True Friends (5)
But if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
1 Samuel 20:13
Read 1 Samuel 20:12-23
Everything had gone wrong. David had to flee from Saul again on account of his angry outburst, and Jonathan nearly lost his life because of his friendship with David (1 Samuel 20:32-33). It had come to the point of no return. Meanwhile, more events had happened in the kingdom. Saul felt that his position as king was beginning to totter and a sinister spirit gained mastery over him. Surely David will not become heir to his throne? The thought alone filled him with rage. Jonathan too began to realize this. In one of his last conversations with David, Jonathan made him swear that an eternal covenant would remain between their descendants.
A true friend does not seek his own interests, but those of another. Whenever self interests stand at the forefront of a friendship, it will always be at the expense of the other. One or the other, sooner or later, must become the underdog. Either this friendship will fall apart or a power struggle will result. The one will rule over the other.
But David and Jonathan both personally knew what it was to bow before God. That is why they were ready to esteem the other above themselves. By serving each other, they helped each other. For example, they shielded one another in their vulnerability; they assisted each other by providing company in their loneliness; they comforted one another, prayed for each other, and provided a listening ear for the other.
Question: Is your friend self-sacrificing for you? Are you ready to deny yourself for your friend?
Psalter 449:1 (based on Psalm 133) Behold, how good, how pleasant is the union, When brethren in the Lord have sweet communion! Tis like the oil on Aaron’s head, That running down, into his beard doth spread, The oil that flows upon his priestly dress, Anointing him to holiness.