1 Samuel 18:3-4 – Jonathan’s Loyalty to David and…

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1 Samuel 18:3-4

(3) Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. (4) And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
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I Samuel 13:22 records that Saul and Jonathan had the only real weapons in Israel. The rest of the Israelites had to use their mattocks, axes, sickles, and whatever else they could find to fight with. In addition, the Philistine sharpening fees were highway robbery. Yet, I Samuel 18:3-4, which chronicles the time just after David slew Goliath, shows Jonathan surrendering all his weapons to David, as well as his robe and his belt! As noted above, Jonathan was next in line to be king over Israel, and his fine robe was a symbol of his royalty.

By this time, Samuel had already anointed David king per God’s instructions (I Samuel 16:1, 13). There is no biblical indication that Jonathan knew about this, but his giving his robe to David symbolically transferred his right to the kingship to him. He seems to have had no reservations about doing so at all. His depth of affection for his newfound friend and his recognition of God’s hand in David’s life were so strong that he humbly submitted to God’s will, even to the point of giving up his own status.

Because of David’s success in battle and his resulting popularity, by the time I Samuel 19 opens, Saul is consumed with jealousy and orders David to be killed. Present at this occasion, Jonathan said nothing to his father until all the servants had gone, then he spoke to him privately. It is likely that Jonathan realized that his father’s days as king were numbered; he could see that his father was not acting like a man who was submitting to God. Even so, being discreet, he takes Saul out in a field alone where they can talk without being overheard and confronts his father about David.

Somehow, Jonathan remained loyal to David while simultaneously remaining loyal to his father. Between his father’s mood swings and David beginning to doubt him, Jonathan held steady. In I Samuel 20, Saul is jealous again, and David is hiding out in a field, so Jonathan once more approaches his father on behalf of his friend. In verses 30-33, Saul harshly accuses his son of conspiring with David, reminding him, “as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom.”

Typically, Jonathan does not even respond about his own welfare; his only concern is for his friend. There does not seem to have been a selfish bone in this man’s body! This time, Saul tries to kill his own son, so Jonathan realizes there is no hope for reconciliation between Saul and David. Even so, throughout the whole ordeal, Jonathan balanced his loyalties to David and his father to the end, dying with his father in battle on Mount Gilboa.

What did Jonathan see in David after his battle with Goliath? The same thing I saw in others more than three decades ago when I began attending the church: God’s Holy Spirit! Jonathan clearly appears to have been a converted man, having God’s Spirit. The Holy Spirit in them drew these two men to each other, knitting their souls together. Jonathan’s godly faith allowed him to keep things in proper perspective, being loyal first to God, then to his father and David.

— Ronny H. Graham

To learn more, see:
Souls Knit Together (Part Two)