A Story of True Friendship

Today I'd like to share with you a story of true friendship. We'll look at that as we go throughout the course of the message. But I want to begin by pointing out to us that by our creation, by nature of our creation, as God has begun His plan of salvation through mankind, He created as one of the greatest qualities of our human abilities, He created the ability to have bonds of relationship and friendships. You know, it's different than the animals. You can look in the animal world, and there are relationships to a degree in terms of the animals. We look out the window of our house, and our horses are right out there where we live, and they have personalities, and you have some horses that are favorites of the others, and they have a pecking order when you go out to feed. And in one sense, they have a relationship, one to another, but what God has established among us in terms of human beings, those who would have the spirit of man, is quite different than that.

God the Father and Jesus Christ are relational beings. They exist together in a relationship, and so in that sense, relationships is very much a part of their nature. And what God is doing in our life is built upon a foundation of relationships as well.

Primary relationship we've been created for is our relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. God is building His family, and so in this family relationship, He is our Father, and we are His children, and we relate to Him in that relationship.

Jesus Christ is our elder brother, our high priest, our mediator, and again, we have a relationship. We will be the bride of Christ upon His return. We are betrothed to Him. And so in that sense, we sit here today in relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ, but beyond that, even, brethren, we're here gathered together in a relationship with one another as well. It is what God is doing in the creation of His family. It's not just simply us and God. It is that direct aspect of our relationship with God, but in the process, it's us and each other along those same lines as well.

With the understanding of what God is doing, and by His Holy Spirit, He has brought us together in a relationship with one another. And I might ask us to consider why relationships in the Church of God are so important. In this world, we have friends, we have relationships, and we can have good friends, some in the Church, some outside of the Church. But why are relationships among one another in the Church of God so important? Well, solid relationships, especially among us in the Church, can have very positive impacts on our spiritual walk, can't they? As we come together and we encourage one another, and we strengthen and uplift one another in our common calling, we provoke one another to love and good works. And so the relationships that we have between one another in the body of Jesus Christ are important because they're reinforcing the common goal to which we've been called, again, to be part of the family of God in His Kingdom.

Now, we have relationships with others in the world around us as well. I have friends in this world. I have neighbors who I like very much. But the potential for those relationships, brethren, to be frank, will never be as deep as the potential for the relationships that we share in the body of Jesus Christ. Because God has called us together for a common purpose. He's bound us together by His Holy Spirit. And so in that sense, we have that common denominator in our relationship. God, Father, Jesus Christ, and His Spirit in us. That is the core basis for why we've come together. And so in that sense, the depth of our relationships and the potential depth of our relationships exceed that from what we could have with those in the world around us.

Having friends in this world is important, and we should seek to have friends and show ourself friendly. But when I say the potential of our relationships in the church, the point is, you know, we may have deeper friendships in the world than we do in the church. And my point is that the relationships God has called us into, if we pursue them to their end conclusion that He would intend, can indeed be so much deeper and more fulfilling to this calling in this way of life. Positive peer pressure is an important aspect of our assembly every week. Mr. Allwine was talking about the world around us, and if I can use this term, the peer pressure in a negative sense that exists in society. And when we come here together in the body of Christ, gathered together on the Sabbath day, it should be a time of positive peer pressure. You know, again, provoking one another to love and good work, stirring one another up. And it should be like a breath of fresh air as we step out of the ways of the world and we come into the ways of God, all walking in the same direction, our foot falls according to the same step, side by side to the kingdom of God.

The Bible has a lot to say about the importance of proper relationships, proper relationships, proper relationships. And I want to just begin today by looking through the proverbs. We're just going to take a quick run through several verses in the proverbs, but I want to look at some of the principles that God lines out for us in terms of friendships, and specifically it's referring to friendships, but how our relationships should be based both in the church and outside the church, but what are important principles that should bind us together?

I'd like to begin today in Proverbs chapter 27 and verse 17. Again, these are principles of a proper and solid friendship. Proverbs chapter 27 verse 17, we know it well. It says, as iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friends. And probably I would say going back almost a year ago now, I gave a sermon on this very verse. And you know, sometimes in our mind we can think, I'm the instrument that does the sharpening, and I can go out and sharpen everybody else. But the principle of the verse is it's iron sharpening iron. It's you have something to contribute that benefits the other person. They have something to contribute that benefits and sharpens you as well. And it's a mutual relationship for the benefit of both. We can have very positive and powerful influences on others for good.

