We saw in the last article that I Samuel 18:1 says that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Our word “knit” means to tie or bind, so Jonathan’s soul was bound to the soul of David. Our word “soul” is also translated: “heart”, so the heart of Jonathan was tied to the heart of David. For Jonathan to love David as he loved his very own life was something beyond any natural or sensual love for David. It meant, as we will see in later articles, that Jonathan was willing to put his own life on the line for David, and he did just that. I Samuel 18:3-4 says, “Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.” There is nothing sensual in this action of Jonathan, as some mistakenly assume, rather it was the love of one friend to another that caused Jonathan to be willing to give even some of his prized possessions to David.
First we see that Jonathan made a covenant with David, since Jonathan was “heir to the throne” of his father Saul, so he could more readily have possessions to give than did David. This covenant is not put into words, but the intent seems clear, since Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. There is a lesson here for all of us, for the basic problem of most people is selfishness, but Jonathan had none of that concerning his friend David. One writer has said that the giving of Jonathan’s robe to David was an admission that he was willing for David to have the throne after Saul, instead of having it for himself. In giving his sword, girdle and bow, Jonathan was seemingly saying that David was a man who deserved these items of warfare and protection, because he had protected Israel by slaying Goliath. Whatever else may be indicated by these gifts, we see that the Scriptures give us the picture of a selfless man who is willing to value his friend David above his own life; his inheritance of the throne over Israel and his ability to fight and win the battles of the Lord against Israel’s enemies. It is quite rare in our day to see one man who is willing to place a friend in what could have been his position and also to love that friend like he loves his very own life! This is Jonathan the loyal friend of David, and I love the Scriptures that give his story, for it is an immortal story!
By J. Briggs King, Evangelist, Rainsville, AL (678) 451-0921