David Wisniewski - Developing Spiritual Intelligence - Class 4 - Friendship

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:04

   OK, so this is Watch and Lake Bible School 2025. Our speaker for this session is Brother David Wisniewski. His theme for the week is Developing Spiritual Intelligence from the lives of Jonathan and David, and his fourth class today is entitled Friendship for the David.

2. 0:34

   Well, good morning brothers and sisters. Once again, hopefully our sister fares well. I understand an ambulance may be coming so we may be briefly interrupted, but we will continue on as we can. Well, we come to our 4th class on David and Jonathan and now we consider the spiritual quotient friendship in our theme of developing spiritual intelligence.

3. 1:05

   Proverbs 17 verse 17 reads A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity and we know our family will always be there for us when things go wrong, but a friend loves at all times and so we are right. OK. And so that is the type of friendship we’re going to see with David and Jonathan.

4. 1:35

   And as we to consider these two characters, our minds, just by the meanings of their names, are cast forward into the New Testament because David’s name, as we’ve considered, means the beloved. And we think of the words in each of the Gospels when Christ is baptized and God says from heaven, this is my beloved Son, and Jonathan as well, whose name means Yah hath given. We commented in our first class that Yah had given David a friend like no other, but even that the Lord Jesus Christ calls his disciples friends.

5. 2:13

   And at the Last Supper, as he’s praying before he goes into the Garden of Gethsemane, he prays for his friends, which he says, You Yah hath given me. And so David, as the beloved and Jonathan Yah, has given foreshadow first the relationship of John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ, and then the relationship of the disciples to the Lord Jesus Christ. What we’re going to see in our class today, brothers and sisters, is that Jonathan was even a truer friend to David than the disciples were to the Lord. In fact, Peter never quite developed this friendship that Jonathan showed to David even by the end of Christ time with him. Turn with me to John chapter 21, keeping a hand back in first Samuel chapter 20, which was read read for us. In John chapter 21 we read of the Lord Jesus Christ in a dialogue with Peter.

6. 3:30

   Now of course, our Lord Jesus Christ, we’re told, has shown greater love than any man and been a truer friend to us than anyone could be by laying down his life for his friends. And now he asks Peter having been resurrected and now with the disciples, he says to him at verse 15 of John 21.

7. 3:53

   So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these with a self sacrificing love? Do you have the same love for me, Simon Peter, that I showed for you in laying down my life upon the cross? Do you love me more than these?

8. 4:12

   And he said, yeah, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee, filial love, I love thee as a friend. And he said, feed my lambs. And then a second time he says, Simon, son of Jonas, do you have a self sacrificing love for me? And again Peter answers, yay Lord, you know that I love you as a very close friend.

9. 4:32

   And finally Jesus says to him in verse 17, Peter, do you love me as a friend? And Peter says, yay Lord, thou knowest that I love thee as a friend. So Peter, even after the 3 1/2 years with Christ, had not developed the type of love for Jesus that Jonathan will show for David. Well, Jonathan made three covenants with David. The first one is found back a page in the Old Testament. Again in First Samuel chapter 18, after David had slain Goliath.

10. 5:12

    And we considered in our last class the honor the David showed to go to Saul even while he had the head of Goliath still in his hand and even as he was being berated by Saul. And because of that, in chapter 18 and verse, one came to pass that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

11. 5:36

    And that becomes then the basis for the first of the three covenants that Jonathan will make with David at verse 3. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because Jonathan loved David as his own soul. And as a token of the covenant, consider what Jonathan does. He strips himself first of his robe that was upon him and gave it to David and his garments, even to a sword and to his bow and to his girdle.

12. 6:08

    Now, the clothing that Jonathan was wearing is that clothing that would have been recognizable as he came into the court of Saul, as he came into the King’s court, the robe that he had was a royal robe indicating that he was a son of Saul, a son of the king, that he was a Prince.

13. 6:29

    And we can see Jonathan there as he’s standing in front of David. And he first takes off the sword and he puts it on the ground that he takes the bow and the quiver off his back and he sets it on the ground. And he takes the girdle that’s holding it together and he places it on the ground.

