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By this time David, now 22 years old, and Jonathan, 29 years old, had become very close friends. David asked Jonathan why his father was trying to kill him but Jonathan thought that his father had given that up but told David that he would find out if that, in fact, was true and a plan was devised so that Jonathan could get to word back to David.
The next day was to be the beginning of the celebration of the "Feast of the New Moon". This feast was described by Paul as only a "substance" of things to come. (Col. 2:16) It was an "upgrading" of an old Lunar Festival that was practiced during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. It was a time of thanksgiving. Nomadic shepherds were dependent upon the moon for light to control the movement of the sheep at night. The Israelites had combined this feast with the Canaanite Agriculture Festival. Since agriculture was dependent upon the sun, both heavenly bodies were feasted at this time. This was not one of their major feasts but it had become a time of thanksgiving for bountiful crops and a time for families to get together.
So it was in the keeping of this celebration that Saul's entire household was expected to attend. It was Saul's custom to dine publicly on this occasion with his children and his army officers. David would be considered in either one of these groups and was expected to be there, but David was afraid to go, not knowing if Saul was intent on killing him. He knew that Saul would expect him to be there and when he did not show up, would ask where he was. So he told Jonathan that when his father asked why David was not there, he was to say that David had gone to Bethlehem to celebrate the feast with his own family.
Now David reasoned that if Saul did not become angry with that, he would know that Saul was no longer trying to kill him. A plan was devised so that Jonathan could get this reaction to David so that he would know Saul's plans. When Jonathan saw observed Saul's reaction to David not being there, he was to go out into the field where David was hiding and take his bow and shoot three arrows into the air. He would then have his servant retrieve the arrows. If David heard Jonathan tell the servant, "the arrows are on this side of you", he would know that Saul was no longer angry, but if Jonathan would tell the servant, "the arrows are beyond you", David would know that Saul was still angry with him and would leave immediately. As the plan unfolded and David heard Jonathan tell the servant that the arrows were beyond where the servant was looking, he knew that Saul was sill out to kill him, so he prepared to leave the area. Before he left, he and Jonathan made a covenant. Jonathan swore to be faithful to David and to keep him apprised of his father's plans. David swore to be faithful to Jonathan and to his descendants.
Then Jonathan returned to finish celebrating the feast with his father. When David did not show up, Saul accused Jonathan of shaming him and his mother by wanting David to be the next king instead of himself. He commanded Jonathan to go and get David so that he could kill him. In his anger, Saul threw a spear at Jonathan which convinced Jonathan that his father would truly kill David if he had a chance. Because of this, Jonathan left the table and refused to eat.
The next morning, Jonathan went out into the field to shoot his bow. He took a servant along to retrieve the arrows. Using the same audible instructions to the servant concerning the location of the arrows, and knowing that David was hiding within earshot, Jonathan again told David that indeed, his father was trying to kill him. Then Jonathan sent the servant back and finding David, they again proclaimed their covenants entrusting their lives and the lives of their children in each other's hands and into God's hands forever.
From there, Jonathan went to the town of Gibeah, just north of Jerusalem and David went to the city of Nob, believed to have been on the Mt. of Olives, east of Jerusalem.
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