How Grace Works
Posted by Isaac Butterworth | Filed under Five Questions, Gospel
How does grace work? Can we discern its patterns even in Old Testament narratives? For some time now, I have been trying to read the Bible — and especially the Old Testament — in such a way as to see the gospel portrayed in each text. Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp have a book out entitled How People Change, and in their book they introduce the “three trees” model to explain how grace functions in our lives.
I have modified the model in such a way that it serves as a kind of tool in studying Scripture, looking especially for the gospel in a given passage. I use what I call “five questions” — (1) What comes against us? That is, what triggers our behavior? (2) How do we react — often in sinful ways? (3) What is the “God-substitute” (that is, what is the idol) that motivates us to react in such a way? (4) How does the gospel transform our hearts so that we abandon our idols and embrace the true God? (5) What fruit does this bear in our lives?
You can see how I use the five questions in a recent study I did of 1 Samuel 20. David’s life is at risk. Saul, the king, is pursuing him to kill him. Jonathan, who is Saul’s son and David’s friend, cannot bring himself to believe his father really intends to bring harm to David — at least, not at first. When he learns the truth, he takes measures to protect his friend. You can read the whole account in 1 Samuel 20:1-42 (ESV):
1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” 2 And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” 3 But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” 4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” 5 David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that harm is determined by him. 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” 9 And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?” 10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?” 11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.
12 And Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13 But should it please my father to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die; 15 and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord take vengeance on David’s enemies.” 17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap. 20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.
26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.” 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” 32 Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. 34 And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.
35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy. 36 And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” 41 And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
Five Questions:
What comes against us? We might answer this question from the viewpoint of each of the characters who make an appearance in this chapter. David is mentioned first, and so we may take him first. He is panicked because he knows that Saul is set on destroying him. “What have I done?” he asks Jonathan. “And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” (v. 1). When Jonathan insists that David is no danger from Saul, David’s language becomes more urgent: “Truly, as the LORD lives, there is but a step between me and death” (v. 3).
Second, we may consider Jonathan. At first, he is unaware of any malicious intent of his father toward David. It d0esn’t take long, however, before it becomes crystal-clear to him. His father is set on murdering his best friend (and brother-in-law). The next day is the new moon, and David is expected to show up at the king’s table. When he doesn’t, Saul explains it away. But on the third day, when David doesn’t show, Saul asks Jonathan about it. Jonathan gives his fabricated explanation, but Saul isn’t fooled by it. He flies into a rage. We will give Saul our attention momentarily, but let’s note for now that the trigger for Jonathan’s stress is the prospect of separation from David. On the fourth day, Jonathan goes to the field to warn David according to plan, and when they meet, we are told that it is a highly emotional parting for each of them.
Now to Saul. The king is threatened by David, even though he has no warrant for such feelings. Upon hearing Jonathan’s lame explanation of David’s absence, his wrath erupts, as we shall see in our answer to the next question.
How do we react? David seeks help. Jonathan provides it. I do not see anything sinful in either David or Jonathan’s response to the situation. But Saul is a different story. He definitely reacts sinfully. The narrator says, “Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, ‘You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die’” (vv. 30f.). When Jonathan protests, Saul hurls his spear at his own son. This, of course, incites Jonathan to anger, and he rises from the table and leaves.
What is the idol behind the sin? The question, specifically, is: What does Saul love more than God that makes him explode in murderous rage? What lie does he believe? What distorted desire does he nurture? What fear overtakes him? What disordered affection drives him?
- The lie: His well-being and that of his descendants requires that he maintain a tight grip on power.
- The distorted desire: He wants his own agenda, not God’s, to prevail. He wants a dynasty, and the throne has become his idol.
- The fear: Saul is afraid of losing the throne and, with it, the recognition and power that he thinks validate him.
- The disordered affection: Broadly speaking, it is self that he loves more than God. In 1 Sam. 12, Samuel is told that “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument to himself…” (again, the need for recognition). Saul’s self-absorption is apparent. More narrowly, Saul loves the throne and wants to perpetuate his attachment to it through his son, Jonathan.
God has rejected him as king (1 Sam. 15:10, 23; 16:1), but he cannot accept God’s verdict. As a result, he enlarges his rebellion against God.