But on the flip side of that, if it's an improper relationship, we can have or receive powerful influences for the bad as well. And so God gives us a choice in terms of what kind of company we're going to keep and just who it is that we're going to call a friend. Again, there's principles in Scripture who you should associate with and who it is that you should not.

I would hope here in the Church within the body of Jesus Christ that we all can see principles of positive relationships in one another. It is what we are to be doing as we take on the character of God. So what are some of the attributes of a good friend? I asked down in Lewiston this morning and we kind of just opened it up for discussion. What do you look for when you look for a friend? You know, what makes someone a good friend in your life? And we had things discussed such as integrity, honesty, the ability to confide in a friend and share your needs, even maybe your weaknesses, and have it not be spread around, such as the focus Scripture today. I appreciated that very much.

You want to be able to open up to a friend in confidence and not be trampled over, not be despised. You want to be able to go to a friend and maybe say, you know, there's something I've been struggling with. Maybe you're struggling with drinking too much, and you say, you know, here's the triggers, here's what I'm struggling with, here's the consequences. Would you pray for me? You know, would you help me? Would you counsel me along as I walk through this process? You know, you don't just necessarily get up and announce something like that to the whole church or to the whole world, but oftentimes we'll have a close friend that we would confide in who would be a good listener and encourager and someone who can help us in a very positive way.

John 15 13 says, greater love has no one than this than to lay down one's life for his friends.

Of course, that was Jesus Christ making that statement, and he fulfilled the ultimate sacrifice, humbling himself, coming in the likeness of men, laying his life down for the life of all of mankind. You and I are called to be living sacrifices. Romans chapter 12. That's not necessarily going to mean that we lay our life down unto death, but it does mean that as a living sacrifice, we give of ourselves for the benefit of others, for the strengthening of our friends. And sometimes it means we even sacrifice what are our greatest personal ambitions so that we can see the benefit and the help to others.

Another aspect of a true friend is someone who's willing to offer you positive and personal correction when needed. That's not always an easy thing to do.

You know, I think about it. I would rather be corrected by a friend than an enemy, because an enemy just kind of wants to stick it to you, right? But a friend says, I'm looking out for your good. And as your friend, please consider this. And it's for the positive provocation unto correction and a benefit that sets us on the right course.

Proverbs chapter 27 verse 5 and 6. Proverbs 27 verse 5 and 6. Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Again, a good friend will tell you when you're out of line, right? Hopefully, if they're truly your friend looking out for your best interest, helping you to make a course correction in the right way.

The kisses of an enemy, again, deceitful. You never know exactly what's behind that. Your enemy isn't looking out for your best interest. Again, your friend is.

Proverbs chapter 17 verse 17. It says, A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. A true friend is not just a fair-weather friend. When things are going well, when, you know, you're on a high, when they can share along with your benefits and your blessings, they're your friend, but as soon as things turn south, well, they've got somewhere else they need to be. That's not a true friend. A true friend loves at all times. A brother is born for adversity. And kind of in considering this, I was thinking about families. How there's actually times in the family, you can have disagreements. You maybe have squabbles within the family amongst family members. But what happens when someone from the outside comes in, attacks the family?

Well, what do brothers do? Well, then they stand back to back and they fight for the family. It's like, you know, who do you think you are? You can't say that about our family.

We're family. So again, the relationships that we build with one another are for the strengthening of each other, not just so we can have a good time together, but so that we can see the potential and the fulfillment of what it is that God has called us to, helping one another along the way.

Proverbs chapter 22. See, the Bible also speaks about the kind of qualities that you don't want in a friend. Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 24 says, Make no friendship with an angry man with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.

So we're told to avoid those with a temper. You know, someone who's an angry person, someone who has a short fuse. Why? Well, it says you could learn his ways. You could pick up his bad habits. Those habits could become your habits. Or maybe if you say, well, I'm immune to that. Well, you could, in fact, receive the consequences of just being in the wrong place at the wrong time with an angry person. If you're in the car with someone who loses their temper, has road rage, runs someone off the road and pulls out a gun and shoots them, and you're sitting in the car minding your thought, your own business, suddenly you're along for a ride that you didn't sign up for yourself.

