1 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And 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.
Friendship is a beautiful thing.
I love the description of David and Jonathan's friendship in this passage, "the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." That is beautiful imagery. They are soul mates. Not in the romantic sense, at all, but in the sense that they are two souls that have joined together in a shared journey.
David has just defeated Goliath. He is being hailed as a hero. Two chapters earlier, David is anointed as the future king of Israel by the prophet Samuel. He is filled with the Spirit.
Jonathan is the son of King Saul. Saul has been rejected by the LORD for his disobedience. Normally, Jonathan would be the inheritor of his father's throne, but that future of that throne has been given to David.
Jonathan has good reason to begrudge David.
And yet, as David is being presented to Saul for his success, the text says that Jonathan loves him.
Why? Because he can see David's heart. He knows David's love of the LORD. And Jonathan loves the LORD. It is the binding agent of their friendship.
Jonathan makes a covenant with David. He binds his life to David's life. He has no obligation to do any of this! He then gives David his robe, his armor, his sword, bow, and belt. This says a few things. Number one, Jonathan is making it clear that messing with David means messing with Jonathan. All that Jonathan had belongs to David now, including the throne! He is yielding to God's will, which he knows will be accomplished through David. He removes his own ego from the equation.
Everyone should have a Jonathan in their life. I pray that you have one.
Find the people that love Jesus, above all else. Find the kinds of friends that are willing to share their life with you. Friends that would give you the clothes off of their back. Friends that can let go of their ego; friends that can be totally transparent with you. Find a friend that is willing to go with you, wherever life may take you, no matter the odds you face, and will point you back to Jesus.
I know God has blessed me with many of those friends. Obviously, my wife is the best earthly friend that I have. But there are many others.
My second prayer is that you would be that kind of friend for someone else. We are called to share our lives with the people around us. We should seek unity and friendship with fellow believers. We should seek accountability. We should build close, intimate friendships. It is a blessing God desires for us!
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