Jonathan Made a Covenant With David

I have been reading through the book of 1 Samuel the past few weeks.  This morning I came across one of my favorite stories that is found there.  It is the story of the friendship between Jonathan and David.  I'm sure you all remember this story.  Saul, Jonathan's dad, had been made king over Israel.  However, he messed things up by going his own way instead of trusting in God.  So the LORD took the kingdom away from him and gave it over to a man after his own heart, David the son of Jesse.  Saul realizes what is happening and begins to hate David more every day until he begins to try to kill him.  But his son Jonathan strikes up a friendship with David that lasts until Jonathan's death.

David and Jonathan

Something struck me as interesting this morning.  In chapter 18, the writer of 1 Samuel records something interesting.  He states, "Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.  Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.  David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him..." (3-5a).  The significance of this interaction is lost on us living in the 21st Century Western world.  However, Jonathan does an amazing thing here.  He recognizes that David is God's true choice to be the king of Israel.  He is essentially giving up any right he may have had to the throne to the true king.  Instead of fighting against the will of God for himself, he supports his friend David.

That must have been a very difficult thing to do.  In our own selfishness, we don't like to give up something that is good for us that would be good for someone else, no matter how close we are to them.  That is part of our growing in submission to God and allowing his work to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

One of the surprises of seminary for me was friendships that were formed.  I met a lot of wonderful people and I made many friends while I was in Kentucky.  I had to leave most of those friends behind when I came back to Texas.  Thankfully, some of the friends I made at Asbury are from our conference, so I get to see them occasionally.  But the best friend I made while I was there did not come to Texas; he moved to Michigan.

Beth, Tom, Me, and Myranda on graduation day

I met Tom and his wife Beth during new student orientation the first day I stepped on campus as a student.  He is a few years older than me, but we hit it off from the very beginning.  Thankfully, our schedules lined up the first semester and we had a class together.  Every semester after that, we tried to have at least one class together and we sat together during chapel.  I told him more than once that I would not have made it through seminary without him.  He was a true blessing from God to me while I was struggling through classes.

My Bible has this to say about Christian friendship.  "A true friend is one who, during our darkest hours, offers hope, encouragement, and support.  Our emotional stability is predicated on whether or not we have someone who is willing to stand with us and sometimes behind us to push us over the hump of despair.  That's the kind of friend we all ought to strive to be."

Friendship is a true gift from God.  It pleases him when we have close friends that we can go to for help.  It also pleases him when we are friends to others, especially those who lonely.  I thank God that Tom is my friend.  Even though he lives over 1,000 miles away he remains one of my closest and best friends.  Until next time...



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Because of the Brightness of the Light

I have started to read the book of Acts again for my morning devotional time.  I always love to read through this book to see how God actively sought out the people to establish his Holy Church.  From the Spirit's descent at Pentecost through the rest of the book, amazing transformation takes place in the lives of those early believers.

But the story is not all excitement and smooth sailing.  From the birth of the Church, the early leaders faced opposition on many sides.  The Jewish leadership hated what the Jesus movement was teaching the Hebrew people.  The Romans really didn't like all of the unrest that the early followers were causing among those living in Jerusalem.  But despite all of the opposition, the men and women of faith continued to preach, teach, and proclaim the risen savior for the benefit of the world.

One of the most amazing transformations comes in the epiphany of the Lord to Saul.  His story of conversion is incredible.  Many times we criticize Saul for his role in Stephen's stoning and yet he was sincere in his devotion to his teachings.  He must have genuinely thought he was serving his God by protecting his understanding of who God is from heresy.  However, his encounter with Jesus Christ changed that.  Through his physical blindness, his spiritual eyes were opened and he truly was able to see who God is for the first time.  I'm sure he struggled with his role in the persecution of the early church for the rest of his life.  But I'm just as sure that he was a true Christian after his encounter on the Damascus Road.

Paul preaching in Athens - Painting by RAFFAELLO - 1515

Because of his own ignorance and awakening of who God is, he was able to become the great Apostle to the Gentiles.  In chapter 17, we are told of Paul's preaching to the Athenians in front of the Areopagus.  What I love about this story is that Paul meets the people of Athens where they are.  He acknowledges their devotion and uses that as a foundation on which to build his message about the gospel.  He used what they knew to teach them about the truth of God.  After he finished his sermon, the writer of Acts tells us, "When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said, 'We will hear you again about this.'  At that point Paul left them.  But some of them joined him and became believers, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them." (17:32-34).

One of the hymns of the church is "Just as I Am, Without One Plea."  Don't get me wrong; I believe this song has its place within the hymnal.  However, I'm afraid that we American Christians have taken this song too far in our belief system.  We think that God has taken us where we are and things are hunky dory.  But that is diluting the blood of Jesus Christ.  He died for more than that.  He died to bring us back to the fullness of what it means to be made in the image of God.  He died so that we might live life now.  He died and was raised so that we too might have a new life here and now.  God is in the business of transforming us from Saul to Paul.  He is in the business of moving us from a limited understanding like the Athenians to a deeper understanding like Dionysius and Damaris.

A follow up song to "Just as I Am" is "Change My Heart Oh God."  Once we are restored to our relationship with God, then our faith journey continues.  We should expect to grow in grace, mercy, justice, and righteousness.  We should be willing to work out our salvation and give the Holy Spirit something to work with in our lives.  We should pursue God as he continues to pursue us.  We cannot change ourselves, but we must be willing to submit to our own change.  We must continue to meet God and let God have his Holy way with us.  May each one of us continue to grow in God's grace and be transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.  Until next time...




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