A True Friend

Day two hundred forty-three

There are days when I just need a little extra help from above to get me through them, today is one of those days!  I woke up reluctantly and with less than a stellar attitude.  I don't know why, it just happens sometimes.  I was starting my day in a funk.  It's days like these that I know that I need to have a good talk with my Heavenly Father.  I need to lay it all out and see where it takes me.  That is exactly what I did!  And I do feel better.

1 Samuel 18-20

As David moved through the days of his life, he was truly blessed by the Lord.  One blessing we see in David's life is that God placed in his life certain people on whom David could lean during the hard times.  These people provided a strong support system for David and helped him make it through many dark hours in his life.

One of the most precious and profound of the relationships David enjoyed was the friendship he had with King Saul’s son Jonathan.  Jonathan was a true friend to David.  Jonathan was strategically placed in David’s life at the very time David needed a genuine 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 it was not.  Some have taken the words of 2 Samuel 1:26 and have twisted them to imply that David and Jonathan were lovers.  Nothing could be farther from the truth!  What is true is the fact that Jonathan became to David the rarest of gifts: he became a true, genuine friend!

So, what is a true friend? 

Sacrifice

Verse 4 tells us that Jonathan removed his princely robe and placed it on David.  He even gave David his sword, his bow and his girdle or belt.  In other words, Jonathan willing laid aside the symbols of his position as the crown prince of Israel and gave them to David.  When someone saw David on that day, they might have mistaken him for Jonathan.  That is a picture of a love that involves personal, profound sacrifice. 

This kind of love can also 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 intends to stand by David, even as David assumes a throne that should have belonged to Jonathan.  Again, that is a picture of selfless, personal sacrifice.

Jonathan consistently placed David ahead of himself.  That is what a true friend always does!

Non-judgmental

According to verse one, Jonathan loved David just as he was.  Think about it! David was nobody from nowhere, but Jonathan saw something in David that ignited love in his heart.  He loved David just because he was David, and for no other reason!  There was nothing in David to cause this love to grow, yet it was there just the same. 

This was not a friendship based on status or position.  Jonathan loved David for the person he was, not because he could do something for him.  He recognized the good in David and that was all it took.

A true friend does not judge you on your outward appearance or what you can do for them socially, but looks beyond that to see the good in you!

Unconditional

Verse 3 tells us that Jonathan “loved him as his own soul.”  Along the way, there were hurdles that developed which could have derailed their friendship.  For instance, Saul hated David and repeatedly tried to kill him (1 Sam. 18:25; 19:1, 8-11).  Jonathan’s devotion to David even caused a rift 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!

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 had with David.  When his soul was “knit” to the soul of David, it was bound to him for life.  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.

In spite of the problems and in spite of everything that happened, Jonathan loved David to the end.  He was there for him when he needed him, unconditionally!

As I studied the friendship between Jonathan and David it became apparent that their relationship had all the elements that a good relationship with God would have.  Imagine how much stronger our bond would be with the Lord if we applied the principles of sacrifice, being non-judgmental, and unconditional love to our relationship with Him. He has already applied them to us!

We have all had people that have been placed in our lives for us to lean on.  I think finding a true friend is one of the greatest blessings that the Lord gives us.  I am so grateful for those true friends in my life and hope that I can be a true friend to them in return.