The Bond

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

THE BOND

1 Samuel  20:1-4

20:1 Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to take my life?" 2 "Never!" Jonathan replied. "You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without confiding in me. Why would he hide this from me? It's not so!" 3 But David took an oath and said, "Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, 'Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.' Yet as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death." 4 Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you."

NIV

From what we know so far of the life of David, we would have to agree that he has done no wrong to Saul and has not committed a crime. However, we also know that David is just a man, and therefore does have sin in his life. Even the fact that the LORD was with him or the LORD was upon him, David was not a perfect being. Yet, we believe he did as much as he could to be right in the sight of God. He knew that under the power of the LORD, Samuel anointed him as king over all of Israel, and yet he continued to be in the service of Saul, whom the LORD rejected as king over all Israel. Saul has been vexed by an injurious spirit that came from the LORD, much like when God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. The fact remains, if a man is against God, then God is against that man, and if a man’s heart is with God, then God is with that man. Sure, God loved the world and gave His only son so that whosoever, and that is the key, whosoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life. Each person has that choice to make, to be one of those whosoevers that believe or one who does not believe, rejecting the Son, therefore being against God and their destiny is to perish. Saul was not against the LORD, but disobeyed the LORD’s commands and had murder in his heart. Interestingly, Jesus correlated hatred with murder. Perhaps Saul’s heart first hated David because of jealousy. When the people sang about Saul killing thousands and David killing ten thousand, it infuriated Saul; his jealousy turned to hatred that led to wanting to kill David. That was a slippery slope anyone can slide down if they are not with the Lord, but against him. This covenant between David and Jonathan is strong. It had to be due to both having the LORD with them, for there was a deep bond of brotherly love between them. We believe there should be that kind of brotherly love between all believers in Jesus Christ. Because we are all in Christ and have this covenant with Jesus, it would make sense that we would all be under the same covenant and therefore are in covenant with each other. That should then do away with any of those feelings of jealousy, envy, pride, boastfulness, unkindness, rudeness, impatience, being self-seeking, or being easily angered. This covenant of love between believers should also serve to protect and trust each other, as Jonathan trusted and protected David. This bond is what caused Jonathan to say, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.” That is the kind of bond we should have with each other as we are in covenant with Jesus.