Lesson 23

“The Lord Be Between Thee and Me For Ever”

1 Samuel 18–20; 23–24

Study the following scriptures:

1. 1 Samuel 18:1–16. Jonathan and David make a covenant of friendship (18:1–4). David is honored by the Israelites for his success in battle (18:5–7). Saul becomes jealous of David and tries to kill him (18:8–16; note that the Joseph Smith Translation of verse 10 indicates that the evil spirit that came upon Saul was not from God).

2. 1 Samuel 18:17–30; 19:1–18. David fights the Philistines in exchange for the right to marry Saul’s daughter, unaware that Saul is hoping David will die in battle (18:17–25). David triumphs over the Philistines and marries Saul’s daughter Michal (18:26–28). Jonathan tells David to hide and tries to convince Saul not to kill him (19:1–7). Saul fails in another attempt to kill David (19:9–10). Michal saves David from another of Saul’s attempts on his life (19:11–18).

3. 1 Samuel 20. Jonathan and David renew their covenant of friendship and peace. When Saul again tries to kill David, Jonathan warns David.

4. 1 Samuel 23–24. David continues to fight the Philistines and flee Saul. David finds Saul and spares his life.

• Why do you think Jonathan was not jealous of David or threatened by him? (1 Samuel 18:1, 3.)

• What prompted Saul to turn against David? (See 1 Samuel 18:6–9.) Why is it sometimes difficult to be happy about the success of others? How do jealousy and pride affect our spiritual well-being?

• How did faith in God influence the friendship of Jonathan and David? (See 1 Samuel 20:23.) How does our love of God affect our love of others?

• What does David’s example teach us about revenge? (See 1 Samuel 24:6–15.)

Additional reading: 1 Samuel 14:1–16; 2 Samuel 1.