14. 6:44

    And he takes the armor off and he sets it on the ground. And David’s watching him as Jonathan’s made this covenant, and he’s wondering what Jonathan’s doing. And then Jonathan takes the robe off, the royal robe, and he places it on David. And David’s like, no, Jonathan, I can’t accept this. This is yours.

15. 7:03

    This is yours. Signif signifies that you’re the son of Saul. You’re the heir apparent. Jonathan says, nevertheless, take my royal robe. And then he puts his armor on him, and then it says even to his sword, one of the two swords that had remained in the land. No doubt by this time they’ve started to accumulate more swords because of the fleeing Philistines after their giant was slain and collecting up the armor of the Philistines that have been confiscated from them. But still, this was that sword that had been one of two in the land.

16. 7:43

    And to his bow it says, Now we don’t know it at this point in time, but if we went over to First Chronicles 22, we find that the brothers of Saul will actually defect to David while he’s fleeing in the wilderness because they recognize that their brother is wrong. And it says of the brethren of Saul, son of Kish, that these Benjamites were able to shoot their bow and arrows ambidextrously, so they could shoot left or right. And while they were shooting arrows, they’d be chucking rocks in between.

17. 8:23

    So this was a tribe. This was a house that was known for the use of the bow, and this was the champion of that house. And we know that’s the case because when we come to the end of our class, God willing, brothers and sisters, we’ll see that when David causes Judah to learn about Saul and Jonathan, he calls it the song of the bow. This was that instrument of war that symbolized Jonathan, and he places it on David’s back and to his girdle, to his belt. David would have been overwhelmed for this. And Jonathan, Jonathan had every reason to be jealous, to despise David.

18. 9:13

    This was the one that was going to come to the throne instead of him. Jonathan easily could have had that perspective. In fact, we’ll see in in chapter 20 that when he’s sitting at the dining room table, that’s exactly the perspective. Tell his father tells him he should have. He tells him he’s lost sight of what’s important. This is the man that’s replacing you on the throne. No, it wasn’t.

19. 9:39

    Saul was the reason Jonathan wasn’t coming to the throne. What a wonderful spirit Jonathan has. Three times it tells us in this record that he loved David as his own soul. And in fact, in the end, we’ll find that he loved David even more than his own soul because he’s willing to lay down his life so that David might rise to the throne. Well, we said that David and Jonathan foreshadowed two types of friendships, or two friendships in the New Testament.

20. 10:26

    The first is John the Baptist in Jesus, and the second is Jesus and his disciples. It says of John the Baptist in Matthew 3 and verse 5, then went out to John the Baptist in the wilderness, Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region roundabout Jordan. Everyone flocked out to the wilderness to see John. What went you out into the wilderness to see says our Lord Jesus Christ?

21. 11:02

    Everyone was following John and yet turn with me, keeping a hand still in the Old Testament here to the Gospel of John again, this time at chapter 3, where we see the spirit of John the Baptist that we’ve just seen manifested in Jonathan before David and John chapter 3, John’s disciples come to him, and he says to them in verse 28 of John chapter 3, Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Messiah, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. This my joy, therefore, is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. Is this not exactly the spirit of Jonathan? Here’s David.

22. 12:12

    At a time when he’s triumphed over the giant before all of Israel, he’s now been introduced to all Israel as a hero in Israel. He’ll be taken up into the army of Saul shortly. He will March out before Saul’s armies. He’ll be known for killing 10s of thousands. And there’s no envy, there’s no jealousy with Jonathan. No, instead it’s the opposite.

23. 12:33

    He empties himself of himself, he takes off all those things that would demonstrate his proud position in the government, in the nation, and he rejoices with David.

24. 12:52

    For he must increase and I must decrease. That was indeed the spirit of John Jonathan. Rather, no doubt Jonathan had started to ponder what it meant that he wouldn’t come to the throne. No doubt he had contemplated what his end would be with Jonathan ascending to the throne and how hard it would be for the House of Saul and the tribe of Benjamin and the 10 tribes of Israel to accept a king out of Judah when they had their king sitting on the throne. No doubt Jonathan had started to wonder if he indeed would need to decrease so that David would increase. While we’re here in the New Testament, turn over to a well known passage Paul’s letter to the Philippian Ecclesia Philippians, Chapter 3.

