1 Samuel 18:1-4, 5-12 - The Conflict of Souls
Introduction:
I went to the fellowship to find a friend and I found none, I went to the fellowship to be a friend and I found many. If your motivation for friendship is self-centered you won’t be a good friend for very long. Why? The principle is very clear and is presented to us in (Proverbs 18:24; 17:17). Everybody wants friends, but are you willing to pay the price to be a friend?
Key Ingredients to Friendship.
1. Listening to the unpleasantness.
2. Helping when it’s inconvenient.
3. Sharing when it’s unexpected.
4. Encouraging when it’s unpromising.
5. Remains even when it’s unexciting.
(1) On the subject of friendship, it is Jesus Christ who employs that very word.
In John 15 Jesus says "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15, NKJV)
(2) Jesus will stick closer to you than a blood brother. Know this: he is a blood brother of the finest blood!
A. The Reaction of Jonathan (v.1-4).
1. The Loving of a soul.
a) When he had finished speaking to Saul (v.1a).
(1) Jonathan heard David give an extended explanation of his heart (17:37, 45-47); his faith in the living God, and Jonathan knew that he and David had the same heart. They could not be such close friends until Jonathan knew that about David.
(2) Most people long for true, deep friendships, but give little heed to how they select their friends.
(3) A Bad Influence Poses A Deadly Danger.
Paul told the Corinthians "Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”" (1 Corinthians 15:33, NKJV)
The writer of Proverbs says that “if sinners entice you do not consent: (Prov. 1:10).
Proverbs 13:20 gives great instruction "He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.” (Proverbs 13:20; Ps.1:1-3).
(a) King Solomon’s wives turned his heart away from God (1Kings 11:3-4).
(i) The good features. Received instruction from his father David (1 Kin. 2:1–10), Purged his kingdom of corrupt leaders (1 Kin. 2:11–46), Prayer of, for wisdom and chooses and understanding heart (1 Kin. 3:1-15), Exhibited sound judgment (1 Kin. 3:16–28), Excelled in wisdom (1 Kin. 4:29–34), Great writer (1 Kin. 4:32).
(ii) The bad features. Loved luxury (Eccl.2:1-11), Fell into polygamy and idolatry (1 Kin. 11:1–8), God warned him (1 Kin. 11:9–14), Enslaved Israel (1 Kings 12:1-4).
(b) Ahab sold himself to do evil, because Jezebel his wife enticed him (1Kings 21:25).
(c) Jesus gave a parable about the tares and the wheat (Mastt.13:24-25), then in (Luke 12:1) he told His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
(d) Sexual immorality was being tolerated and Paul said that “a little leaven will leaven the whole lump (1Cor.5:6-8)
(e) False teachers hindered the Galatians from obeying the truth (Gal.5:7-9).
(f) And know this, bitterness is a bad influence and will hinder you walk (Heb.12:15).
(4) A Good Influence Lifts Us Up.
(a) Having communion and fellowship with the body of Christ (Acts 2:42).
(b) Stirring up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves (Hebrews 10:24-25).
(5) Jonathan chose David for a friend because his words to Saul revealed David’s heart (for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks Matt.12:34) - and it was heart full of love, and trust, and joy in God
(6) The quality of character that Jonathan saw in David drew from him admiration and love. .
(7) Probably, at that moment as he heard David speaking to his father King Saul, God spoke to Jonathan’s heart and said, “This one will be the next king of Israel.”
b) Jonathan’s soul was knit to the soul of David (v.1b).
(1) Literally “became one in spirit with,” lit., “spirit bound with spirit”.
(a) Another parallel is (Deut.6:8; 11:18): where God instructed Israel to “bind” His laws (words) to their foreheads and hands. Their thoughts and actions were to be governed by His Word.
(b) Another parallel is (Joshua 2:18): where Rahab was instructed to “tie” a scarlet thread to her window to mark it (v.18, 21).
(c) The commandments of godly fathers and mothers were to be “bound continually around their heart… of the children and they were to “tie them around their neck” (Porv.6:21).
(d) We are to “bind” truth and kindness to our fingers (or neck Porv.3:3), as well as written on our hearts (Jer.31:3ff).
(2) Our word applies here in the present passage to human relationships: Men being bound together (inseparably) in love (1Sam.18:1).
(a) The closest parallel is (Genesis 44:30): “life ... closely bound up with ... life”, describing Jacob’s profound love for his youngest son, Benjamin (Gen 44:20).
(3) In the NT the word means “to hold together,” “to unite,” in (Col. 2:2, 19; Eph. 4:16). According to (Col. 2:19 and Eph. 4:16) the body is held together by the head.
c) Jonathan’s soul was knit after the battle had been won.
(1) David fought that battle, not for himself, but on behalf of Israel. His victory was there victory!
(2) Jonathan watched the battle take place & as he watched his soul was knit to David’s.
(3) Jesus Christ went out to battle for us at Calvary. He shed His blood for our redemption and dealt wit the power of sin in that battle on the cross.
(4) Shouldn’t our response be the same as Jonathans?
(5) When you look back at the cross and see the battle that took place on our behalf, does your soul and whole being become knit to the Savior?
2. The Making of a covenant (v.3)
a) Jonathan and David made a covenant (v.3a).
