A Covenant Love

I have two very close friends that I have known since High School. We call each other brothers and are godparents to one another’s children. After 53 years, we still maintain a deep and loyal love for one another, and that love also extends to each other’s families. The story of David and Jonathan’s covenant love for one another is found in 1 Samuel 18:1–4; 20:16–17, 32–34, 42; 2 Samuel 1:26–27; 21:7. Because of their loyal love for each other, Jonathan helped David avoid being killed by king Saul. Later, king David remembered his love for Jonathan and spared Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth from death at the hands of the Gibeonites. I pray that we would recognize God’s loyal covenant love toward us that offered us salvation through Jesus and restored us into a life in the presence of the King forever. Amen

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt. (1 Samuel 18:1–4)

Following David’s defeat of Goliath, king Saul brought David to live in his household. A deep bond and brotherly love immediately developed between David and Saul’s son, Jonathan. The text says that they became one in spirit and Jonathan loved David as himself. Further, Jonathan recognized David’s anointing from God to be king. So Jonathan took his royal robe and other of his royal possessions and gave them to David.

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD call David’s enemies to account. ” And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.

Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.

Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever. ’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town. (1 Samuel 20:16–17, 32–34, 42)

Here the text noted that Jonathan made a covenant of loyalty and friendship with David, that extended to David’s descendants as well. And he had David reaffirm his oath to him also. Jonathan hen promised David that he would learn whether or not Saul did in fact intend to kill David. Upon questioning his father and becoming convinced of Saul’s intentions to kill David, Jonathan became grieved to the point that he couldn’t eat. The next morning, Jonathan went to their agreed meeting place and confirmed to David that Saul intended to kill him. As David prepared to depart and go on the run, Jonathan impressed upon David again that their sworn covenant of friendship was not just between them, but extended to their descendants forever.

I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;

you were very dear to me.

Your love for me was wonderful,

more wonderful than that of women.

“How the mighty have fallen!

The weapons of war have perished!”

The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul. (2 Samuel 1:26–27; 21:7)

In a battle with the Philestines, both Saul and Jonathan were killed. David expressed his grief at their deaths in a poetic lament, part of which spoke specifically of his deep covenant friendship with Jonathan and his love for him. Sometime later, when David reigned as king over all of Israel, he remembered his love for Jonathan and their covenant. He sought out and found that Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth was alive. When the Gibeonites demanded retribution for Saul’s violation of their covenant with Israel. They demanded that David turn over 7 of Saul’s male family members to them to be put to death. Because of David’s covenant oath and love for Jonathan, he spared Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, from being sent to death at the hands of the Gibeonites.

Conclusion

As a child, Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, was crippled in both feet in a fall as his nanny fled with him to try to keep him safe. Historically, male descendants of a previous king, were vulnerable to being executed by the new king so that any other claims to the throne would be eliminated. When king Saul and his son Jonathan were killed in battle, David took over the throne. Later, David never forgot his covenant love for Jonathan, and he not only protected Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth, he to restored him to a status befitting a a child of the king. Like Mephibosheth, we were crippled by sin and estranged from the King. But we were spared from death by God because of the covenant of love that we have through our relationship with Jesus. We have a covenant of love with the Lord that saves us from the crippling effects of sin and restores us into the family of God. What a blessing that out of God’s loyal covenant of love for us He refused to forget us. Instead, He sought us out to be saved and we are restored into the presence of the King…. forever!

Blessings, Rev. Glenn