25. 14:09

    Rather Philippians chapter 2 starting at verse 2, Fulfill ye my joy that ye be like minded, having the same love being of 1 accord of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or Vainglory, but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem other better than themselves. Look, not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. So whose mind is it?

26. 14:45

    It’s the mind of God, and it was in the Lord Jesus Christ. And So what we’re being told, brothers and sisters, is that not only are we to esteem each other better than ourselves, so easy are the words to say, are they not esteem others better than yourself? We might be able to esteem others as good as ourselves, but to esteem others better than ourselves, that’s the Spirit we’re being asked to take up, and it’s the Spirit that our Lord had.

27. 15:29

    I admit, brothers and sisters, that I struggle with that almost every day. How could Christ who never sinned, how could Christ who never transgress the law, the commandment of his Father? How could Christ, who was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, esteem me better than himself? Course, He knows I’m not better than He. But He acted and behaved in such a way that He laid down his life for others.

28. 16:10

    He counted others needs before his own needs, and He knew our need was to have forgiveness of sins. And so He was willing to lay down his life for his friend to develop that mindset. Brothers and sisters, the only way we can do it is if both people in a friendship put God first, if both people in a marriage put God first, If all of us in the ecclesia put God first.

29. 16:47

    If we put God first, now we can esteem someone greater than ourselves. Now we’re able to count the needs of somebody else before ourselves. Now we can raise each other up. We can lift each other up because we’re both first focused on a relationship with God and thinking about His mind, how He takes care of our needs day by day, how He’s long-suffering day by day with us and all around us. Christ esteemed us greater.

30. 17:23

    He died while we were yet sinners. We did not deserve His self sacrificing love, but He esteemed our needs greater than His own. What a friend we have in Christ and what a wonderful friend David hadn’t. Jonathan sometimes we can have envy in our relationships, one with another man. He always wins at games, he always wins.

31. 17:55

    He always runs the fastest. He makes more money, he dresses better, he’s got more achievements in this life. And secretly we can have envy that sits between US and our friend and it eats away at us. And then all of a sudden, we find ourselves talking about our friend behind their back because of the envy that we have. That’s not friendship.

32. 18:20

    Friends rejoice when friends succeed. Friends weep when their friends grieve. Well, the second covenant that Jonathan makes with David is indeed in a time of despair, a time of weeping. And Jonathan’s there to calm David. In First Samuel chapter 19, Saul had made it known that he intended to kill David to all of his servants, but Jonathan had intervened on behalf of David. He’d reminded Saul that David had killed Goliath. He reminded Saul that he delivered Israel. He reminded Saul of all the things that David had done for Saul.

33. 19:11

    And Saul had sworn to Jonathan. I will not kill David. And so when we come to first Samuel, chapter 20, the second covenant that Jonathan makes with him, we see David is in great distress. What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before thy father, that he seeks my life? And we see Jonathan’s first response, as we considered yesterday in our class, on honor that Jonathan first seeks to honor his father.

34. 19:41

    No, my father swore he will not put you to death. It’s OK, David, that moment has passed, but David persists. Thy father certainly knows that I found grace in thine eyes. And he says, let not Jonathan know, let he be grieved. But as truly as the Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death. Notice what Jonathan doesn’t do at this moment. I notice because it’s what I do.

35. 20:16

    Sometimes in these types of conversations, I’ve defended my position and the person comes back and protest stronger, whether it be my wife or a friend or a family member. And what do I do? I become entrenched in my position. I’ll stand firm for the position I first stated that was not Jonathan with David.

36. 20:42

    Jonathan might have been right. Who knows? Maybe Saul had turned and repented. Maybe Saul was not going to kill David. It didn’t matter when Jonathan saw David in distress.

37. 20:59

    When Jonathan realized how distressed he was, he stepped away from his position and he committed to listening to John, to David, Active listening to David. What does that mean? Well, it means not waiting for him to take a breath so that then Jonathan could jump into the conversation. But it was actually reflective listening that Jonathan put into practice here.

