Like Johnathan and David By Sabrina Santiago

Ever heard the saying,

“A dog is a man’s best friend?” 

A very popular phrase 

that everyone has heard in their life,

but what does it mean?

“A dog is a man’s best friend” 

simply means exactly that. 

A dog is loyal, faithful, obedient, loving, submissive and protective of his owner more than he is for himself, which is why this phrase is commonly used as an example of a great friendship between individuals. 

The Bible mentions a friendship between two people that can be described in a very similar way.

The friendship between 

Jonathan and David. 

Jonathan was the son of King Saul

(Evil king). He was the oldest compared to David, he grew up in a royal family, he was the most trained and experienced soldier, and was suppose to be the next one in line to be crowned King of Israel. 

David, on the other hand, was 

the youngest son of a commoner

(His father, Jesse).

He had no training or experience as a soldier and his job was caring for his father’s sheep. Two different upbringings!

Jonathan and David had a very intimate(close) friendship. 

Theirs was a friendship of faithfulness, loyalty, trust, and unconditional love!

A quick summary on how they became friends: David would play the harp for king Saul. Saul enjoyed it so much that he gave David a room at the palace to stay. 

David then met Jonathan and they instantly became friends and were able to spend all their time together.

Both men made a covenant to be lifelong friends while Jonathan sealed his promise by giving David his robe, sword, bow, and belt because he loved him as his own soul!

(See 1 Samuel 18:3-4) 

But, by right of birth and tradition, Jonathan should have been the next king of Israel. He was much older, more experienced for the position, yet Samuel had anointed David. 

King Saul wanted to ensure that his son Jonathan would become king so he then commanded that David be killed. 

He urged everyone who worked for him to assassinate David. 

1 Samuel 19:1 

“And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.” 

Jonathan remembered  that he had made a covenant as David’s friend and so he told everything his father was planning to do to him. 

He warned him to find a hiding place out in the fields and that he will take his dad out for a walk and try to talk him out of his plan. He told David that from his hiding spot, he will be able to overhear what his father says. 

1 Samuel 19:3

“And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee.”

The next morning Jonathan spoke about David to his father and after hearing his son’s passionate plea, Saul promised not to kill David. David then felt comfortable playing the harp in the King’s court again!

(See 1 Samuel 19: 4-6).

Although God chose David as the next king of Israel, Jonathan submitted unto God’s plan and stood up for David when he heard that Saul was planning to kill him. Because of his submission, Jonathan and David had one of the most meaningful friendships recorded in the Bible! 

I really believe God has placed and can place, amazing, godly, faithful friends in our lives whether we have them currently or not! 

It is actually so important to have good friends in our lives. I’m not necessarily saying you have to have a lot of friends, but even just one that’ll stick with you through tough times, that will help you spiritually when you fall, who will speak life into your spirit when you need it or who will just love you like He loves us. 

The Bible says that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother

(See Proverbs 18:24). 

It is so true! We need each other!

We need each other’s love, unity, encouragement, kindness, and faithfulness in our lives! 

Proverbs 17:17 says,

“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Love is powerful and it covers all

(See 1 Peter 4:8).

Friends are powerful and they can bring you up, or they can tear you down. Sometimes they can just be for a season and other times they can be plucked from your life, but a true likeminded Godly friend will stay close and build you up spiritually and mentally to become the best that you can be in your walk, in your calling, in your ministry, in your everyday life, but most importantly, in your relationship with God. 

Like the friendship Jonathan and David had is the same type of friendships I believe we should have in our lives today. 

The Bible says that a threefold cord is not easily broken and when God’s in the center of your friendship, or any relationship at all, it is strong, influentially powerful, prosperous, and favorably honored in the eyes of God. 

He uses and blesses relationships that honor Him in truth! 

Personally, I give thanks to God so much for the close friends he has placed in my life. I can definitely say that without their help, I wouldn’t be near the person I am today, and it is so true, we need a friend!

We need each other to grow and I thank God for who He places in our lives at the right time!

If you are searching for that friend or desiring for that friendship, I believe God 

can do everything and anything, and he can absolutely place those friends in your life (speaking from experience). 

Let’s appreciate the awesome 

God-fearing friends in our life!

We need each other! :)

-Hope you all are enjoying this October weather!🍂