(1) Jonathan, by all human expectation, would be the next king. However, David was anointed by the LORD, through the prophet Samuel, to be the next king.
(2) Yet they made a covenant of friendship that would prove stronger than jealousy, stronger than envy, stronger than ambition and stronger that death (2Sam.1:26).
(3) A covenant is a divine agreement between God and mankind. In the Old Testament, God first made a covenant with Noah (Gen.9:8-16).
(4) There are two types of covenants.
(a) Conditional covenant—in other words, if you do one thing, this is what I will do; if you do another thing, then this is what I will do. Conditional covenants hinge upon the behavior of man and, very specifically, our willingness to obey God.
(b) Unconditional covenant. An unconditional covenant does not depend upon man’s response. God has said what He is going to do, and it shall be done, regardless of the obedience of human beings.
(5) In most cases, God established His covenants with the shedding of blood. He did that with Abraham, causing a burning torch to appear and move among the pieces of the sacrificial offering that Abraham had made to God (Gen. 15:9–17).
(6) Note: Jonathan was the initiator; He was willing to humble himself. Just as God is the initiator of our salvation. He is sent His only Son (John 3:16), Christ died for us while we were still sinners (Rom.5:8), Christ is the One who loved us and gave Himself for us (Eph.5:2), not that we loved God, but He loved us (1John.4:10), and because He first loved us, we love Him (1John 4:19).
b) Ruth loved Naomi as her own soul (Ruth 1:16-17; Esther 4:16).
(1) These two woman “cut covenant”. Both Ruth and Esther were committed to do the will of God.
(a) Ruth’s reply to Naomi (Ruth 1:16–17) is one of the great confessions of faith found in Scripture.
(b) Esther’s reply to Mordecai (Es. 4:16) reveals a woman willing to lay down her life to save her people.
(c) Ruth and Esther both summon Christians today to be committed to Jesus Christ and to do His will at any cost.
c) Jonathan loved David as his own soul (v.3b).
(1) True friends make covenants (1Sam.18:3). They based their friendship on their commitment to God, not just each other.
(2) True friends seek the well being of each other (1Sam.19:1-3). Jonathan warned David that Saul wanted him dead. But because Jonathan delighted in David he told him everything his father was seeking to do. They let nothing come between them, not even career or family problems
(3) True friends intercede on behalf of one another (1Sam.19:4, 6). Jonathan interceded on behalf of David saying many good things about him (v.4) and the result was that Saul swore that David would not be killed (v.6). Jonathan was putting out fires.
(4) True friends will keep their covenants (1Sam.20:8, 13-17). Jonathan acknowledged that David would one day be Israel’s king. With that in mind, Jonathan requested protection for him and his family when David took the throne. David continued to display loving loyalty toward Jonathan by ministering to the physical needs of his crippled son, Mephibosheth (2Sam.4:4).
3. The Stripping of oneself (v.4)
a) Jonathan gave David his robe.
(1) There was the first initial step of giving it all to David. Jonathan, though the kings son and heir to the kingdom, stripped himself of every symbol of his royalty in favor of the one who was his rival. It would have only been natural for Jonathan to be jealous.
Instead, one day when David was hiding from Saul, Jonathan sought him out: "Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that.”" (1 Samuel 23:16-17, NKJV)
(2) David’s faith was on the point of faltering.
(a) If David would have given up, he would have ceased to be Jonathans rival to the throne. However, Jonathan did the very thing that put David above himself.
(b) Jonathan was happy to be in the background if only the one he loved could be exalted and put on the throne having the place of prominence.
(c) I would love to have a Jonathan in my life, but even more so that I might find a David somewhere to whom I could be a Jonathan
(3) All need to give over their robes, (robes of righteousness Isaiah 64:6 “filthy rags”) in exchange for his robes (Phil.3:8-9; Rev.3:17-18). The first initial step for Salvation!
Paul trusting in his own righteousness realized that he needed to "Count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord… and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;" (Philippians 3:8-9; Gal.2:16).
Christ paid the penalty on our behalf "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV)
b) Jonathan gave David his weaponry.
(1) He gave it all to David making himself completely vulnerable. He laid aside everything, setting them at the feet of David.
(a) The Lord Jesus Christ laid aside His glory in order that we would live:
Jesus said that "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”" (Matthew 20:28, NKJV)
Paul writing to the Philippians said that "Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross." (Philippians 2:5-8, NLT)
(b) All need to lay aside our own rights in order that Jesus would be exalted:
John the Baptist said that "He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)
c) Jonathan dethroned or stripped himself of everything.
(1) Jonathan Transferred the Right To the Throne Over To David.
(a) When a person realizes what the “Son of David” the greater than David did for them, like Jonathan realized what David did for the whole nation in defeating Goliath, destroying the enemy (death), a person cant help but dethrone themselves of everything (2Cor.5:14).
(b) Jonathan could have been jealous of David knowing that David is going to get all the attention, but Jonathan stripped himself of everything:
(i) he gave away his regality: this robe that I wear, it’s yours.
(ii) he gave away his humility: the clothes that cover me, their yours.
(iii) he made himself completely vulnerable: his sword, bow and weaponry their yours, I am vulnerable, I have nothing to defend myself.