How does the gospel transform the heart? Essentially, what Saul needs is to turn from his self-centered strategies for significance and security and turn to God, trusting Him and depending upon Him for significance and security. Of course, he has been rejected, and he will not receive from God the gift of faith. God has so blessed David and Jonathan, however, and we may turn to them to see what God has done for them to bring them to salvation.
Jonathan seems to know that he is not to be king but, rather, that David is to succeed to the throne. We see this when Jonathan “stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt” (1 Sam 18:4). These actions were symbolic of yielding his right of succession to David. This is evidence of a heart that finds its satisfaction in God and in nothing else. Now, in chapter 20, Jonathan appeals to David to spare him and his descendants as if he knows for a fact that David will be in a position to do so. Consider these points in the narrative: (1) First, verses 13b-17: “‘May the LORD be with you, as he has been with my father. [What can this mean but that the LORD will make David king?] If I am still alive [when you ascend to the throne], show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die; and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.’ And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David [note: “the house of David” is a royal dynastic term!], saying, ‘May the LORD take vengeance on David’s enemies.’ And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.” (2) Second, verse 42: “Then Jonathan said to David, ‘Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, “The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.”’” What is the point? That Jonathan does not depend on his own accession to the throne for his identity. He is compliant toward God and satisfied with God’s sovereignty in this matter. This is a work of grace. It is certainly not natural.
When it comes to David, we see another heart that has been transformed by grace. David shows a remarkable lack of vengeful feelings toward Saul. He is a man of war; he has “first strike” capability. He could attempt to kill Saul before Saul kills him. But his heart is not a retaliatory heart; his is an illumined heart. This is a work of grace.
We see grace also in the submission both of David and of Jonathan to the Lord’s sovereign will to separate them. Their parting, drenched in tears, is painful; this would likely be the last time these fast friends would see each other. And yet, it is the Lord’s will, and his will is supreme in their thinking. Their hearts have been delivered from the lie that only in having things a certain way could they be friends, from distorted desires for power and control, from disordered affections for preferred arrangements, even from fears that God’s way will somehow be less attractive. All this means that, by grace, they had come to find their satisfaction in God, not in the gifts of God.
We must ask what it is that leads Jonathan and David to anchor their contentment in God and not in circumstance. It is, of course, the character of God. We see this from the covenant that Jonathan and David make with each other. David says to Jonathan, “Deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you” (1 Sam. 20:8). David is referring, of course, to the covenant to which the two of them previously agreed (1 Sam. 18:3). Jonathan himself reminds David of this covenant when he appeals to David not to “cut off [his] steadfast love from [Jonathan’s] house forever” (1 Sam. 20:15). This covenant-making behavior reflects God’s chosen way of relating to His people through covenant. He binds us to Himself and makes promises to us. Overwhelmed by His kindness (His character, or His characteristic ways), we respond by entrusting ourselves to Him and expressing that trust in loving obedience – faithfulness that has its roots in faith.
We see then how grace works. The Spirit changes the heart (regeneration), so that when God calls us to faith in His Son (effectual calling), we respond by abandoning former sources of comfort (repentance) and embracing God as our only source of comfort, trusting His favor, offered to us in Christ (faith). This places us in a right relationship with God (justification). Reminding ourselves how great is God’s love for us and what great things He has done for us, we rely on His power to demonstrate our love for Him in turn, seeking in Him alone our deepest satisfaction (sanctification). When we are at last in His presence, we will regard as our greatest reward not the gifts we receive but the Giver Himself (glorification).
What fruit does grace bear in our lives? We can only assume that the exemplary behavior of Jonathan and David in this account is to be attributed to hearts made right with God by God’s grace. There are plenty of triggers for sinful behavior on their part. Jonathan could at last listen to his father and turn on his friend. Jonathan and David together could conspire to murder Saul. But neither Jonathan nor David chooses such an option. Each of them elects to honor the ways of faithfulness and truth, relying not on circumstance but rather on God. This is a sign of God’s redemptive work within them, and it is the fruit of righteousness.
So, there they are: the five questions applied to a narrative account from the Old Testament. I hope this is a faithful rendering of the story. If so, we may look into our own lives and ask: (1) What comes against me? (2) How do I react sinfully? (3) What do I love more than God that causes me to react in such a way? (4) How does the gospel address that falsely placed affection? (5) What is the fruition of the work of grace in my life?
