1 Samuel 18:1-5--David and Jonathan's Friendship

1 Samuel 18:1-5
English Standard Version
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David and Jonathan's Friendship
18 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. 5 And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

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David and Jonathan are going to become best of friends--like brothers, but they chose one another, so maybe like fraternity brothers, only stronger since their bond was by way of the Holy Spirit.  Most of us within the Body of Christ should know about this kind of bond where the Spirit makes us one with our fellow Church members who are not related to us by blood and may have completely different backgrounds, but nevertheless, for our good and His glory, God has chosen to make us one with each other as a picture of how the Father, Son, and Spirit are one.  Marriage is also a picture of this kind of union (though this is not a marriage between David and Jonathan, and I'm sorry that there are people that are trying to twist the Scriptures these days to turn this into something sexual--it is not).  I can speak from experience that I have few friends, but the Lord has provided very close friends for me that felt like we were "knit together" like this--my friends Devin and David in college and still to this day feel like the closest thing that I have to brothers and they are always welcome as part of our family any time that they want to come.  Few people who are not family have a standing invitation to show up to our house unannounced, but Devin and David are two of the people that are so close that they could show up be welcomed in like family, no matter how clean the house was, and there would always be a place at the dinner table for them and enough food for them.

David is going to grow up in the palace away from his brothers, and it's clear from the last chapter that his oldest brother probably hated his popularity that he gained from killing Goliath.  His friendship with Jonathan will be important, but imagine what it would be like for Jonathan to have no secrets between the two of them and for Jonathan to know that David would be the next king and that Jonathan was willing to abdicate the throne and celebrate the fact that the LORD had chosen David.  We don't give Jonathan enough credit for his character and his choice to befriend and maybe even "disciple" David--to teach him the ins and outs of being a prince and the expectations of a future king.

Jonathan chose David over his own family.  Did you notice this in verse 2?  Saul did not let Jonathan return home with him.  Saul is already becoming jealous and because Jonathan chose to join himself to David, Jonathan was no longer welcome in Saul's house, but isn't it strange that Saul knows that the LORD is going to bless everything that David puts his hands to, so Saul puts David in charge of his army--the very position that his son Jonathan used to have?  If we didn't know what was going on in the heart of Saul, we'd think that maybe Saul kicked Jonathan out of the family and adopted David in his place, but Saul is trying to take David's blessings for himself and keep David close to him, and is also trying to send him into many battles maybe hoping that some enemy that he sends him against will be too strong for him and that they will take care of David for him, yet the LORD gives David victory over all the enemies that he's facing.  Every time that David goes out to battle though, he is arrayed in Jonathan's armor and is dressed in Jonathan's robe and wielding Jonathan's sword and bow.  Saul's armor didn't fit David when Saul tried to put it on David in chapter 17, but it seems like Jonathan's armor was a perfect fit.

David is going to become all the more popular among the people and this will increase Saul's jealousy and the influence of the evil spirit that has control over Saul and Saul will try other tactics to try to manipulate David and make him loyal to Saul (David was already loyal to Saul as the king, but Saul projected his own evil heart onto David and imagined that David was going to try to kill him at the first chance that he got, because that's what Saul would have done if the roles were reversed--he would have made the promises of God come true in his way and in his time and he would not have waited for the LORD.  We've already seen this in him when he offered the sacrifices instead of waiting for Samuel).  Eventually Saul will offer David one of his daughters as a wife thinking that the bonds of matrimony will forever bind their houses together and that maybe in this way, Saul might still have a descendant on the throne, but that is not the LORD's plan.  The next king after David would come from another, but we are getting far ahead of ourselves if we talk about that story today.  Suffice it to say that from this point forward, Saul is going to try to do everything he can to remain in control and he will be in a downward spiral all the way until his death in chapter 31 (the end of the book of 1 Samuel, for this is the account of king Saul).

I hope all of you can find someone like Jonathan to be your friend who will celebrate your victories, even if it means their loss, will happily give you all the good things that belonged to them, and will love you like a brother, even if their own family has deserted them.  Jonathan had ever reason to be sad and bitter and maybe even jealous like Saul was, but he refused to be controlled by the flesh and instead was controlled by the Spirit and we see the disparity between Saul and Jonathan in how they responded.  If you have any of these friends in life, celebrate them--they are few and far between, but make sure they are encouraging you to do live a life dedicated to the LORD and to what He has called you to do.  It would be sad if David and Jonathan's souls were "knit together" and Jonathan used this to pull David away from what God had called him to be.  Seek people as your friends that want for you what God wants for you and do not be unequally yoked with those who want to pull you in another direction, especially when it comes to close friendships like this.  The Bible specifically warns about this when it comes to marriage, but the warning also applies for any other kind of relationship in which we will become joined or knit together.  We can't choose every relationship in our life (we're going to have to work with co-workers for example whether they share our worldview or not), but we can choose which people we form this kind of bond with and refuse to be "unequally yoked."