could either have been like secretary of the army,^[15] or that he was put over an elite group of troops.^[16] Like their special forces. We’ll see in a few verses that Saul, out of anger and jealous, demotes David to leading 1,000 men. The point is, David is now doing what Saul should have been doing. Leading and fighting

1 Samuel 18:6-9 – ⁶ As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul, singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments. ⁷ As they danced, the women sang: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands.⁸ Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?” ⁹ So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.

Listen – it’s a song. These ladies probably didn’t mean anything by it.^[17] It was normal Hebrew poetic style to say something in the first line then amplify it in the second line. And they gave Saul first billing. I mean, have you ever had a hit song written about you? Isn’t that honor enough?

But Saul takes it personally. Because he’s all about headlines. He’s about credit. He’s about himself. The song was evil in his eyes.^[18] And so his whole attitude toward David changed. It didn’t matter how much David was helping the nation. It didn’t matter how God was using him. Saul watched him suspiciously from that day out and will soon orient his whole life around killing David.

Frank Sinatra once invited President Kennedy to his home. To prepare for the visit, he remodeled his house, added cottages to the property, and had a helipad installed. But JFK decided to cut ties with his friend a few days before the trip. Sinatra smashed everything in his path, then took a sledgehammer out to the helipad and destroyed it.^[19] The two never spoke again.

What about David? He doesn’t say much in this text. But we should notice his faithfulness. His consistency. Multiple times we see him go out and come in. When it’s a fight against one giant, he goes out and comes back. When it’s leading troops against a whole army, same thing. When he’s famous and the favorite of the king, he serves. When the king hates him and is jealous, David serves. He’s following God’s leading, despite the changes in the circumstances of life.

And because David obeyed God and was full of the Spirit, he was like a tree planted beside a flowing stream, bearing fruit, and his leaves not withering. Whatever he did prospered.

That’s what God wants for you. Not necessarily material prospering, but spiritual growth and fruitfulness. Effectiveness in the callings God has placed on your life. Look at all God had done already for this young man. He had already accomplished so much and would continue to do so. And not because God needed David as a worker bee. God was busy cultivating and working in David’s life because He loved David.

That’s how God feels about you. Our part is to respond in faith and faithfulness. Our part is to be led. Our part is to walk with God and love Him in return. Loving Him the way He loves us. Loving others the way He loves us. Serving in the generous provision He has given us.