Friendship (1 Samuel 18:1-4)

David was a blessed man by the Lord. God was gracious to David that, God placed certain people in his life with whom David could lean during the hard times. People provided a strong support for David and helped him during the dark hours in his life.

One of the most precious and profound of the relationships David enjoyed was the friendship with King Saul’s son Jonathan. Jonathan was a true of God to young David. In fact, the very name Jonathan means Jehovah has given. Jonathan was strategically placed in David’s life at the very time David needed a friend. Jonathan proved to be the greatest and dearest friend that David would know in his entire life.

It is a shame and a disgrace that some have tried to take this precious, godly relationship between two men and make it into something different. Some have taken the words of 2 Samuel 1:26 and have twisted them to imply that David and Jonathan were lovers. The truth is that Jonathan became to David the rarest of gifts: he became a true, intimate, genuine friend!

Friends, as you pass through this life, you will make hundreds and even thousands of acquaintances; but you will have few real friends. In fact, if you develop two or three genuine friendships during your lifetime, you are a blessed person. So, what is a real friend? One person said, A friend - a true friend - the first person who comes in when the whole world has gone out. Another said, A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you today just the way you are. We ought to praise the Lord for the few, genuine friends we possess in our lives! I want to examine this precious friendship between David and Jonathan. I want you to see the greatness of their friendship. Please allow me to share with you the signs of a genuine friendship.

UNCOMMON LOVE

V 4 tells us that Jonathan removed his princely robe and placed it on David. He even gave his sword, his bow and his belt. In other words, Jonathan laid aside the symbols of his position as the prince of Israel and gave to David. That is a picture of a love that involves personal and profound sacrifice. It is a picture of uncommon love! This kind of love can be seen in 1 Sam. 23:17. There, Jonathan reveals to David that he knows David will ascend to the throne of Israel after Saul. But, Jonathan is not jealous of David. He stand by David, even as David assumes a throne that should belonged to Jonathan. Again, that is a picture of selfless and personal sacrifice. Jonathan consistently placed David ahead of himself. That is what a true friend always does!

This is a picture of the love Jesus has for His people. Just as Jonathan laid aside the royal robes and gave to David; Jesus has done the same for His children. Consider Phil. 2:5-8. That glorious passage reminds us that Jesus laid aside His Own robes of glory for a time to come to this world to die for us. And in His dying and His resurrection from the dead, Jesus made a way that old sinners like us could be clothed in His robes of righteousness. His death is proof of His uncommon love for lost sinners, Rom. 5:8; John 15:13; 1 John 3:16; 4:9-10.

Like David we were nothing but poor sinners, Isa. 64:6, until Jesus came to us in His love; saved us by His grace and clothed us in His Own righteous robes, Isa. 61:10; Rom. 4:16-25! Now, in heaven, we are in Jesus, Col. 3:3; we are seated with Jesus, Eph. 2:6; and the Father in Heaven sees us as if we were Jesus, Rom. 4:24. Thank God for the Lord’s uncommon love!

UNCOMPLICATED LOVE

According to v 1, Jonathan loved David just as he was. Think about it! David was nobody from nowhere, but Jonathan saw something in little David that ignited love in his heart. He loved David just because he was David, and for no other reason! The prince loved the poor and his soul was knit with the soul of David. The word knit means to tie, or to bind together. There was nothing in David to cause this love to grow, yet it was there just the same. The prince loved the poor with an uncomplicated love.

This is a clear picture of the grace of God. This is portrait of how we are loved by the Lord Jesus Christ. His love for us is not based on our worth or our merit. The Bible is clear, in our natural state; we possess nothing that would commend us to the Lord, Eph. 2:1-3; Rom. 8:7; Eph. 4:18-19. But, He loves us anyway! His love for us is pure, perfect and uncomplicated.

His Love Is Primary Love – 1 John 4:10; 4:19 – Even when we could not love Him because of our sinful condition, He loved us anyway! His Love Is Perpetual Love – Jer. 31:3 – The love God has for you and me is a love that had no beginning and will have no ending. His love is everlasting! His Love Is Proven Love – Rom. 5:8; 1 John 4:8-9 – The love of God found its ultimate expression the day Jesus died on the cross for our sins. God sent His Son, John 3:16, to die for a fallen, wayward, sinful race, Isa. 52:4-6. And, He did it all because He loves us!

God knew that we could never love Him like He loves us; but He loved us anyway! He knew that we would never show our love for Him to the same degree He demonstrated His love for us; but He loved us anyway! He knew there was nothing about us that merited His love; but He loved us anyway! He knew that we would trample Him and His love under our sinful feet; but He loved us anyway! We will never understand it, but God’s love for us is really very uncomplicated. He loves us because He is God! He loves us because that is His nature, 1 John 4:7; Eph. 2:4. Thank God that His love for us is not based on what we deserve! He loves us because that is His choice!

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

Verse 3 tells us that Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Along the way, there were problems that developed issues in their relationship. For instance, Saul hated David and repeatedly tried to kill him, 1 Sam. 18:25; 19:1, 8-11, and many other places. Jonathan’s devotion to David even caused a division to develop between him and his father, as he repeatedly took David’s side against the king, 1 Sam. 19:2, 4-7; 1 Sam. 20:24-34. Things even became so heated between Jonathan and Saul that Saul actually tried to kill his own son. In spite of the problems and everything that happened, Jonathan loved David to the end. His love was totally unconditional!

Even when it wasn’t easy for this friendship between Jonathan and David to exist, it did. It existed and flourished because Jonathan refused to allow anything to sever the bond he has with David. When his soul was knit to the souls of David, it was bound to him for life. The Bible also says that they made a covenant together, 1 Sam. 18:3. A covenant was more than a mere promise. It was life and death guarantee. They bound themselves together for life with an oath. They swore to be friends to the end; and they both honoured the covenant. When Jonathan was killed in battle, David spoke of his death and of their friendship, 2 Sam. 1:17-27. As David speaks it is clear to see that he speaks of a friendship that was unfailing and unceasing. 

Again, this is a picture of the kind of love with which God loves us. His love for us is not affected by our behaviour. It is not affected by His feelings. It is unaffected by our responses to Him. His love is not affected by anything at all.

His love is never ending and it is totally unconditional. In fact, there is nothing that you can do that will make the Lord stop loving you! Nothing, and I mean nothing, can make Him stop loving His children, Rom. 8:38-39. Thank God for unconditional love!

In the Jewish temple and tabernacle they burned a lamp, a light of sacrifice that never went off. Day and night summer and winter, it shed its soft and mystic glow within the holy place. In the temple of the life our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ there was a lamp, a light that never went out. The oil that supplied it was never exhausted. No scorn, no hostility, no hatred could ever quench it. It was the light of love.

Today, that same light still shines in the darkness of this world. That same light still illuminates the lonely road to Heaven. That light still sends its glow into hearts that have been afflicted and plunged into darkness by sin. It still brightens the way for those who are searching for hope in a hopeless world. It still shines to remind us that there is a God in Heaven Who loves us with an uncommon, uncomplicated, unconditional love. Today, God has reminded us again of this great, heavenly truth, A man that have friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticked closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24.

Do you need that Friend today? If you do, you can come to Him and by faith He will save your soul if you are lost. If you have gone away from Him and have strained your friendship with Him, you can return to Him and find that He is a faithful friend that always forgives those who come back. If you are carrying a heavy burden, and need a friend to help shoulder that load, there is no better friend than Jesus. He invites you to come, whatever the need may be, Matt. 11:28.