You're probably all blown away by my recent level of consistency. I'm pretty surprised myself. Though, like the plot and drama this book is finally giving us, we shouldn't depend on my attention span for too long.
The following chapter is about the beautiful, forbidden, yet still totally platonic friendship, between David and Prince Jonathan.
(Side note: I've been spelling Jonathan's name wrong. I'd apologize, but I think the authors should apologize for writing it that way in the first place.)
Chapter 20:
There's a big event coming up with the in-laws and David's not too sure about showing up because of his father-in-law's repeated attempted murders. Still, David doesn't want to seem rude, so he checks in with his brother-in-law/BFF, Jonathan, about the situation.
Jonathan is shocked at the idea his father would want to kill David despite the fact that King Saul has literally told him before, that he would like to kill David.
"'Never!' Jonathan replied. 'You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn't so!'"
Hey, remember that time King Saul was also going to kill his Jonathon, his own son, and only didn't because his soldiers stopped him? Jonathon clearly doesn't.
David doesn't want to ruin Jonathon's perception of his father, so he doesn't mention the multiple attempts at murder. Their friendship is built on lies, but it is also very heartwarming.
David asks politely, if maybe he can just go into hiding during the event and Jonathon can cover for him. If King Saul asks about where David is, Jonathan can tell him he went home to see his family. If Saul is chill, David will consider coming to the event. If Saul is not chill, Jonathon can send a warning to David. David even suggests that, if Jonathan agrees with his father, he is welcome to come kill David himself.
Jonathan has already tattooed David's name on his body in the name of friendship so he is not about that. Jonathan makes it clear that he definitely wants custody of David in the event of a divorce. He insists they make an oath to honor their friendship in front of the Lord forever. Jonathan is much too extra for a simple friendship bracelet.
Jonathan decides to make David's hideout plan needlessly complicated, because that's kind of his thing.
He tells David to hide out by a stone and he will warn him about his father in code. The code will be performance art involving arrows and a young boy.
"'I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. Then I will send a boy and say, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,' then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger. But if I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you; then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away.'"
Or...just like...send a note?
The plan is set in motion. David hides and doesn't show up to the dinners. King Saul notices and thinks unnecessarily rude thoughts:
"'Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean-surely he is unclean.'"
Saul asks his son Jonathon about David's whereabouts. Jonathon tells him that David asked permission to go to a family BBQ. Saul does not take this well.
"Saul's anger flared up at Jonathon and he said to him, 'You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!'"
He seems upset.
We're going to gloss over the the fact that Saul's speech sounds a lot like Jonathan and David have a not platonic thing and Saul is an angry homophobic father. They're just friends. Okay? Grow up.
Jonathan makes the mistake of trying to use logic. He asks why David should be put to death, considering that he has only ever done what Saul has asked with enthusiasm and loyalty. Saul is not a fan of logic.
"Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him."
Thankfully, Saul is as bad at aiming as he is at logic. Jonathan survives and he is not happy. Though, he's not upset with the second attempted fillicide. His only concern is for David.
"Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David. Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father's shameful treatment of David."
Jonathan punishes his father with a food strike and can only think about David. The next morning, he passes along his needlessly complicated arrow message to warn David, making a young boy run after arrows much like a dog.
I know what you're thinking readers.
"Why are you being so harsh to Jonathan? He has to communicate with David with secret performance art because he is committing treason against his own father. David has to stay hidden and Jonathan can't communicate with him directly."
I hear you. But here's the thing:
"After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times."
You see? You see what I'm talking about? These people...
After David bows to Jonathan,
"they kissed each other and wept together-but David wept the most. Jonathan said to David, 'Go in peace, for we have a sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.'"
I read this blog sometimes. -C from Fukui
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