38. 21:32

    We know that because Jonathan David then lays out a plan. He started to come up with a plan. In fact, Jonathan says, whatever your soul desires in verse four, I will even do it to thee. He starts to think instead of letting the animal instinct part of the brain which is down here at the base, the fight or flight part of our brain which wants to defend our position. Instead of responding to that, he takes a deep breath and he lets the logical, spiritual part of the brain kick in. And when the logical spiritual part of the brain kicks in, even though he’s contradicted Jonathan, Jonathan realizes, You know what?

39. 22:14

    I’ve just been confronted with this truth a moment ago. If it is true, David has been distressing about this for some time. I need to hear my brother out. No doubt he’s come up with some sort of a plan and indeed he had it wasn’t fully complete, but he had started to come up with a plan and so he says it verse six.

40. 22:39

    Well you can tell your father that I’m verse 5 is was the feast of the new moon. So he should be sitting with the king at meat and he says tell your father that I asked to go spend this feast with my family in Bethlehem. And if your father says peace, it is well, well then I know I’m OK and your father is not determined evil against me.

41. 23:04

    But if your father is angry or very wroth, well then we both know that your father has evil determined against me. Then Jonathan again defends his father. Unfortunately, far be it from thee. For if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell thee?

42. 23:28

    And now David starts to panic. Well, if you’re not going to tell me, who’s going to tell me? And I love what Jonathan does next. Jonathan says to David at verse 11. Come, let us go out into the field sometimes when we have a friend in distress. The best thing at the moment to do is to change physical locations because it allows everybody to breathe, take in a breath of fresh air. And now Jonathan recounts back to David the plan that he heard David come up with.

43. 24:18

    Look, you’re worried about my father. I will find out what my father thinks. And you’ve been worried about our friendship. Remember the covenant that I made with you? Verse 14 Thou shalt not only will I yet live. Show me the kindness of the Lord that I die not, but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house forever.

44. 24:44

    Know not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David, everyone from the face of the earth. And Jonathan makes another covenant with the House of David this time. And so he reassures him that he is indeed his friend. And David has come up with a plan. And he says, look, we’ll implement your plan. And he recognizes as well that it might be possible that David is forgotten, that Yahweh is at the center of their lives. And so he starts off his response in verse 12, Jonathan said unto David, after they go into the field, Oh Lord God of Israel, when I have sounded my father, he starts out by reminding David that the Lord God of Israel is involved in this situation.

45. 25:36

    And furthermore, at the end of verse 13, he says, And if it is designed that you need to go away, go in peace, and Yahweh be with thee as he hath been with my father. The contemporary English version, or rather the Young’s literal translation, reads, Yahweh is with thee as he was with my Father. You are the Lord’s anointed David. You have a plan and place in God’s plan and purpose. He’s not going to let you die.

46. 26:09

    And if you do get sent away, verse 22. But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee, then go thy way, for Yahweh hath sent thee away. Remember, David, that God is at the center of our lives. Remember, David, that God has a plan for you. You’ve been anointed. Remember Samuel came down to Bethlehem and called you out from the midst of your brethren and poured that, poured that holy oil upon your head to anoint you as king over Israel. Poured the ointment over his head to anoint him as king. And we get a hint here, don’t we, that Jonathan understood that David coming to the throne would indeed mean that he would, That he would indeed be diminished and possibly dead. The CEV for verse 15 says someday the Lord will wipe out all your enemies.

47. 27:12

    Who was David’s enemy at this time? Saul was his enemy. And then he says, if I’m still alive, please be as kind to me as the Lord has been, but if I’m dead, be kind to my family. And so Jonathan departs and David remains in the field for three days. And the first day passes and Sauls thinking, what’s going on?

48. 27:38

    Where’s David? But he doesn’t say anything. And the second day comes and David’s not sitting at meat again. And he says to Jonathan in verse 27, why comes not the son of Jesse to meet neither yesterday nor today? And Jonathan says, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.

