Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have a sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD..." (v. 42)
It’s been said that “A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.” That is what Jonathan was to David. God, you are showing me something about the importance of loyalty. It's a quality that is hard to find these days. A loyal friend or a loyal spouse is a priceless blessing. And you are showing me what loyalty really is. Some people are scared of commitment. Others make commitments and stand by them, but only as long as it's in their own best interest. A truly loyal person is willing to suffer to keep his commitment. That's what I see in Jonathan. He stood by his friend even though David was a threat to his own heirship to the throne. Not only that, but he remained loyal even when it almost got him killed!
Jonathan had a tough situation to navigate, trying to balance his loyalty to both his friend, David, and his own father, King Saul. It's not uncommon to have conflicting loyalties. Relationships are complicated. It's admirable how well Jonathan managed to avoid betraying either of these two important relationships. I see, God, that the wisdom it took to do that came from Jonathan's ultimate loyaly to you. The principles that you had taught him through your word about love and truth and honor were clearly guiding him. It's a far cry from the soap opera lives that so many people live!
God, thank you for reminding me that loyalty is the key to lasting, satisfying relationships. And thank you for the reminder that true loyalty must stand strong even when it hurts or threatens my own self-interest. I know that you being my highest loyalty helps me tremendously to deal effectively with the complicated situations that relationships present.
It would be great if you were to share your own reflections below! And please share this post on Facebook. We're good at cyber-acquaintances, but real loyalty is something most of us crave and we all need. Peace.
This is such a great story of not only loyalty, but of love, respect, kindness and faithfulness. All qualities that are very hard to find in relationships.
ReplyDeleteChris, you made a good point in saying that Jonathan was only able to maintain his loyalty to both David and Saul because of his ultimate loyalty to God. Only through our relationship with God will we be able to have lasting and true relationships with others. Thank you!