“The Lord Be

BetweenThee

and Me For Ever”

1 Samuel 18–20; 23–24Lesson 23: Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 107

The importance of being a

true friendEx. 33: 11 Lord spake unto Moses . . . as a man speaketh unto his friend.

Isa. 41: 8 I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

John 15: 13 that a man lay down his life for his friends.

James 2: 23 Abraham . . . was called the Friend of God.

D&C 45: 52 I was wounded in the house of my friends.

D&C 84: 63 mine apostles . . . are my friends.

D&C 84: 77 that ye become even as my friends.

D&C 88:133 your friend and brother through the grace.

D&C 93: 45 I will call you friends, for you are my friends.

D&C 121: 9 thy friends do stand by thee.

D&C 134:11 all men are justified in defending . . . Their friends.

JS-H 1: 28 persecuted by those who ought to have been my friends.

• Jonathan and David make a covenant of friendship.

• Saul becomes jealous of David and tries to kill him.

(1 Samuel 18:1–16)

1 SAMUELOTHERWISE CALLED

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS

CHAPTER 18

Jonathan loves David—Saul sets David over his armies—

David is honored by the people, and Saul becomes

jealous—David marries Michal, a daughter of Saul.

 1 And it came to pass,

when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was

knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as

his own soul.

1 Samuel 18:1–4

Jonathan was not jealous of David – even knowing that the prophet

Samuel had anointed David to become the

next king.

(1 Samuel 16:6–13).

1 SAMUELOTHERWISE CALLED

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS

CHAPTER 18 Jonathan loves David—Saul sets David over his armies—David is honored by the people, and Saul becomes jealous—David marries Michal, a daughter of Saul.

2 And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house.

David plays the harp for King Saul

What prompted Saul to turn against David?

8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

(See 1 Samuel 18:6–9)

“The proud stand more in fear of men’s judgment than of God’s judgment. … ‘What will men think of me?’ weighs heavier than ‘What will God think of me?’ …  “Fear of men’s judgment manifests itself in competition for men’s approval. The proud love ‘the praise of men more than the praise of God’ (John 12:42–43). Our motives for the things we do are where the sin is manifest. Jesus said He did ‘always those things’ that pleased God (John 8:29).

President Ezra Taft Benson said:

“Saul became an enemy to David through pride. He was jealous because the crowds of Israelite women were singing that ‘Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’ (1 Samuel 18:7; see also 1 Samuel 18:6, 8).

“When pride has a hold on our hearts, we lose our independence of the world and deliver our freedoms to the bondage of men’s judgment. The world shouts louder than the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. The reasoning of men overrides the revelations of God, and the proud let go of the iron rod” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 4–5; or Ensign, May 1989, 5).

Would we not do well to have the pleasing of God as our motive rather than to try to elevate ourselves above our brother and outdo another?

“Some prideful people are not so concerned as to whether their wages meet their needs as they are that their wages are more than someone else’s. Their reward is being a cut above the rest. …

The Lord blessed David with success on the battlefield

14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him…16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

(See 1 Samuel 18:5, 14–16.)

2. Saul fails in three more attempts to take David’s life.

• Saul hopes that David will die on the battlefield (1 Samuel 18:17–25).

• Saul fails in another attempt to kill David with a javelin (1 Samuel 19:9–10; see footnote 9a).

• Michal saves David from another attempt by Saul (1 Samuel 19:11–18).

3. David and Jonathan renew

their covenant of friendship, and Jonathan saves

David’s life.

“Then said Jonathan unto

David, Whatsoever

thy soul desireth, I will even do it for

thee.”

( 1 Samuel 20)

Jonathan shoots

an arrowto warn David

about Saul(See 1 Samuel 20:35–42)

David and Jonathan make a

covenant of friendship and peace—They take leave of each other.

4. Saul is consumed by hatred for David.

David spares Saul’s life.

(1 Samuel 23–24)

And the Lord said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.

And David’s men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

   Then David enquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

(1 Samuel 23:1–5)

When David was hiding from

Saul, Jonathan visited David and

“strengthened his hand in God”

(1 Samuel 23:16)

1 SAMUELOTHERWISE CALLED

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS

CHAPTER 24 David finds Saul asleep in a cave

and spares his life—Saul confesses that David is more

righteous than he—David swears that he will not cut off the seed

of Saul.

10. Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put

forth mine hand against my lord; for

he is the Lord’s anointed.

Make a Covenant of Friendship: Strengthen Your Friends in God