David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness Ziph at Horesh. And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.
1 Samuel 23:15-16 (ESV).
It’s been a long time past, but the words still sting. Of all the things someone could have said about me, might have said about me, or have definitely said about me, this statement came out of the blue, and, whammy (!), took me by surprise, and shook me to my core. I never saw it coming… “You are a terrible friend! I am not sure you even know what a good friend looks like.” I can still remember every little detail that surrounds that conversation. When I started breathing again, and rationally processing, here’s what I did with that out-of-nowhere-remark. First, I remembered that this was a highly charged moment, and that statement wasn’t really about me, it was more about the person who said it (my friend was in need, and I wasn’t able to meet her need – not the way she wanted). I also recalled that in every criticism there is some element of truth. What we have to do is sift out what is true, make changes where needed, and throw the rest away. So, what was true? As in every aspect of our lives, there is always room for improvement. Certainly, I could be a better friend; and, yes, I definitely could learn more about what that should look like. I took that to the Lord, and His truth, to determine what personal changes I could make.
My first stop was the biblical account of the friendship of David and King Saul’s son, Jonathan. The introduction of this friendship is a great story, but the above passage is the first one that resonated with me (as in conviction). This piece of the puzzle that was their friendship is LoAdEd with some identification markers about friendship.
Friends aren’t always what or who we expect. They don’t always look like us. Fact is, they may be the most unlikely, different people, we could have imagined. Jonathan was a prince, a warrior. David was a shepherd boy from a low class family. Jonathan was Saul’s son; Saul was King; that meant Jonathan was next in line to be the King. One day, Samuel-the-Prophet, showed up at the sheep ranch. God had instructed him to anoint one of Jesse’s boys as the next king. It certainly wasn’t the son-of-Jesse that Samuel expected. Instead God had chosen the youngest, the runt (David). God liked his heart. This meant that David would one day strip the throne from Jonathan’s hands. They should have been enemies, but when they met, their hearts were “knit together” (they forged a strong bond that not even competition over the throne of Israel could sever). Here’s are some truths from this fact: we can’t plan for friends, they are discovered along life’s journey; and, there’s some internal heart-thing that simply draws us together. We know it when we find it; and, when we find it, then it has to be developed. So, when we discover friends, to keep them, we have to invest in the relationship. That’s what Jonathan and David did: they invested time, commitment, and trust. Their’s wasn’t a scenario of keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Their’s was a bond forged in spite of everything that should have divided them.
Friends know where to find you. David was in the wilderness. He was in a tough spot in life. The toughest. King Saul was dead set to kill him (and, he was prone to throwing spears). So, David ran…to the wilderness! His location probably matched the condition of his heart. Wildernesses aren’t fun places. They tend to be dry, desert-type regions. There’s not a lot of water in the wilderness. As a result, our thirsts aren’t satisfied. Besides that, they are filled with snakes, scorpions, and very little vegetation – wildernesses are dangerous and make us very vulnerable. However, there are a lot of caves to be found. Somehow, Jonathan knew where to find David when his heart was heavy; and he was willing to join him there. Not only that, but he didn’t give David’s hiding place away to his dad. Biblical friends are willing to join you in the desert places of your life. They are willing to sacrifice their honor to walk the journey with you. They protect us and hold our confidences, dear to their hearts. That’s a whole lot of TRUST…and loyalty!
Most importantly though, our friends know how to help satisfy those thirsts in the dry and weary lands of our lives. Good, Biblical, friends always take us back to the Lord. “To strengthen” literally means to fasten or to secure. David’s perspective was skewed. He needed someone to settle his heart, and secure his mind, back on the only One who could fulfill his heart’s desire and satisfy his soul. If there’s one thing that Jonathan teaches us about a good friend, it’s this: when a true friend comes into our lives, they leave us with a little more courage.
Jonathan was the full-friend-package. He set the bar high. It wasn’t easy to be David’s friend; but God had given David this man “for such a time.” My prayer has been since that one day in early 1988, “God, form my heart to be a Jonathan-kind of a friend…”
