Jonathan and David came from very different backgrounds, but they had a few key things in common: They were both warriors, they were men of faith who served the living God, they were provided with God-given courage and strength, and they needed each other. David often gets recognition for his heart for God, but Jonathan clearly had a depth of spiritual insight and discernment worth mentioning and remembering. And David was “a man after God’s own heart” ( 1 Samuel 13:14). People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” ( 1 Samuel 16:7). While most men in Jonathan’s shoes would have felt jealous and threatened, Jonathan saw what God saw in David: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” ( 1 Samuel 18:5-7). He could soothe the king, defeat the enemy, and cause the ladies to swoon. It isn’t often in life that your hero is younger than you, but this was the case for Jonathan. Imagine Jonathan’s first impressions of the young musician/giant slayer: warrior by day, song writer by night. After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself” ( 1 Samuel 17:57, 18:1).

“As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head. Their friendship began though soon after David slew Goliath. (“David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem” 1 Samuel 17:15). Jonathan, already a great man of war, likely met the young David in the palace on one of the many occasions that David was called upon to play the harp, or lyre, for the emotionally tormented King Saul. Before that happened, however, Jonathan and his armor bearer alone killed 20 Philistines ( 14:14), after which God caused a panic resulting in the Philistine army “melting away in all directions” ( 14:16) allowing Saul and his men to defeat them.

We have all heard the epic story of young David’s miraculous victory against Goliath, the Philistine giant, taking him down with only a stone and a sling ( 1 Samuel 17:50).

The big friendship