Shepherd To King-Day 9

06 Sep Shepherd To King-Day 9

Scripture: 1 Samuel 20: 3-4 NLT- “Then David took an oath before Jonathan and said, ‘Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, ‘I won’t tell Jonathan- why should I hurt him?’ But I swear to you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the LORD and by your own soul!’ ‘Tell me what I can do to help you,’ Jonathan exclaimed.”

Please read 1 Samuel 20 to get the full context of the above quoted verse.

Observation: In this scripture we can feel the love, compassion, and devotion between David and Jonathan. We can also feel David’s pain and fear for his life. However, because of the nature of David and Jonathan’s friendship, David knew he could be vulnerable and confide in his friend.  Lastly, we can attest to Jonathan’s character, loyalty, and integrity as he offers to help protect his friend in such a critical time.  

Application: Relationships are essential to life. God created us for this. As it is written in Genesis 2:18 (a) – NLT “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone.’” God created us to thrive on this earth for the purpose of relationships. Therefore, the need to have friends is innate. I think of my life and I am thankful for the people I get to call my friends.

You may be too. Some may be four season friends, and others may only be spring and summer; that is, they are only capable of handling joyous moments in our lives. It is important to know that not everyone who is in our lives is meant to be four season friends. But at the minimum, we should have a few people that we know will be there for us through spring, summer, fall and winter—and that we can be there for as well. Friends who have our best interest at heart that we can call on, rely on, confide in, pray with and trust to guide, correct, help, support us, celebrate, and mourn with us as needed through each season of our lives.

Looking at the friendship between David and Jonathan, it is evident how much they cared for each other. David ran to Jonathan seeking help to save his life from Jonathan’s raging father; and for Jonathan to be so loyal to David so much so that he takes an oath with David promising him that he won’t betray him to his father, King Saul. The book of Proverbs 18:24 NLT says, “There are ‘friends’ who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” Jonathan essentially chose David over his father by choosing to save David’s life from Saul’s jealous, irrational wrath. That is a special and rare kind of friendship. One could say Jonathan stuck closer than a brother to David in this story.

Few quality friendships are better than having several without substance. Consider friends in your life… are they like Jonathan? Do you have at least one friend who shows some character traits like Jonathan? Or ask yourself, are you a Jonathan kind of friend? Are you a kind, loving and compassionate friend? Which one of them do you know needs help? Ask a friend today as Jonathan asked David, “Tell me what I can do to help.”

Prayer: LORD Jesus, I thank you for the friendships in my life.  Please help me to be a more compassionate, kind, and loving friend to my friends. Please help me make great friends, and Father, please direct kind and loving true friends my way. 

Next steps: 

• Come back for Day 10
• Do you have a friend in need? Seek them out and do something nice for them.
• A great first step to meet new people and maybe build long-lasting friendships is to join a J-Group! A J-Group is a group of like-minded people who do life together. Is there an activity that interests you? There is a J-Group for you! 

Melody Adenipekun/Code Red /Journey City Essentials Team Leader

Melody has been attending The Journey with her husband and three-year-old daughter since June 2021. She is a graduate of The Journey Leadership Institute. She is also a Registered Nurse with a specialty in critical care nursing. Melody enjoys serving the essential workers in Journey City alongside her team members. She loves all things beauty, fashion, design, and Nigerian praise and worship music.