Covenantal Manhood: The Bond of Jonathan and David Text: 1 Samuel 18:1-5
Introduction: The World's Counterfeit and the Bible's Reality
We live in an age that is profoundly confused about what it means to be a man, and consequently, what it means to have a friend. Our culture, in its headlong flight from God, has managed to sexualize everything. As a result, any deep, affectionate, committed friendship between two men is immediately viewed with suspicion, as though it must be some kind of repressed deviancy. The world offers two options for men: a shallow, back-slapping camaraderie that never touches the heart, or a perverted, romanticized caricature of true friendship. Both are pathetic counterfeits.
Into this confusion, the relationship between David and Jonathan strides like a colossus. Here is a friendship that is fiercely loyal, deeply affectionate, and sacrificially committed. It is a bond forged in the presence of God, centered on the purposes of God, and sealed with the solemnity of a covenant. This is not a story about effeminate men holding hands in the twilight. This is a story about two warriors, two men of valor, whose souls are knit together in a profound love that our anemic generation can scarcely comprehend. One of them is the heir to the throne, and the other is the God-anointed successor. The stage is set for a bloody rivalry, for jealousy and political maneuvering. That is what the world expects. But that is not what God provides.
What we see in these verses is a picture of true biblical masculinity, which is always covenantal and self-giving. It is a love that lays down its life, and its crown, for a friend. This account is not in Scripture to give fodder to revisionists who want to find their modern perversions in the text. It is here to show us a loyalty that foreshadows the loyalty of Christ to His people, and to provide a pattern for the kind of robust, godly friendships that are essential for the health of the church and the advancement of the kingdom. We must learn to read this text with biblical eyes, not with the polluted imagination of the 21st century.
This passage is a direct assault on the selfish ambition that drives the world of men. It is a portrait of a prince who saw the work of God in another man and, instead of becoming his rival, became his greatest ally. This is the heart of the gospel lived out between two brothers in arms.
The Text
Now it happened when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
And Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father’s house.
Then Jonathan cut a covenant with David because he loved him as his own soul.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even his sword and his bow and his belt.
So David went out wherever Saul sent him and prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war. And it was pleasing in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of Saul’s servants.
(1 Samuel 18:1-5 LSB)
Knit Souls and Covenant Love (v. 1-3)
We begin with the immediate aftermath of David's victory over Goliath.
"Now it happened when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul... Then Jonathan cut a covenant with David because he loved him as his own soul." (1 Samuel 18:1, 3)
The language here is potent and deliberate. "The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David." This is not a sentimental Hallmark card phrase. It describes a deep, powerful, and immediate bond. This was not a gradual acquaintance; it was a recognition. Jonathan, himself a man of great faith and courage (as we saw in chapter 14), recognized a kindred spirit in David. He heard David's testimony before Saul, recounting his trust in the Lord against the lion and the bear, and he saw the fruit of that faith in the head of the giant. This friendship was not founded on shared hobbies; it was founded on a shared, robust faith in the living God of Israel.
This knitting of souls is the foundation for the love that follows. "Jonathan loved him as his own soul." This is the language of covenant. It is the language of the second great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. This is not primarily an emotional description, though deep affection was certainly present. It is a statement of identification and commitment. Jonathan saw David's well-being, his success, and his life as being as important as his own. This is the opposite of the self-serving, narcissistic spirit of his father, Saul.
And this love immediately seeks to formalize itself in a covenant. A covenant is not a contract. A contract is an agreement between two parties based on mutual suspicion, with clauses for what happens when one party fails. A covenant is a bond, a sworn oath, based on mutual loyalty. Jonathan takes the initiative. He, the prince, the one who stands to lose everything by David's rise, is the one who formalizes the bond. This is a radical act of faith. Jonathan is not just making a friend; he is aligning himself with God's unfolding purpose, even at his own expense. He recognized that God was with David, and he chose to be on the side of God, which meant being on the side of David. This is the essence of true loyalty.
The Transfer of Kingship (v. 4)
The covenant is immediately sealed with a series of deeply symbolic actions.
