“That day, Sha’ul took David into his service and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. Y’honatan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as he did himself. “-1 Samuel 18:2-3
Now if I’m reading verse 2 correctly, it would seem that David has been legally kidnapped to serve King Saul.
Wow!
Well, actually, on second thought, we shouldn’t be surprised this is happening.
Why?
Because the Lord warned Israel if they made Saul king, he would be a taker more than a giver.
Keep in mind that all of God’s judges were deliverers who rescued Israel from their oppression.
They were givers who served, as opposed to takers who were interested in their selfish agendas.
So what the Lord said would happen is now happening with David who had been taken from his family to serve Saul.
Of course, there was no fuss made over this because it was understood that was how the world operated.
If a king wanted a member to serve his kingdom, or wanted some girl’s hand in marriage, no one would resist, it was a done deal.
Onward.
Let’s take a look at verse 3.
We’re told that Jonathan entered into a covenant with David because he loved him.
It wasn’t for political or financial gain or services rendered.
It wasn’t about two men teaming up to protect each other.
This covenant was all about love.
Now pay attention here, because there are a couple of God patterns or principles I want you to catch.
First, since Jonathan was royalty, only he was capable of offering a covenant to David.
David, being a lowly commoner, did not possess that ability.
This same pattern applies to the covenants that God makes with mankind.
God can make a covenant with His creation.
But, the opposite is NOT true.
Sin-stained man cannot approach God and attempt to make a covenant with Him.
God HAS TO come to man.
Now, here’s another pattern I wanna show you that’s common to all covenants.
It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about the covenant God made with Noah to never destroy the world by flood again…
Or the Covenant He made with Abraham to establish a chosen people and give them a land and kingdom that would eventually bless the whole world…
Or the covenant He made with Moses at Sinai when He gave His people a perfect recipe to live a holy life…
Here’s the thing.
ALL covenants God makes with mankind are covenants of love.
Ya feel me?
God gains nothing when He makes a covenant with us…
In some cases, He makes huge sacrifices…like giving up His son.
So it was the same for Jonathan when he made a covenant with David.
He gained nothing.
It was for the sake of brotherly love.
Later, Jonathan will eventually give up his right to succeed his father (Saul) to allow David to have the throne.
So here’s the takeaway.
Christianity often preaches how God’s New Covenant through Yeshua’s blood is a covenant of love.
That is true.
But as I just said, ALL covenants that God made between Him and men were covenants of love.
Jonathan was patterning himself after Adonai in this sense when he made a covenant with David.
It wasn’t a homosexual thing as we’ve already discussed.
Check out verse 4:
“Y’honatan removed the cloak
he was wearing and gave it to
David, his armor too,
including his sword, bow, and belt.”
Here we see Jonathan, as royalty, offering his covering and his protection to David as a FREE gift.
It was a gift of GRACE.
This is exactly how God deals with us.
Yet, isn’t this so the opposite of how the world works?
In worldly terms, it is usually the lower-status person who offers up a gift to a higher-status guru to enter into a relationship with him.
I’ll leave you with those thoughts for today.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish,
but have everlasting life.”
-John 3:16
“But God demonstrates
his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners,
Messiah died for us.”
-Romans 5:8
“Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and
with all your soul and
with all your mind and
with all your strength.’
The second is this:
‘Love your neighbor
as yourself.’There is no
commandment greater
than these.”
-Mark 12:30-31
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