Bible says, don't keep company with an angry man. Don't even be their friend. Proverbs 13 and verse 20. Proverbs 13 and verse 20 says, he who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. Again, it comes back to the kind of company that we keep, who it is we interact with. Iron will sharpen iron, but you know what? A dull blade can dull a dull blade and keep dulling one another down as well. The Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 15, 33, says, evil company corrupts good habits. So again, our ability to encourage each other, lift one another up in a positive way is real. It can have a big impact. But again, how we present ourselves to one another, what we receive from one another in terms of these relationships is important. We want to align ourselves with godly people. Enter into deep relationships with people who put God first, who look to God first in all that they do, and that will have a positive impact on us over the course of that relationship. Today, I want to share with you a story, just as a reminder to us. To me, it's one of my favorite stories in the Bible of a very special relationship between two individual people. And what we're going to see is it's a relationship built on commonality, on a common trust in God, on a common character, set of character traits that they shared. And I want us to consider just important principles that we can pull from this story in order to affect the relationships that we have with one another as well. Let's see what we can learn from the example today of Jonathan and David. I want to start with a vivid description of the type of relationship that they ultimately developed. Let's begin here in 1 Samuel chapter 18.

1 Samuel chapter 18, and beginning in verse 1, this is kind of jumping right into the middle of the story. We'll go back and set the foundation. But here in 1 Samuel 18 verse 1, it says, Now when he, David, had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. The Hebrew word here for knit essentially means to tie together, means to bind up, to join together very tightly. And so in that sense, it's much deeper than just the casual acquaintance or relationship. You know, we have friends that we would probably call more acquaintances if we thought about it than deep friends, but people you interact with in passing. This was a deep and an intimate and a personal relationship between two individuals.

Some have tried to describe the relationship between Jonathan and David as something that we would call inappropriate. But that's not the case. Again, it's an extremely tight bond of brotherly love and friendship here that we see displayed that can be developed between two men or even between two women, a relationship and a bond of love that is virtually unbreakable. Let's take a little time and set the history of these two individuals and try to see if we can what the commonality was that bound them together so tightly. Let's look at Jonathan first. Just go to 1 Samuel chapter 14. 1 Samuel chapter 14. The context here is war. It's war between Israel and the Philistines. And here we have Saul and Jonathan and about 600 men of Israel, and they're about to face this vastly larger Philistine army, kind of this battled, hardened and vicious and immoral people. 1 Samuel chapter 14 and verse 1. It says, Now it happened one day that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who bore his armor, Come, let us go over to the Philistine's garrison that is on the other side, but he did not tell his father. Or Saul, his father is king.

Jonathan's father is Saul, King Saul, king of Israel. Jonathan here gets an idea that we're going to go, you know, take on this little covert operation on our own. Some might consider this, just judging by the numbers, might be called a suicide run. But here Jonathan and his armor bearer, along with him, has an idea. Verse 6 says, Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, Come, let us go over to that garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few. You begin to see a little glimpse into Jonathan's nature, his trust in God, his understanding who the God of Israel was and the fact that it was God that they looked to to lead them and to defend them. And it didn't matter how big the Philistine army was. God can do the work. He can deliver by many or by few.

Verse 7, So his armor bearer said to him, Do all that is in your heart, go then, here I am with you according to your heart. And I think sometimes we read the story and we attribute all this bravery to Jonathan, and he was brave, but I would say his armor bearer was quite brave as well. The fact that he said, If you're in, I'm in, and I've got your back, let's go do it. Verse 8, Then Jonathan said, Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say to us, Wait until we come to you, then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. But if they say to us, Come up to us, then we will go up, for the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign for us. So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, and the Philistines said, Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden. It wasn't a complementary attitude. It was a mocking. They're fearful people that are crawling out of their holes. Verse 12, Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, Come up to us and we will show you something. It's more like, Come over here and we'll teach you a lesson that you'll never forget. Jonathan said to his armor bearer, Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel. And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees and with his armor bearer after him, and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armor bearer killed them. That first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor bearer made, was about 20 men within a half acre of land. And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled in the earthquake so that it was a very great trembling. Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah and Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude melting away, and they went here and there. So we have this great dispersion now that's taking place before Jonathan and his armor bearer. Two men in the Philistine army is running in fear.

Again, God was with them. Jonathan, by boldness, by strength and skill and ability, went after that army. But it wasn't Jonathan who won the battle. It was God and the work of God working through him.

And what we see in the account of Jonathan and the account of David was the fact they were both skilled men, but it wasn't by their skill, again, that these things were accomplished. It was by the power of God. But I believe the lesson indeed is, in our service to God, we must do our part.

