Then
Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of
the Lord, saying, ‘May the Lord be between you and me, and between your
descendants and my descendants, forever.’ So he arose and departed, and
Jonathan went into the city. 1st Samuel 20:42
Of all the friendships spoken of in the Bible, the most endearing is the friendship between King Saul’s son, Jonathan, and David. Jonathan was the heir-apparent to be Israel’s next king. That this bond of brotherhood remained solid even after God had called and anointed David to be the next king is all the more remarkable, and godly.
Jonathan
loved David as he loved his own soul. That kind of love is seldom seen, even
among Christians. He wasn’t jealous of David, as his father the king was, but
all the more fixed in his friendship, with full knowledge David would supersede
him to the throne of Israel. Human history has shown regicide to be the norm in numerous royal families. Herod the Great
had his wife and three sons executed believing them threats to his throne.
Christ calls
us to be a friend with the qualities of a Jonathan, being open and honest in
our support and service of others. Jesus calls us His own friends (John 15:15),
friends He was willing to die for.
To have a
friend is the earmark of trust and loyalty. To remain a friend in adversity is
the characteristic example of spiritual maturity. When the bonds of friendship
are forged not in blood and fire, but in the tempering strength of God’s love
the chains of friendship will hold in the stresses and strains of life. Even to
giving up a throne. May we strive in the Power of Christ to be such a friend.
Ken
