SERIES: The Life of David
TEXT: 1 Samuel 17:55-18:5
MESSAGE: “David and Jonathan”

Q: When you’re struggling, which friend do you call for support?

“It is not good that the man should be alone.” — Genesis 2:18

“We are so busy with a million pursuits that we don’t even notice the most important things slipping away.”― Kevin DeYoung

TEXT: 1 Samuel 17:55-18:5

“Jonathan’s covenant friendship with David brackets Saul’s repeated attempts…to kill David. Jonathan lives out his covenantal friendship in hard circumstances. Many a covenantal friendship is lived out similarly in ‘Saul’s court,’ in marital, family, work, and cultural conditions that are hostile to a vowed intimacy.” — Eugene Peterson

Q: What are the foundations for godly friendships that will help bracket our lives? (1. Authenticity 2. Commitment 3. Selflessness)

1. Authenticity (v. 1)

v. 1 “…the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

“This was understandable because David and Jonathan had much in common; they were both courageous and capable young warriors who possessed profound faith in the Lord.” —Robert Bergen

• “…Jonathan loved him…”

“This David-Jonathan sort of friendship is a love that sets the other free to be himself or herself…healthy friendships do not restrict our lives; they expand our lives.” — Eugene Peterson

2. Commitment (v. 3)

v. 3 “…Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.”

“…having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” — John 13:1

3. Selflessness (v. 4)

v. 4 “And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.”

TAKEAWAYS: How can I evaluate my friendships?

• Consider your current friendships

“People are so eager to maximize the efficiency of relationships that they have lost touch with what it is to be a friend.” — Ronald Sharp

• Identify signs of real friendship

“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” — Proverbs 27:6

• Lasting friendships take resilience

“I lay it down as a fact that if all men knew what others say of them, there would not be four friends in the world.” ― Blaise Pascal

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13