We must prepare to serve. We must be willing to serve so that when the time comes that service and God's name is needed. He does and will do his work through us. So Jonathan and his armor bearer go up. There's a battle. It's certainly enough in a very short period of time to throw the enemy encampment into fear and disarray, and they run. Verse 23 says, So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth-Avon. When you think about what you know of David's nature, King David, what do you know about his nature from what you've read and what you can remember from the scripture? What kind of man was he? Think about that, and then ask yourself what kind of attributes of Jonathan do you see here that would draw these two men together, that would lead to an attraction and a binding together in such a tight relationship. Well, Jonathan was brave, certainly. We saw that. He was brave. Jonathan was bold. He didn't just sit back and wait for the Philistines to come attack. He actually took the fight to the enemy, and not with the whole army backing him up, either, with God backing him up. Jonathan looked to the power of God and trusted in him to deliver Israel, and Jonathan knew that this was not according to his own might and his own power, but it was the power and might of God working on behalf of his people. Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5-7 says, we walk by faith, not by sight. And this was a clear example. You know, if you're walking by sight, two against thousands is a suicide run. If you're walking by faith, believing that God can deliver, indeed, that walk was successful because it was in service of the will of God. Let's look now at the history of David, 1 Samuel 17. 1 Samuel chapter 17. This is the historic battle of David and Goliath, as we would label it. You have this giant of the Philistines has come out now and presented himself before Israel, dared Israel to attack, dared anyone who was brave enough to come and oppose him. And you have the people of Israel essentially cowering in fear. 1 Samuel chapter 17 in verse 24. It says, and all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. So the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel, and it shall be that the man who kills him, the king will enrich with great riches and will give him his daughter and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel. Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? You know, David says, Who does he think he is?

Doesn't he know who he's facing? This isn't just a ragtag group of slaves here that try to come together to form an army. This is God that they're fighting against.

And who did they believe and think they are?

Verse 27, And the people answered him, and this man are saying, So shall it be done for the man who kills him. Dropping down to verse 31, Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they were reported to Saul, and he sent for him. Then David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said that, David, you're not able to stand against this Philistine or to fight with him, for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

But David said to Saul, Your servant used to keep his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. And when it rose against me, I caught it by the beard, struck it, and killed it.

I mean, I can't even hardly imagine the concept of that. Number one, bravery going after a lion. Secondly, it turns on you, and you grab it by the beard to strike it and kill it. About the best I've ever done is taken a couple of pot shots at some coyotes with my rifle. You know, you can be kind of brave when you're hundreds of yards away, but here David, hand-to-hand combat, hand-to-mouth combat with a lion, you know, on his own right, he was bold, he was brave, and he was strong, but it was not of his own power, not alone, and he recognized that.

Verse 36, your servant has killed both lion and bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. Again, they picked on the wrong God. Right? You pick on the wrong person and you outnumber them, well, good for you. Philistines picked on the wrong God. They picked on the God. Verse 37, moreover, David said, the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion, from the paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.

And Saul said to David, go and the Lord be with you. Verse 45, David goes and approaches Goliath. Then David said to the Philistine, you come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. He says, again, I don't think you understand just who it is you're opposing. It is God to whom this battle belongs. Verse 46, this day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air, the wild beasts of the earth, and all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with the sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands. So it was when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Now think about Jonathan. Think about Jonathan's battle.

Again, Jonathan took the fight to the enemy, David here running forward towards Goliath to meet the army of the Philistine. Verse 49, then David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, and slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword, drew it out of its sheath, a rather large sword for a large warrior, I would suspect, and killed him, and cut his head off with it. And when the Philistine saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and the gates of Ekron, and the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shearim, and even as far as Gath and Ekron. Verse 53, then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents.

Dropping down now to verse 47, then as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. I try to imagine maybe what that might look like.

You envision how big Saul was. How big do you think his head was? Probably something like this, I'd imagine. So I don't suppose David was just carrying it in the crook of his arm. I kind of imagine him carrying his head by the hair and just kind of bringing it up and plopping it down for Saul.

Here's the trophy. Here's the spoil of war. Verse 58, and Saul said to him, Who son are you, young man? So David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse, the Bethlehemites. Chapter 18, verse 1, and when 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. Saul took him that day and would not let him go to his home, to his father's house anymore.

