WEDNESDAY July 10, 2019
Discovering the True Intents
“Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” But Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?” Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?”
1 Samuel 20:8-10
Before the Lord, David and Jonathan’s friendship was sealed––they had a permanent, unbreakable bond. Even though Jonathan’s own father was against David, they remained close friends. In this difficult situation, David was so open and honest with Jonathan. David asked his friend, “If you see any little sin in my life and find that I am guilty of anything causing your father to be angry, then you judge me and kill me yourself!”
David would rather be killed by Jonathan than to be hunted down and killed by Saul. Jonathan trusted the proven character of David––it spoke for itself. Nothing David did was evil; his actions showed he was loyal to Saul and the kingdom. Jonathan agreed with David and decided to find out the truth about his father. If Saul became angry and answered Jonathan roughly, then Jonathan agreed to warn David. Jonathan was preparing the way in case David needed to escape his father’s murderous plans––he ensured his safety.
Among your friends are there any who will be honest and speak truth to you, even if it hurts? Can they talk to you openly and confront you in love about anything they see in your life without you being offended? It is really important to have friends who are unafraid to approach you. Those are the friends who love you the most––fully and completely.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
~Proverbs 27:6~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!