1 Samuel 18:1-4 Both Loved God!

 ”Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.“ ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. When he had finished speaking to Saul: When David finished the “after-killing-Goliath” conversation with Saul, his fame in Israel was assured. He performed a remarkably heroic deed and was initially welcomed by the leadership of Israel.

b. The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul: Jonathan, the son of Saul, appeared before in 1 Samuel 14. He was the brave man of faith who initiated a one-man war against the Philistines.

i. Jonathan was a lot like David. They were approximately the same age, though Jonathan was probably at least five years older. They both were bold, both were men of great trust in God, and both were men of action. Most of all, both had a real relationship with God.

ii. At the same time, Jonathan and David were different. Jonathan was the first-born son of a king (1 Chronicles 9:39) and David was the last-born son of a farmer. This made Jonathan more than a prince, he was the crown prince. By everyone’s expectation Jonathan would be the next king of Israel.

c. The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David: This happened after David had finished speaking to Saul. Jonathan heard David give an extended explanation of his heart, his faith in the living God, and Jonathan knew that he and David had the same heart. They could not be such close friends until Jonathan knew that about David.

i. The way most people think, Jonathan was the one who had the most to fear from David’s success. Yet he loved David, because what they had in common – a real relationship with the LORD God – was bigger than any difference.

d. Saul took him that day: David would never again be just a shepherd. David still had a shepherd’s heart but would be more than a shepherd.

e. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant: Two men, each on track for the same throne – yet they made a covenant of friendship that would prove stronger than jealousy, than envy, than ambition.

f. Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt: When Jonathan gave David the robe and his armor, he said by this action, “You will be the next king of Israel. You should be dressed and armed as the crown prince. God’s hand is on you and these rightfully belong to you.” Because Jonathan was surrendered to God he could see the hand of the LORD upon David. He knew David’s destiny and was perfectly willing to set aside his ambition to honor the LORD’s choice.

g. Gave it to David: For his part, David received the robe and Jonathan’s armor. But he did not then say or think, “Good Jonathan. We all see who is boss around here. Now get out of my way because I’m going to replace your father as soon as I can.” It would be some 20 years until David would receive the throne of Israel and replace Saul. If Jonathan was ready to recognize David as God’s choice for the next king, David was willing to let God put him on the throne, and to do it in God’stiming. Both of these men were thoroughly submitted to the LORD.

i. David couldn’t receive Saul’s armor but David did receive Jonathan’s armor, and not only because they were more similar in size. More importantly, they shared the same soul. They both loved God and lived more for Him and for others than for themselves. David and Jonathan both knew that if the circumstances were reversed, David would do the exact same thing for Jonathan – because they had the same soul.

ii. If the issue of “who will be the next king?” were not settled in the hearts of Jonathan and David, they could never have had this kind of close love and friendship. They loved each other more than the throne of Israel because they loved the LORD more than the throne of Israel.

iii. Some people read a homosexual relationship into the love between David and Jonathan. They suppose that two men cannot love each other without it being something the Bible clearly says is immoral. But the relationship between David and Jonathan shows the Bible doesn’t condemn real love between men, only a sexual relationship between men. (Guzik)

Both Loved God!

I believe the Lord knit their souls together like brothers because of their love for Him and in the next 20 years of Saul’s reign as king, David would need a friend and a brother due to Saul’s jealousy of him which would cause David to run and hide for his life.

Could any other human beings have their souls knitted together?

Blessings