49. 27:57

    And then verse 30, Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan. And he said, Thou son of a perverse rebellious woman, she must have been quite lovely and obedient to gain those remarks from Saul. Do not I know that thou has chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness?

50. 28:18

    As long as the son of Jesse lives upon the ground, you will not be established, nor thy Kingdom. Therefore go and fetch him, and bring him to me, that he must die. What is Saul saying? Jonathan, listen here. You need to make a decision between the beloved and your own career because if you choose the beloved, that’s the end of your career.

51. 28:50

    Jonathan had already made his decision. What a shallow and unspiritual man. And sadly, sometimes we can make the same shallow and unspiritual decisions in our life when we make decisions that put our career, our betterment above the will of God, above the beloved.

52. 29:18

    Well it says in verse 33. Then Saul cast a javelin at Jonathan to smite him. And amazingly, what a character this man was, whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to kill David. He’s just ducked to miss a spear that’s been chucked at his head. And it says he knew then that Saul indeed was going to kill David.

53. 29:52

    He esteemed the life of David greater than his own life. So Jonathan returns to the field. David’s hiding off in the distance. Jonathan’s there with his armor bearer, no doubt. David’s heart is pounding as the moment of truth is going to be revealed and the arrow is shot behind the rock and David’s heart sinks. What he knew was the case has been confirmed by Jonathan, and Jonathan sends the armor bearer away with his bow and his arrows, and David arises out of the place in verse 41 toward the South, and he falls on his face to the ground. He bows himself three times and they kiss one another and he wept one with another until David acceded. There were no more tears left.

54. 30:58

    David was about 20 at this time, a man that could kill a giant without even thinking about it, kill a lion, kill a bear, and another man who could take on an army of the Philistines. And the two of them weep together. Not just a brief hug, but he holds on to David until there’s no more tears left, dry crying, as it were.

55. 31:29

    And Jonathan says to David, Go in peace, for as much as we have sworn, both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, Yahweh between be, between me and thee, between my seed and thy seed forever. And David arose and wept, left. Jonathan watched as he disappeared off into the distance, wondering perhaps if he’d see his best friend again, and Jonathan turned and went into the city. Well, he would see his best friend one more time when David was at a spiritual low.

56. 32:17

    First Samuel chapter 23. David now has 600 men with him, plus women and children. Shortly afterwards they’ll inhabit a city, Ziklag. There’s so many people with their cattle, their crops. He’s got to feed these 600 men. And they were not just any men. They’re described in First Samuel 22, verse 2 as men of distress, men in debt, men that were discontented. Can imagine David out there in the wilderness with 600 men that are in distress and debt, discontented, complaining, complaining about Saul.

57. 33:02

    They’ve given him counsel to kill Saul on multiple occasions. And David has upheld his principles, honoring God and honoring Saul in his decisions. And now there’s David. He’s gone down to the city of Keela stronghold and thinks, OK, now I’ll have some reprieve from Saul. But somebody reports that David’s there amongst Keela.

58. 33:26

    And then David hears that Saul’s coming up and he prays to God in verse 10. Will Saul come up? And God says, yes, he will come down at the end of verse 11. And then David says, will the men of Keela deliver me into the hand of Saul? And the Lord says, yes, they will deliver you. And now he has to round up his 600 men with women and children once again and supplies, and head out of the city and go off into the wilderness once again, into the mountains, into caves, into the woods wherever he can.

59. 33:58

    And it says at verse 14 and David abode in the wilderness in strongholds and remained in a mountain in the wilderness as if and Saul sought him every day. Verse 15 And David saw that Saul was come to seek his life, and David was in the wilderness as if in the wood. And isn’t our God amazing?

60. 34:27

    Saul’s out there with his 3000 chosen men searching for David everywhere, looking in caves, looking in woods, looking in fields, looking in cities. Verse 16 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, a rose and went to David directly to him. Saul can’t find him no matter how hard he looks, because the Lord was keeping him away from David.

