SUNDAY July 7, 2019
Hearing and Handling the Truth
So Jonathan said to him, “By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!” Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved….’ ”
1 Samuel 20:2-3
There was a strong bond between Jonathan and David from the moment they met. Even though Jonathan was loyal to David, he struggled with what David was telling him about his father’s ultimate goal to kill David. Jonathan and David knew they would willingly lay down their lives for each other in any given situation. Jonathan found it so hard to believe his friend. David shared with Jonathan that Saul knew how close they were and how he had kept the truth from Jonathan so he would not be grieved.
At this point, Jonathan was deceived by his father. He was blind to the truth, but later, he would see the reality of his father’s behavior in the worst way imaginable. When Jonathan heard the truth from David, there were no outbursts of anger, disunity or betrayal between them. Jonathan and David trusted each other, and they were able to talk things through without getting uptight and offended. They really stuck together.
I have godly men who have been my friends for many years. We have developed a close bond. We talk about everything in ministry. These relationships in the Lord have been unbreakable. There is a genuine love and loyalty among us. We know our strengths and weaknesses and talk openly with each other. Sometimes hearing the truth from a close friend is hard to handle, but then there is good accountability.
It is my nature to treat everyone as my friend. I am so open with people, and perhaps that is a weakness in my life, because some friends have betrayed me. True friendships are from the Lord. If you do not have a close friend in your life, ask the Lord to bring you a loyal friend like Jonathan.
A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
~Proverbs 18:24~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!