Again, brethren, what commonality is reflected here in the nature of these two individuals. We've just seen just the glimpse into them in action. They were great warriors, certainly, right, by physical rights and standards. They were great warriors. They were both fearless and brave. They both took the fight to the enemy. So I would say in that respect, there was a mutual respect for one another. You know, someone who's bold and strong and fearless isn't generally going to respect someone who's a coward. But David and Jonathan had a mutual respect for one another.

There was also a foundation of faith and trust in God that they both shared. They both looked at God as the source of the victory that they gained over the enemy, trusting in God completely.

You know, Jonathan said, you know, God can deliver, the Lord can deliver by a few if he so chooses, and I trust him. And David said, you know what, in the name of the Lord of hosts, this battle will be won, and I trust him. And two mighty men, yes, but by comparison of what they went against, their trust in God is what gave them the victory.

So when you look at David and Jonathan, there was a foundation of similar character traits that knit Jonathan and David together. And what was the common denominator? It was God.

They looked to God, they trusted God, their faith was in God, and God gave them both the victory.

First Samuel chapter 18 continuing on in verse 3, it says, then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt. So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and he behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants. So what we have here is David and Jonathan coming together, entering into a covenant agreement. And I would expect likely this covenant was before God. But it was a covenant of friendship, of loyalty. It was a covenant and a binding agreement by which they came together as one another in this relationship whereby Jonathan had David's back, David had Jonathan's back, and it was a relationship of being equally yoked together.

Again, the Lord God as the common denominator. Verse 6, now it happened as they were coming home with David, when he was returning from the slaughter of the Philistines, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.

So the women sang as they danced and said, Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands. Well, that can't be good. It could be leading to a little problem here. Verse 8, then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him. And he said, they have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands.

What more can he have but the kingdom? So Saul eyed David from that day forward. And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times, but there was a spear in Saul's hand, and Saul cast the spear.

For he said, I will pin David to the wall. But David escaped his presence twice. Now Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul. I think we can begin to see here what could be developed, at least into a threat, between the relationship between David and Jonathan. Here Jonathan's father, who is the king, is turning on David. He's angry. He's jealous. He's fearful. He's afraid of David because now Saul's kingship is threatened by David. Saul's popularity is threatened. If you study through the story of Saul, Saul is an example of a psychiatric nightmare. This guy with all these problems mentally, where he continually needed to have the approval of the people.

You know, he said he was small in his own eyes, but you know that smallness was also disproportionate to what his perspective should have been. When he was anointed king, he was like, where's Saul? Well, he's over hiding in the luggage. And the times where he offered to sacrifice, and he did the things to appease the people. He didn't kill Agag. Why didn't you kill him? Well, the people. Saul was always trying to please the people in a way that, you know, bought their favor rather than seeking to please God. The consequence of Saul being replaced as king was based on that very problem.

And it continues yet here through the example of David. He feared him and wanted him dead. You recall that God, through Samuel, had already anointed David as king, even before he came to face Goliath. And now the people are beginning to favor him, that slipping from Saul. Saul's threatened. It's actually commonly believed that Jonathan had already accepted David as the next king of Israel. If you look back here in verse 4, it says, Jonathan put his own robe on him, Jonathan was the prince of Israel. If you were going to take the king in succession down the family line, Jonathan would have been the next king of Israel.

He takes his royal robe off, places it on David, puts on him as well as armor, his sword, his bow, his belt. And it's believed it's likely an acknowledgement of him saying to David, I acknowledge you as carrying the authority of the next king of Israel. It's what we think about and consider about Jonathan's nature was he could have been jealous of David. He could have felt threatened. He could have said, no, that is mine. That is not yours. That is mine. Yet he recognized what it was that God was doing through David and what it was that he put his support behind not only was of God, but it was a true act of friendship.

Continuing on in verse 13, Psalm 1 Samuel 18, it says, Therefore Saul removed him from his presence, removed David, just get him out of here as far away as I can, made him his captain over a thousand, and he went out and came in before the people. And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. Chapter 19 in verse 1 says, Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all the servants that they should kill David.

But Jonathan Saul's son delighted greatly in David. He loved him. This was his friend. This was his, you know, as close of a buddy as you could get in this flesh.

So Jonathan told David, saying, My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore, please be on your guard until morning. Stay in a secret place and hide, and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. Then what I observe, I will tell you. Jonathan's looking to lift David up in the eyes of his father, trying to help him to see him in a positive light. Verse 4, Thus Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you. For he took his life in his hands and killed the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood to kill David without a cause?

So Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, As the Lord lives, he shall not be killed.

Fortunately, Saul had short-term memory problems as well.

Verse 7, Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. So Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as in times past.

At least a temporary reconciliation that could take place. Again, Jonathan here is really seeking to serve his friend.

He sees David. He understands his father's perspective towards him. He's not fair. He's not just. He's seeking the best interest of David, his true friend.

Unfortunately, the peace between David and Saul was temporary. The distressing spirit returned again. Saul attempted to kill David once again, and David fled again for his life.

1 Samuel 20, verse 1.

Now David fled from Neath to Rhema and went and said to Jonathan, What have I done? What is my iniquity and what is my sin before your father that he seeks my life? So Jonathan said to him, By no means you shall not die.

Indeed, my father will do nothing, either great or small, without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.

Then David took an oath again and said, Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes. And he said, 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.

So Jonathan said to David, Whatever you desire, I will do it for you. So I won't read through it all, but as the passage goes on, they come up with a plan where it's the new moon, it's the meal at Saul's table. David gives Jonathan an excuse why he won't be there. Let's see what Saul's reaction is.

If it's favorable, if it's okay, David will be fine. But if he's angry, obviously he's seeking David's life.

David and Jonathan come up with a system whereby Jonathan will notify David whether his life indeed is safe or not.

Let's go down to verse 12.

Then Jonathan said to David, The Lord God of Israel is witness, When I have sounded out my Father sometime tomorrow, or on the third day, And indeed there is good towards David, And I do not send to you word to tell you, Let the Lord do so, and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my Father to do you evil, Then I will report it to you and send you away, That you may go in safety, and the Lord will be with you as he has been with my Father. Verse 14, You shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, That I may not die, but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever. No, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth. Jonathan understands that David will be king. He's acknowledged that. He's accepted that. In fact, he supports it because he knows that is what God is doing. But in terms of transfer of power, certainly among other nations, When a king came in and conquered, and he became the king of your nation, Or another one rose up and succeeded the king, Oftentimes that king's successors would be killed. His heirs, his family line, the children the grandparents, The children, the grandchildren, all killed, To make sure there was not a threat or a contest to the throne. Jonathan says, promise me, when you're a king, you will not cut off my family. You will show kindness to my family because of our friendship And the relationship that we share.

As the chapter goes on, David then goes on the run from Saul once again. Saul seeking to take his life. Verse 41, Jonathan comes out to tell David of his father's desire again to end his life. Verse 41, so as soon as the lad had gone, David rose from the place toward the south, fell on his face on the ground, And bowed down three times, and they kissed one another, And they wept together, but David more so. 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.

Next few chapters, David's on the run from Saul.

David's presented with two opportunities to end the Saul problem, right? He could have killed him once in the cave, Once while Saul slept. But David said, I'm not going to raise my hand against the Lord's anointed. I'll let the Lord, again, it's the Lord's battle, Let God handle it according to his timing.

First Samuel 23, Jonathan now goes out to meet David in the wilderness.

Verse 14, verse 14, It says, And David stayed in the stronghold in the wilderness, And remained in the mountains in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.

So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life, And David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a forest. Then Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods, And strengthened his hand in God. Again, their common relationship and their bond, their trust in God.

That was a great bond in their relationship. Verse 17, And he said to him, Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that.

Jonathan's heart.

He loved David. He was willing to submit to the will of God. He was willing to lay his own life down for his friend. He wasn't seeking to grasp the kingdom for himself.

He says, You will be king, and I'll be there with you. And it'll be you and me, side by side.

Verse 17, And he said to him, Do not fear, again, I read that, But the hand of my father Saul shall not find you. You will be king over Israel. I shall be next to you. Even my father knows that. So the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house.

The pledge of loyalty between Jonathan and David, even over Jonathan's, could have been his own ambitions. The love for his friend, the sacrifice, the willing to lay his life down.

I think it's interesting, again, to consider just the in-depth love and care that they had for one another. It was pure. It was clean. It was appropriate.

Again, something like that can be misconstrued in our culture today, but this was the purest form of friendship that could exist between two people.

Now, sadly, this account appears to be the last time David and Jonathan ever met face to face. 1 Samuel 31, we won't read through the account, but there was a fierce battle, once again, between the Philistines and Israel. And in that account, Jonathan is killed.

