Day 21: 1 Samuel 18:1–4

Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as much as himself (v. 3).

Who but God can explain the ways of the heart? Sometimes friendships bloom over months or years. At other times someone touches your heart almost instantly, and you seem to have known him or her forever. Have you ever felt an almost instant bond to a new friend? Such was the deep and abiding friendship between Jonathan and David.

Jonathan’s expressions of love and friendship toward David paint one of the most beautiful portraits of a covenant in the Word of God. The word “covenant” in verse 3 derives from the Hebrew term berith, which means “determination, stipulation, covenant. It was a treaty, alliance of friendship, a pledge, an obligation between a monarch and his subjects, a constitution. It was a contract which was accompanied by signs, sacrifices and a solemn oath which sealed the relationship with promises of blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience.”9

According to the definition, three elements accompanied the making of a covenant: signs, sacrifice, and a spoken commitment. Although in the covenant of Jonathan and David these three elements are less obvious than in other covenants in Scripture, their covenant includes each of the parts.

The sign: Jonathan demonstrated his covenant with David by giving him his robe, tunic, and weapons. We will see the greater significance of Jonathan’s sign as we consider the sacrifice and the spoken commitment.

The sacrifice: In Jonathan’s covenant with David, the sacrifice is less obvious than other examples in Scripture, but it is profound. Clearly Saul intended for Jonathan to become the second king of Israel (1 Sam. 20:30–31), but this son had other plans. In David, Jonathan saw character fit for a king. He was so determined that the throne be occupied by God’s chosen instrument that he offered everything he had. In this unique covenant, Jonathan sacrificed himself. He removed his royal regalia—his robe and tunic—and placed it on David, symbolizing that David would be king instead of him. Can you picture the face of the recipient, whose clothing probably still carried the faint scent of sheep?

Jonathan acknowledged David as prince of the Hebrew nation, a position which he could have jealously and vehemently claimed as his own. Men like Jonathan are a rarity. Few people we meet in life have “in mind the things of God” at risk of their own favor and position (Matt. 16:23).

The spoken commitment: The oath of Jonathan’s covenant with David does not take place in words in chapter 18. Jonathan symbolized the solemn oath by giving David his weapons of protection: his sword, bow, and belt. He symbolically gave all he had to protect David from harm and ensure his position as future king. Jonathan verbalized his solemn oath by pledging in 1 Samuel 20:13 to protect David from harm at great personal risk.

We have examined three elements of covenant, but we have not yet noted the most critical issue: the basis of the covenant.

Deuteronomy makes a bold assertion about why God chose the nation of Israel. It simply and majestically declares that God redeemed Israel “because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers” (Deut. 7:8). Reconsider Jonathan’s covenant with David. You will see that they had the same basis to their covenant. In fact, 1 Samuel 18:1–4 shows something else about the covenant. If you go back and read the passage, you will find no mention of David returning Jonathan’s love.

God’s covenant with the nation of Israel was based on His love for them—not their love for Him. Amazing! In this same way, Jonathan’s covenant with David was based on Jonathan’s love, not David’s response. We who have accepted Christ as Savior are part of the most wonderful covenant God ever made with man. God loves us for a singular reason—because He chooses to.

Look at a final Scripture as we consider the covenant God has made with us. Examine these two verses from 1 John 4, and reflect on how our covenant compares to Jonathan’s covenant with David:

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. . . . If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God (1 John 4:10, 15).

The sign: God sent His only Son.

The sacrifice: He “sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (v. 10).

The spoken commitment: “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God” (v. 15).

The basis of this covenant is the same as the basis of Jonathan’s covenant with David: “not that we loved God, but that he loved us” (v. 10). What greater covenant could possibly exist?