Justin Houtz

1 Samuel 20, Revelation 18

DateVersionReading Plan
September 13, 2025ESV (2016)OT/NT Plan 2025 – 2027

1 Samuel 20

Observation & Interpretation

1 Sam. 20:3 – David “vowed again” (ESV)

  • Other translations say, “took and oath” (NLT, LEB) or “sware moreover” (KJV, ASV)
  • David’s oaths function to emphasize the gravity of the situation as perceived by David. (FSB)

1 Sam. 10:6 – David told Jonathan that if Saul missed David, Jonathan was to tell his father that David asked leave of him to run to his city, Bethlehem, for the yearly sacrifice.

  • David asks Jonathan to lie for him. This is the first character flaw in David that the narrator mentions; he has otherwise been blameless to this point. (FSB)

1 Sam. 20:16 – Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David.

  • Jonathan now established a covenant with the house of David, not with David alone. God himself would hold David’s enemies accountable for their actions against his chosen servant. (CSB Notes)

1 Sam. 20:17 – Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as his own soul.

  • Themes of vows (v. 3), covenant (v. 16) and swearing (v. 17) throughout the chapter.

1 Sam. 20:26 – The first day, Saul assumed that David was absent because he was unclean.

1 Sam. 20:27 – The second day—the day after the new moon—Saul inquired about David’s absence.

1 Sam. 20:29 – Jonathan spoke the lie to Saul regarding David’s absence.

  • Jonathan’s account of the lie is slightly from what David instructed; that David’s brother commanded him to be at the yearly sacrifice in Bethlehem. Interestingly, this denotes how lies are often told with excessive detail in order to increase their believability.
  • Jonathan takes liberties in his response to Saul (compare with v. 6). Apparently David’s oldest brother, Eliab, has taken over family leadership responsibilities from their father. (FSB)

1 Sam. 20:33 – Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan in anger regarding David and Jonathan knew that Saul was determined to put David to death.

  • Saul had hurled his spear at David before (1 Sam. 18:11, 19:10).

1 Sam. 20:1-42 – A strange element in the narrative of Samuel (and also subsequently in Kings) is the extent to which Israel’s leaders fail to produce worthy successors. The sons of Eli, Samuel, and David himself all fall short of the fathers’ stature and uprightness. The surprising exception is Saul, or rather Jonathan his son, who towers over his father in spiritual perceptivity and straightforward integrity. (ESVEC – Response

Revelation 18

Observation & Interpretation

Rev. 18:1-3 – John saw another angel who called out with a loud voice regarding Babylon; that she is fallen, that she has become a dwelling place for demons and other descriptions of her detestable nature.

Rev. 18:4-8 – John heard another voice from heaven that told God’s people to come out of Babylon lest they take part in her sins, further describing her wickedness and self-deceit and what would come of her as a result.

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