120

Samuel 18:1

"Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul."

In an extremely small nut shell, the story of David and Jonathan goes that as follows: Jonathan (King Saul's son) met David (a shepherd boy, the son of a man named Jesse) after David had just defeated Goliath (the Philistine- a giant) and according to this verse, from that point on their friendship was solidified and set until the end. It was a special friendship about which a novel could be written, and from these two we can learn so much about the beauty and the rare treasure that a good friend can be.

Jonathan and David exemplify one of the most pure, lovely and unique friendships we can find throughout all of the scriptures. The Bible says they loved each other; they truly loved each other. They loved each other more than they loved themselves: Jonathan loved David "as his own soul." That is a big statement. They loved each other through thick and thin. They defended each other - when Saul wanted to kill David, Jonathan secretly told David about it to protect his friend who he believed him with all of his heart. They made oaths and promises to each other to show that no one would come in between this friendship. It was a friendship that protected and provided for each other. They had each other's backs through all the storms of life. And, Jonathan truly believed in the call of God on David's life, and he went to all measures - sacrificial - to make sure nothing would kill or harm David (even his own dad).

There are very few people that can grip your soul with such love and dedication. As the world spins faster, and stuff and hearts get more broken, we must be very intentional about friends - good, solid friends who adore you for you, love the person you are, and make you want to be a better person. A good friend who is not romantic to you, but someone you can trust, someone who you genuinely want to succeed even if it means you don't. When you live for someone else's well being and happiness, your life takes on a rare depth and passionate meaning. Find and value a friend who stands the test of time and weathers any storms that come along over a lifetime.
1 Samuel is full of stories about Jonathan and David. There friendship stood strong through wars, family issues, mistakes and successes. No adversity and no one's jealousy, anger or bitterness got between them. They were soul mates in the truest, purest sense.