Then David took an oath before Jonathan and
said, "Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has
said to himself, 'I won't tell Jonathan--why should I hurt him?' But I swear to
you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the LORD and by your
own soul!" "Tell me what I can do to help you," Jonathan
exclaimed. David replied, "Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival.
I've always eaten with the king on this occasion, but tomorrow I'll hide in the
field and stay there until the evening of the third day. If your father asks
where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual
family sacrifice. If he says, 'Fine!' you will know all is well. But if he is
angry and loses his temper, you will know he is determined to kill me. Show me
this loyalty as my sworn friend--for we made a solemn pact before the LORD--or
kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don't betray
me to him!" "Never!" Jonathan exclaimed. "You know that if
I had the slightest notion my father was planning to kill you, I would tell you
at once." ... And may the LORD make us keep our promises to each other,
for he has witnessed them." ... At last Jonathan said to David, "Go
in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the LORD's name. The LORD
is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever." Then David
left, and Jonathan returned to the town. 1 Samuel 20:3-9, 23, 42
Friends form bonds. Look at the relationship
of David and Jonathan, son of King Saul. Right after the shepherd boy, David,
killed the giant Philistine, Goliath, David met Jonathan.
After David had finished talking with Saul,
he met Jonathan, the king's son. There was an immediate bond between them, for
Jonathan loved David. From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn't
let him return home. And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he
loved him as he loved himself. Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe
and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt. 1
Samuel 18:1-4
 |
| The "Bow" in the sky was God's promise. A covenant promise to all the people of the world.j |
Giving someone
your tunic or robe, belt, and weapon was a significant part of a covenant in
Old Testament times. As James L, Garlow explains in his book The Covenant,
the first step in making a covenant was the exchanging of robes and identities.
The next step was to exchange belts and thus to exchange strength. Next was the
exchange of weapons, likely hanging from the military belt, which signified a
willingness to protect each other. By giving these things to David, Jonathan was
making a covenant of friendship with him. Jonathan’s devotion to David was
evident when he helped him escape from King Saul’s wrath. David pleaded with
Jonathan not to betray him to Jonathan’s father.
This covenant extended to
their families and later after Jonathan dies, David takes care of Jonathan’s
son, Mephibosheth, who frequently ate at King David’s table. David kept his
promise of loyalty to Jonathan. That bond extended between them and their children…
forever. You can read the detail about David’s life in First and Second Samuel
and in First Chronicles.
Prayer
~ Lord Jesus, help me to have honest conversations with friends that allow our
bonds to be strong and centered on You.
Daily
Bible Reading: Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9
© 2018 photo and
text by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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