1 Samuel 18:3–4

0:00 Good evening everybody. That's right, we're in 1st Samuel chapter 18 and we're looking at verses 3 and 4. That'll be on the front of your bulletin as always or in one of the few Bibles in front of you. I'm going to start us off just by reading our passage. 1st Samuel 18 verses 3 and 4. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David and his armor and even his sword and his bow and his belt. Now, as is often the case in an evening devotional, we are kind of dropped right in the middle of a chapter or a story, right? And so in this, there's no exception here. If you glance back a few verses at the end of chapter 17 the event that precedes our passage this evening is David being brought before

1:00 Saul immediately after defeating Goliath and so soon in fact that he still had Goliath's head in his hand and right after Saul is done speaking with David and in verse 1 of chapter 18 it says that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David and Jonathan loved him as his own soul so david brings brings the head of the giant that he just killed to the king talks with them briefly and it's at that moment that this endearing friendship between jonathan and david begins i can assure you that none of my friendships ever started that way um i can't say 100 certainty for each of you but i'm i would assume that that's the case for you as well um but so obviously there's more to this story than just what we're reading and that's kind of where we're headed tonight.

1:53 So our focus or our main idea tonight is this. Our God loves us and gave himself for us. We therefore are called to love others and give our own lives for his glory. Our God loves us and gave himself for us. We therefore are called to love others and give our lives for his glory. And we'll explore that together simply by looking at each of these verses, and those will be our two points.

2:24 So verse 3, we'll look at the covenant, and verse 4 will be the offering. The covenant and the offering. So here in verse 3, it says that Jonathan made a covenant with David. And the Bible isn't explicit on the nature of this covenant, but based on the language that surrounds it, Things like being knit together and the love that we see that was shared between these two men. We understand this is to be a commitment to one another, a pledge of loyalty.

2:55 And this is more than just a mere friendship. Jonathan and David have covenanted together. And so this is the first, here in these verses, this is the first record of these two meeting that we're aware of. And so what led up to this? A quick look back in 1 Samuel, that is. So in chapter 8, Israel demands a king. Some of you might be familiar with these stories. Chapter 8, Israel demands a king.

3:27 They want one just like every other nation. They want someone to rule over them. The Lord tells Samuel to listen and give Israel what they want. And Samuel warns the Israelites of what kingly rule will mean for them. A king is going to take and take and demand things from his people. But Israel essentially says, we don't care because we'll have a king, just like every other nation. And so the Lord gives them a king, King Saul. It doesn't take long until Saul slips up.

3:57 In chapter 13, Saul impatiently and privately takes matters into his own hands and offers a sacrifice to the Lord. And that's something that was performed primarily, explicitly, by a priest in Israel, not a king. And because of this disobedience, Samuel tells Saul for the first time, he says, But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.

4:29 Chapter 15, the Lord commands Saul to go and strike Amalek, an enemy nation of Israel, and to devote to destruction all that they have, and do not spare them. Saul goes to battle, again ignores the command of the Lord, and chooses to spare Agag, the king of Amalek, along with the best of the sheep, oxen, calves, and lambs. All that was good, he kept. Anything that was despised and worthless, he destroyed. So as a result Samuel tells Saul again you have rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel and the Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you. David in chapter 16 David this is the anointing of King David. David is chosen and anointed to be the king that God himself would provide for his people. He's the one that will follow Saul. In chapter 17, again, is the infamous story of David and Goliath and the defeat of the Philistine army, bringing victory to Israel. So

5:36 that brings us to our verses again. So with this context and view, it's clear that when David was brought before King Saul after the defeat of Goliath and the Philistine army, Jonathan understood who it was that was standing before him. David was the man after God's own heart. David was the neighbor of Saul who was better than him. He was the one God had anointed as king to replace Jonathan's father, Saul. See, Jonathan feared the God of Israel.

6:09 And here he says, I'm going to attach myself to this king. This king that Yahweh has chosen. This covenant between Jonathan and David is mentioned a few other times throughout the book of 1 Samuel and in subsequent chapters, and some of which we read about, we read this morning in our scripture reading, and we see this relationship play out a bit further. We see Jonathan proving his faithfulness to this covenant and to David. Numerous times he protects David from his father as Saul pursues David in an effort to kill him.