"And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even his sword and his bow and his belt." (1 Samuel 18:4 LSB)
We must not read this with our modern, utilitarian mindset. This is not simply Jonathan giving a friend a spare coat and some weapons because he needed them. Every item here is saturated with meaning. Jonathan is the crown prince. The robe he is wearing is a symbol of his royal status, his claim to the throne. His armor, sword, bow, and belt are the accoutrements of his authority as a warrior and a leader in Israel. In stripping himself of these things and giving them to David, Jonathan is performing a powerful, public act of abdication. He is symbolically transferring his birthright to David.
This is a stunning act of humility and self-denial. Jonathan is essentially saying, "You are the one God has chosen. The kingship belongs to you, not to me. My identity is now found in supporting you, not in promoting myself." He is laying down his crown at David's feet before David even has a throne. This is John the Baptist before John the Baptist: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). This is the spirit of Christ, who "emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7).
Jonathan's action is a living parable of faith. He saw what God was doing and aligned his life with it, regardless of the personal cost. He did not cling to his own ambition or his own rights. He surrendered them for the sake of God's anointed. This is the opposite of Saul, who spends the rest of his life frantically trying to kill the man Jonathan is honoring. Jonathan submits to God's providence, while Saul rebels against it.
David's Prosperity and Position (v. 2, 5)
The chapter bookends this covenant scene with Saul's actions and David's subsequent success.
"And Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father’s house... So David went out wherever Saul sent him and prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war. And it was pleasing in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of Saul’s servants." (1 Samuel 18:2, 5 LSB)
Saul, for his part, acts out of a kind of selfish utility. He sees David as a valuable asset, a new weapon for his army. So he conscripts him into permanent royal service. He "took him that day." But even as Saul is trying to use David for his own purposes, God is using Saul's actions to fulfill His own. God is positioning David at the center of power in Israel, training him for the kingship that is to come.
And David's character shines through. "He went out wherever Saul sent him and prospered." The Hebrew word for "prospered" also carries the idea of acting wisely or with insight. David is not just lucky; he is skillful and prudent. And the reason is given later in the chapter: "the LORD was with him" (1 Sam. 18:14). His success is not his own; it is the blessing of God upon him. This is a crucial point. David's rise is not the result of a political coup or his own clever maneuvering. It is the manifest favor of God.
This favor makes him popular with everyone. "It was pleasing in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of Saul's servants." The very men who should have been loyal to Saul and suspicious of this upstart are won over by David's character and competence. This is God preparing the hearts of the nation to receive their future king. While Saul's heart is hardening with jealousy, the hearts of the people are softening toward David. God is building David's kingdom right under the nose of the failing king.
The Gospel in Friendship
This entire account is a beautiful illustration of the gospel. The relationship between Jonathan and David is a type, a foreshadowing, of a greater reality.
Jonathan, the rightful heir, willingly divests himself of his royal robes and prerogatives and gives them to another. He lays down his glory so that the true king might be exalted. Does this not sound familiar? This is precisely what our Lord Jesus Christ did. He is the true King, the eternal Son of God. Yet He stripped Himself of His royal prerogatives, not counting equality with God a thing to be grasped, and took on the form of a servant (Phil. 2:6-7). He came to us when we were outcasts, spiritual shepherds with nothing to our name.
And what did He do? He cut a covenant with us, a new covenant in His blood. And in that covenant, a glorious exchange takes place. He takes our filthy rags of sin and self-righteousness, and He clothes us with His perfect robe of righteousness. He gives us His armor, the armor of God, so that we can stand against the schemes of the devil. He gives us His name, His inheritance, His position as sons of God. He, the Prince of Heaven, loved us "as His own soul" and gave Himself for us.
Jonathan's love for David was a selfless, covenant-keeping love that laid down its own rights for the good of the beloved. This is a dim reflection of the love of Christ. And it is the pattern for our own relationships within the body of Christ. We are called to this same kind of self-giving love. We are to "outdo one another in showing honor" (Romans 12:10). When we see God's grace and anointing on a brother, our response should not be the jealousy of Saul, but the covenantal loyalty of Jonathan.
In a world drowning in selfish ambition and counterfeit affections, the church is called to be a community that displays the robust, loyal, covenantal love of Jonathan and David. It is a love founded on a shared faith in the true King, a love that sacrifices its own interests for the sake of the brother, and a love that ultimately points to the greatest Friend of all, the one who laid down His life for us.