Day Five's Search for Love:
After I left the book of Joshua I headed to the "love" verses in Judges. Nothing there captured my attention. I passed the book of Ruth and entered 1 Samuel. When I arrived at the verse that mentioned "love" it was describing the close knit friendship between David and King Saul's son, Jonathan. Something about this relationship made me stop, and I'm glad I did.
David was King Saul's harp player. One evening Saul took an interest in David and asked to speak with him. After their brief conversation, David met Saul's son, Jonathan, and immediately the two of them hit it off. In 1 Samuel 18:1 it reads: "... Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself." What most likely connected them so quickly was their mutual love for God. It was this love that helped their friendship withstand many tests along the way.
One thing I found very interesting was the fact that Jonathan (the prince and rightful heir to the throne) knew that he would never be King. Why? Because God had chosen David to replace Saul. Jonathan could've been jealous but he wasn't. He loved David so much that he'd rather step aside than lose their friendship.
As I studied their relationship I couldn't help but feel admiration. Their love for each other was selfless and true ... even to the very end.
You see, as David's popularity rose and (God's blessing of) success continued to follow him, King Saul's jealousy toward David grew. On several occasions Jonathan had to warn David of Saul's murderous intentions. Jonathan also came to David's defense more than once and helped to abate Saul's jealousy. Unfortunately, the results never lasted long and Saul's jealousy got worse and worse. Saul wanted David dead, and he would stop at nothing until it was accomplished.
Saul chased David mercilessly until it finally landed him in war. Sadly, Jonathan was killed in battle and soon after Saul fell upon his sword taking his own life.
When David found out about Saul and Jonathan's death he grieved for the both of them. He could have hated Saul, but he didn't. Rather, he chose to write a song of lament and ordered everyone to learn it. 2 Samuel 1:26, the last part of this lament, says: "I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of a woman."
I can hear and feel David's heartache in this song. When he says that Jonathan's love was better than that of a woman, I can feel the depth of his loss. It makes me want to pick up the phone and call my closest friend, Sara. She is my Jonathan. Sara loves the Lord, she's loyal and true, and she's faithful and strong. She is a constant source of encouragement and support. When my husband can't understand what I'm feeling, Sara can. And I'm sure David would've said the same about Jonathan.
Sometimes women just need other women. We understand each other in a way the other sex can't. I think that's why God included this tight-knit friendship in the Word. We can't do life without each other. We need a support system, and not just with our spouses.
So, what does this have to do with God's love, you ask? I don't really know, other than the fact that He must love me to have blessed me with such a wonderful friend like Sara.
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