The sons of Saul are killed.

Saul himself dies in the battle as well.

Eventually, word comes to David of the death of Saul and Jonathan. Let's go to 2 Samuel chapter 1.

2 Samuel chapter 1 verse 11.

The word has come of the death of the king and Jonathan, many others in Israel.

Verse 11, Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

Verse 17, Then David lamented this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son. And he told them to teach the children of Judah the song of the bow. Indeed, it is written in the book of Jasher.

Verse 23. Let's notice a little bit of the song David wrote. The lyrics to the song. Verse 23. Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided.

An interesting aspect to Jonathan's nature was that he was loyal.

He was loyal to his father and he was loyal to David.

He knew what God was doing through David, but his father was also his father and the current king of Israel. Jonathan did not betray that trust and loyalty to either. David reflects that here in his song.

In their death, they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles. They were stronger than lions. Verse 25. How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle. Jonathan was slain in your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. You've been very pleasant to me. Your love to me was wonderful. Surpassing the love of women.

How the mighty have fallen in the weapons of war perish.

David and Jonathan shared a bond that was special and rare.

It's special and rare even among the people of God. This depth of a bond in a friendship. David had a trust and a closeness with Jonathan that he had not experienced even with any of his own wives.

He says, my love for you surpasses that even of women. Again, pure and true, faithful.

It was a oneness that was formed through a mutual admiration and respect for one another. It was a bond formed on a basis of common beliefs, a common value system, and a love for God.

Both these men loved righteousness.

They both loved truth. The quality of the relationship was a reflection of that love.

And it was a bond that they carried for the rest of as long as Jonathan lived his life.

Shortly after the death of King Saul, David was anointed king over Judah. And it would be seven and a half years before he was anointed king over Israel as well.

Once that time came, he is now king of Judah and Israel, David has an opportunity to fulfill a promise that he made in covenant with his friend Jonathan.

Let's wrap up in 2 Samuel chapter 9 verse 1.

2 Samuel 9 verse 1.

Again, David is king.

He says, Now David said, Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?

Verse 3. Then the king said, Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God? And Ziba said to the king, There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.

So David's sins for him has him brought to him. Verse 6. Now when Mephiboseth, tongue twister. Verse 7. Now when Mephiboseth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said to him, Mephiboseth, and he answered, Here is your servant. So David said to him, Do not fear. Remember, his expectation might have been David now is king. He's called me in. He's going to kill me. I'm a grandson of Saul. Perhaps a threat to his authority.

David said, Do not fear. For I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan, your father's sake. And I will restore to you all the land of Saul, your grandfather. And you shall eat bread at my table continuously. Then he bowed himself and said, What is your servant that you should look upon such a dog, a dead dog, as I? And the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, I have given to your master's son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You, therefore, and your sons and your servants, it was the servant of Saul in his day, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest that your master's son may have food to eat. But Mephiboseth, your master's son, shall eat bread at my table always. And Ziba and the fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.

As for Mephiboseth said to the king, He shall eat at my table like one of the king's sons.

Mephiboseth had a young son whose name was Micah, and all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephiboseth. So Mephiboseth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table, and he was lame in both his feet.

King David kept his word to show kindness to the house of Jonathan. He showed integrity. He showed mercy.

He showed compassion and generosity to the son of Jonathan.

Brother, one of the reasons that you and I are assembled here together on the Sabbath day is so that we can encourage one another.

So we can strengthen one another and build the bonds of friendship in our common calling. God has placed us in a relationship not only with him and his son, but with one another.

And this relationship isn't only because you have God's Spirit and I have God's Spirit, therefore we can show up and I, as the foot, can say to the eye, you know, what do you see today?

God's called us together to build bonds of friendship and relationship with one another, to lift each other up, to strengthen each other, to be faithful to one another as we seek first the kingdom of God.

Let's remember the scriptures that encourage proper relationships and friendships with each other. Let's also remember that you and I must be actively working this out each and every day, showing ourselves friendly, being a friend one to another, exemplifying the principles we've seen today. Jesus Christ told his disciples that he would no longer call them servants, but he would call them friends.

Let the term friends be expressed in the relationships that you and I share among each and every one of us as well.

We are the body of Jesus Christ. We are the Church of God.

What that means, brethren, is we're bound together by God's Spirit, but in addition to that, not only are we family, but indeed we are friends.