David and Jonathan – a life-long commitment

Xanthe Galanis

David … bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most. Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

1 Samuel 20: 41-42

Like any real friendship, David and Jonathan's was not one-sided. We read yesterday about Jonathan's sacrificial love for David, and today we see just how much David loved and respected Jonathan.

David and Jonathan sealed their friendship by the covenant they made in 1 Samuel 20:42, yet this would be the last time they spent much time together. In fact, they would meet only briefly once more (1 Samuel 23: 16-18) before Jonathan's death. Their friendship and the promises they made to one another, however, weren't limited by geographical proximity or even death. When Jonathan died, David's friendship lingered. So great was David's love for Jonathan that, upon the news of Saul and Jonathan’s death, he composed a song of lamentation, and instructed that it be taught to the children of Judah (2 Samuel 1). Even after the death of Jonathan, David kept his promise to show kindness to his friend by extending the gesture of friendship to Jonathan's decendents. He sought out Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth, and provided for him the rest of his life, even inviting him to eat at his own table (2 Samuel 9).

They could have been enemies and rivals, yet they set aside jealousy, resentment, and lust for power, choosing instead to become the closest of friends.

Prayer: True friendship is a gift from you, but it isn't easy. Father, help me to cherish my friends, to remain faithful and committed to them even when I don't see them often. Amen.