6:44 Even in the face of his own threats of death, Jonathan protects David and encourages David, his future king, the king that Yahweh has chosen. His covenant of love and loyalty to one another, even extended beyond Jonathan's death, as David shows Mephibosheth, who's Jonathan's son, that even after Jonathan had died, David took care of Mephibosheth and showered him with kindness and prosperity because of his love for Jonathan. this covenant certainly signified a deep and loyal friendship that's true but it was also much more than that god brought these two men together to carry out his plan for his people it was god's grace on his people to give them a good king even though they didn't deserve one this covenant was a a promise to pursue the good of one another between Jonathan and David for the ultimate good

7:44 that God had in store for them. And ultimately, it was through King David, as we know, that the promised Messiah would come. The covenant language is seen throughout Scripture. God makes covenants with his people, promises that he made and promises that he kept. Tonight, we celebrate the ultimate covenant that Christ, the son of David as scripture calls him, has made with his people. The new covenant in his blood that we remember and celebrate through communion. It is in this covenant that Christ, the Messiah, gave his body and his blood for the forgiveness of sin. He sacrificed himself to bring about this covenant of redemption and forgiveness.

8:33 We are called to pledge our allegiance or our faith to our anointed King Jesus. And he promises to forgive us and bring us into his eternal kingdom. You know, if you're here tonight and you don't know this king, this King Jesus, we are so thankful that you are here. Our prayer is that you would hear the gospel, this good news of Jesus, that we will celebrate and remember here tonight and that you would walk out of this building tonight having put your faith and trust in him.

9:11 This new covenant instituted by Christ is the reason we are all here tonight. It is our hope. It is the foundation for all that we endeavor to do in this life. And we are so glad you are here with us. that's the covenant. Chapter, or verse 3. Verse 4, the offering. Verse 4 says, And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David and his armor and even his sword and his bow and his belt.

9:47 So what's happening here? Well, it's not just a friend letting his buddy borrow his sweatshirt and some of his gear, right? That's not what this is. This is something beyond that. On the heels of the covenant that was just made, Jonathan here is making an emphatic statement of his loyalty to David and acknowledging that David is the rightful king of Israel. The robe and armor and weaponry are items of royalty. Jonathan is making a political and royal declaration that David is next in line as king and not the son of King Saul.

10:25 We know that the royal line was typically handed down to the son of the king, and that would have been Jonathan. Saul even acknowledges in chapter 20 of 1 Samuel when he tells Jonathan, as long as the son of Jesse lives on earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. In this moment, Jonathan is showing no signs of self-preservation, but rather is gladly willing to give up his own status, his own position, his own entitlement, his own family even, for the one that God has chosen to be obedient to God.

11:06 And we contrast that with King Saul. Saul knew who David was as well at this point. And what he does, and what does he spend essentially the rest of his life doing? He's trying to kill David. David is a threat to his kingship. And here again, Saul is trying to usurp God's decree and get rid of this future king. Rather than submit to God, Saul is holding on to his own status and position for dear life.

11:39 He's more concerned about his own kingdom than God's. So the question for you and I, whose kingdom are you most concerned about? Your own kingdom and the fleeting pleasures of this world or the eternal kingdom of our creator and savior, Jesus? What are you willing to give up for the sake of the one who has saved you?

12:13 What are you still holding on to? Are you willing to give up the thing that you feel entitled to? Are you willing to leave your family in pursuit of service to your king? Are you willing to give up your possessions? Is there something or someone in this life that you are clinging to and unwilling to let go of? Are you willing to let go of what is yours for the good of your Christian brothers and sisters?

12:47 I don't know what it may be for you, and these can often be difficult questions in this life. But these are certainly good questions that we need to ask ourselves. Jonathan shows us here that his true allegiance is to Yahweh, to the God of Israel. And that is proven by this symbolic offering to David. Again, this covenant and this offering between Jonathan and David, it is an act of love and loyalty as friends. And we should take heed of this example, but it's not merely a love and loyalty of a person to a person, just friend to friend. It's their love and loyalty to God that drives this human devotion to one another. And as we've already acknowledged here tonight, Christ Jesus has given us himself on the cross to purchase our salvation.

13:44 His love for us was shown by his death. He didn't hold anything back. And with that, he is calling us to entrust our lives to him and to love one another with the love that he has shown us. Knowing that all we have and all we have been given in this life comes from him. There's nothing that we can give up in this life that remotely comes close to all that He has and will provide for His people.

14:15 Will you pray with me? Our Father, we are grateful for this example of love between brothers, self-sacrifice and devotion to one another. Lord, may we be a church who sacrifices of our own self and the things that we have in this life for the good of each other. And ultimately, Lord, as we heard this morning as well, it is because you gave of yourself, Lord.

14:53 You loved us and gave yourself up for us to forgive us, to bring us into your kingdom, to bring us into your family. And that is what should motivate everything that we do. Lord, forgive us when we are selfish with the things that we have and the things that we want. Help us to submit our lives to you, our heavenly king, our savior. And we thank you, Lord, that you do not leave us on our own. We love you and we pray in Christ's name. Amen.