Loyal and Righteous - Devotional

Read I Samuel 18:1-16 & I Samuel 19:1-7

Jonathan’s loyalty to David is astounding, considering the circumstances. In 1 Samuel 18:1-4, we see Jonathan entering into a covenant of friendship with David. Proof that his are more than empty words, Jonathan takes off his clothing and weapons and passes them to David, leaving himself defenseless and barely clothed.

“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.” (1 Samuel 18:4)

But clothing and weapons are only the beginning of what friendship with David will cost. Soon, we see King Saul becoming jealous, afraid that he will lose the throne because God was making David successful in everything he did. By the beginning of 1 Samuel 19, we hear Saul telling Jonathan to kill David. But instead, Jonathan warns him to hide, honoring their covenant, even at the risk of angering his father and king.

Jonathan then manages to temporarily reconcile his father to David. In vs. 4-5, he argues David’s innocence, “Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad.” Saul responds positively to Jonathan’s rebuke, and temporarily welcomes David back into his presence.

However, soon Saul’s jealousy and anger boils over again. And this time none of Jonathan’s words are able to calm him. Jonathan finds himself dodging a spear thrust, and David has to run for his life.

But, in 1 Samuel 20:14-15, as the two young men tearfully embrace each other for the last time, Jonathan secures a promise from David—that his loyal and righteous friendship will be remembered after David ascends to the throne. "But show me unfailing kindness like the Lord’s kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, and do not ever cut your kindness off from my family—not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the ends of the earth.” (1 Samuel 20:14-15)

After reading today’s scriptures, my older son described Jonathan as being ‘very selfless for a human.’ Jonathan walked the difficult line of honoring his father and king, while also loyally defending his friend. But he pays an astronomical price for his loyalty. He brings his father’s curse down on both himself and his mother (1 Samuel 20:30), loses his chance at the throne, and is eventually killed alongside his father in a battle against the Philistines.

Jonathan’s story reminds me of the words of Elizabeth O’Connor in her book Call to Commitment, “…nothing which is worth doing is ever done without great sacrifice…”. It would have been far easier for Jonathan if he had simply renounced David’s friendship. He also could have settled for the middle ground, refusing to actively participate in David’s murder without doing anything to prevent it. Yet, Jonathan goes far above that, speaking up on David’s behalf and assisting with his escape.

It seems to me that Jonathan felt David’s friendship was worth everything that he suffered to maintain it. It was worth doing. So Jonathan was willing to make the sacrifices.

Lord, help us to see others as worthy of the sacrifices that they sometimes require of us.