March 1, 2014
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Friendship Rules

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Opening Prayer

Lord, today I lift up Your name joyfully. May my thoughts and deeds give You great joy.

Read 1 Samuel 17:55-18:16

[55] As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.” [56] The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.” [57] As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head. [58] “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him. David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.” [1] After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. [2] From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. [3] And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. [4] Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt. [5] Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well. [6] When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. [7] As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” [8] Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” [9] And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David. [10] The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand [11] and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice. [12] Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul. [13] So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. [14] In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. [15] When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. [16] But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright &copy 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.&reg Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up” (Eccles. 4:10).

At what point did Jonathan realize David would become king, not he? We get a glimpse of long talks, of his accepting David as an equal; and a covenant of loyalty he initiates. It’s easy to think of Jonathan as soft, but he was winning the fighting (1 Sam. 14:6-15) until he was sidetracked by his father’s rash action. David and Jonathan see each other as fellow fighters, heroic figures, but Jonathan has no great need to be a leader. Would he have made a better leader? If we rely on the alpha male or those with high drive, we may end up with individuals who will do anything to lead. Yet God often chooses people such as Jeremiah, who are reluctant. Others, like Moses, have to learn first not to do it to their own agenda before God commissions them. It’s better to feel inadequate but depending on God than to be overconfident.

Like David and Goliath, David and Jonathan have come to represent another facet of human experience: that of deeply loyal friendship. David has courage, sharpness and success, but it is Jonathan who has the gift of friendship. It overcomes any natural jealousy and does not take offense at David’s popularity or increased opportunities. As someone has observed, it may be worse to take offense than to give it, because you may give offense unwittingly. And the antidote to jealousy is not suppression of feelings, but gratitude for the things you have already.

So this passage–a mixture of love and hate–concludes the transfer of favor to David. Everything Saul tries to do against him just adds to his standing, while the king’s hatred dissipates his own formerly renowned energy (1 Sam. 11:6-11). It can’t go on like this; something has to give, but that’s another story.

Apply

The male-female bond is the primary human relationship in Scripture (Gen. 2:24,25), but do you make room in your life for other serious friendships?

Closing prayer

Father, as I look back over the years, I’m grateful for friends. Some were for a season, others have been there forever. I’m grateful, too, that You are my Friend.

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