61. 34:58

    And Jonathan goes directly to him in the wood and strengthened his hand in God. And Jonathan says to David at verse 17 of First Samuel 23, fear not for the hand of Saul. My father shall not find thee, and thou shalt be King David over all Israel. And now perhaps he communicated what was his hope and what was his desire, but what he no doubt doubted would happen. And I shall sit next unto thee, David. And that also saw my father knoweth. And they too made a covenant before Yahweh and David abode in the wood and Jonathan returned to his house. There are sometimes that we can do little more but sit and empathize with our companion.

62. 36:12

    There was no immediate solution. Eventually God would resolve this. But right now, in this moment, as David’s there in the wood, fleeing for his life and also having to encourage 600 men with their wives and with their little ones, keeping them quiet, 600 families feed them.

63. 36:40

    At this moment, all Jonathan could do was strengthen David’s hand in the Lord. And there’s David, looking down at the ground. And slowly and gently, Sam, Jonathan lifts up David’s head, lifts it up to the sky, and reminds him of the hope that he has. Reminds him once again of the anointing oil that was poured on his head. Reminds him that he’s going to come to the throne. And that’s all we can do.

64. 37:21

    Sometimes, when our friends are in great distress, when they’re in the heart of the hurricane, when they’re in the midst of the trial, sometimes all we can do is sit and emphasize. Not commiserate, but sit and empathize with them and strengthen their hand in the Lord, slowly, gently lifting their head and reminding them that their redemption draweth nigh. Well there was a similar scene with the second friendship in the New Testament that were reminded of by David and Jonathan when the beloved was also in the woods or in a wood. We read in Mark chapter 14.

65. 38:27

    And Jesus and his disciples came to a place which was named Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, Sit ye here while I take, while I well I shall pray. And he taketh with him, Peter and James and John, the three of his closest friends. And he began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy. And he shares with them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death.

66. 38:56

    Tarry ye here and watch as the Beloved is in the woods now, thinking about all of the types, all of the things that foreshadowed what He was about to do. Every sacrifice under the law, the brazen serpent that was lifted up, all the symbols of his death. That he would die acutely aware of what a crucifixion was, having no doubt seen it. It was the Romans favorite form of public execution and outside the city of Jerusalem he had no doubt witnessed a crucifixion on previous occasions and knew of the shame that he would bear as he hung naked before his people in pain, gasping for his breath and he’s in a Strait.

67. 39:59

    We’re told that he was so distressed that there were great drops of blood coming from his pores and sadly his friends fell asleep. And so we read in the Gospel of Luke that God responds, there was Jesus withdrawn from Peter and James and John who were sleeping about a stones cast, and kneel down praying, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my will be done, but thine. And there appeared an Angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

68. 40:47

    And where God brought an Angel into a wood in the garden of Gethsemane to comfort Christ because his friends had failed, Jonathan was there for his friend. What a friend God had given to David.

69. 41:11

    And now finally David finds refuge in of all places amongst the Philistines. But thankfully God in His mercy spared him from the events of First Samuel 31 where we read it verse one. Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down, slain in Mount Gilboa.

70. 41:39

    And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons. And the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abinadab and Melchizedea, Saul’s sons, Jonathan at the front, most valiantly fighting. And why wasn’t he able to overcome the Philistines this time? He could take on an entire an entire army because the time was set that his father needed to go so that David could ascend to the throne.

71. 42:10

    The time had come that Jonathan must diminish, must decrease so that David could increase. And Jonathan fights valiantly to the bitter end for a man who will take his own life, doesn’t even have the courage to stand up to the men that killed his sons who fought to protect him. And the battle went sore against solvers 3, And The Archers hit him, and he was sore wounded of The Archers. Then said Saul unto his armor bearer, Draw thy sword and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me, or mock me, as the margin says.

72. 43:07

    But his armor bearer would not, for he was so afraid. Therefore took Saul a sword and fell upon it. And his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, and fell upon his sword likewise. So Saul died, and his three sons and his armor bearer and all his men that same day together.

73. 43:35

    Which brings us to Second Samuel chapter 1. Dating. David, having received the news at verse 17, laments with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, over Jonathan his friend. And it says at verse 18. And he bade them teach who? The children of Judah, the use of the bow. It says in the King James it should say the song of the bow.

