IMITATE THEIR FAITH/JONATHAN - The Foundation of Friendship -Conclusion

 The covenant they made was a real protection for their friendship. How so? You see, David knew what Jehovah had in store for him: He was to become the next king of Israel! Did he withhold the knowledge from Jonathan? Hardly! A good friendship such as theirs thrives on open communication, not on secrets and lies. How might learning of David's prospect have affected Jonathan? What if Jonathan had cherished a hope of becoming king one day and righting his father's wrongs? The Bible tells us nothing about any internal struggle Jonathan may have had; it tells us only of what truly matters, Jonathan's loyalty and his faith. He could see that Jehovah's spirit was with David. (1 Samuel 16:1, 11-13) So Jonathan fulfilled his oath and continued to view David, not as his rival, but as his friend. Jonathan wanted to see Jehovah's will done. 

That friendship turned out to be a great blessing. What can we learn from Jonathan's faith? Any servant of God does well to see the value of friendship. Our friends need not match our age or background, but they can do us enormous good if they have genuine faith. Jonathan and David were able to strengthen and encourage each other many times. And they would both need such help, for their friendship was about to face even greater tests.

Next time: IMITATE THEIR FAITH/JONATHAN -The Challenge of Conflicting Loyalties

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