74. 44:11

    But he bade the children of Judah to learn this, not Israel, who already revered Saul, but Judah who would have despised Saul for trying to kill David. And he makes Judah learn this song, The beauty of Israel. Saul is slain upon thy high places. How? How could David say this of such a man, A man who ended his own, didn’t even have courage to fight to the bitter end after his sons died protecting him. And yet there he is, baiting Judah to learn that the beauty of Israel was slain upon high places. How are the mighty fallen?

75. 45:08

    Tell it not in Gath. Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of these uncircumcised triumph, seeking to uphold Saul’s honour and the honour of his sons to the end. Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no do neither let there be rain upon you, nor fields of offerings.

76. 45:38

    For there the shield of the mighty is vilely castaway, the shield of Saul as though he had not been anointed with oil, which David kept always at the forefront of his mind, at every opportunity, at every urging to take his life from the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty.

77. 46:02

    The bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives and in their death. David acknowledges the decision Jonathan had made in their death. They were not divided, they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, and other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle? O Jonathan, thou was slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan. Very pleasant hast thou been unto me. Thy love to me was wonderful.

78. 47:18

    Passing the love of women, how are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war perished? Jonathan, as he fought to defend his father, no doubt wished he could stand by David’s side as he fled across the brook to protect his fleeing father.

79. 47:53

    Perhaps he was weeping not because he was going to die, not because he was afraid of death or afraid of these uncircumcised Philistines, but because he would not stand beside David. But he will, brothers and sisters, he will, in the day when our Lord returns and establishes that Kingdom. And what a glorious reunion this will be of these friends.

80. 48:29

    I believe 2 Psalms are inspired by the song of David and by the life and friendship of Jonathan. Psalm 133. Behold how good and how pleasant. Same word that’s used there in the song of the bow. Thou hast been very pleasant to me, Jonathan. Thy love to me was wonderful. How pleasant is it for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard that went down to the skirts of his garments as the dew of Hermann, as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion. For there Yahweh commanded the blessing, even life forevermore. Brothers, sisters, Jonathan and David have shown us how to dwell together in unity.

81. 49:54

    Jonathan and David have shown us that it just requires putting God first in our life, that it requires esteeming each other better than ourselves. Sometimes it requires listening even when we’d like to protest, requires lifting each other up in times of difficulty. It requires rejoicing when our friends rejoice. It requires weeping when our friends suffer. And I think also, as David came to the throne and wrote Psalm one O 1 with the goal that he had mine eyes, says, David, shall be upon the faithful of the land, upon the Jonathans, that they may dwell with me, even as I wished he would. He that walketh in a perfect way, as Jonathan had, he shall serve me.

82. 51:05

    But he that acts like Saul, that works deceit, shall not dwell in my house. He that tells lies shall not tarry in my sight. I will destroy all the wicked out of the land, that I may cut off all the wicked doers from the city of Yahweh. And so how do we develop this spiritual intelligence? How can we brothers and sisters be friends to each other like Jonathan was to David?

83. 51:38

    How can we be friends to our brothers and sisters? For that’s what Jesus is asked. He’s asked us to be his friends. And how do we show that friendship? Well, He sits at the right hand of his Father in heaven. He’s not with us day by day. He’s not sitting beside us. He’s not in the car with us. He’s not at Bible school with us. Of course He is.

84. 52:03

    We know He’s here in presence. But we don’t seal him. We can’t touch him. We can’t feel him, but we can sure see each other. We can see Christ’s brethren,

85. 52:16

    and how are we treating them? What love are we showing to each other? For with what love you have loved one another. You have loved your God and his Son. So let’s try to apply these principles of friendship in our relationships, one with another and our marriages, in our friendships, in our community, in our family. To put God first, each of us in our lives, to esteem each other better than ourselves and put the needs of our brother, our sister, our husband, our wife, our father, our mother, our children ahead of our own needs.

86. 53:06

    Be willing to listen rather than prove yourself right. Lift each other up when the other is down, and be willing, finally, to lay down our lives for our friends, even as Jonathan did for his friend David.