Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.
David has just killed Goliath. Now the king's own son binds himself to the shepherd by a covenant. The reason given is love — but what kind of love, what did it cost Jonathan, and how far did it carry him?
Love Born of Faith
Love is the reason the verse gives for the covenant. One writer traces that love back to its root.
William KellyThis was the matching fruit of the Spirit of God in Jonathan. Those who think it was only a question of personal affection are badly mistaken. That was there too. But Jonathan was a man of faith, and no affection has the character, the power, or the permanence of one that is driven by faith.
Another writer names what the two men held in common, and what it saved them from.
The Bible TreasuryThe same faith, the same confidence in the living God, made free and mutual love flow out of their hearts... Our hearts are so treacherous that faith on its own might have bred pride and perhaps jealousy. But faith and love mixed together formed a strong and blessed link... This was not a mere matter of sentiment or an impulsive movement of the natural heart. It was a bond in the Lord.
The Victor, Not Only the Victory
Israel enjoyed the rescue David won. One writer points out what set Jonathan apart from the crowd.
Charles Henry MackintoshIt was not only the victory but the victor that filled Jonathan's heart — not only the work done, but the one who had done it. Jonathan was not content to say, "Thank God, the giant is dead, we are delivered, and we can go home and enjoy ourselves." No; his heart was drawn and knit to the person of the conqueror. It was not that he valued the victory less, but that he valued the victor more.
A Covenant That Gave Away a Crown
One writer notes that only one side of this covenant is recorded — and what that side gave away.
Leslie M. GrantBecause he loved him as his own soul he made a most striking covenant with him. Nothing is said of David's side of the covenant, but Jonathan stripped himself of his robe and gave it to David... This was a plain declaration that, there and then, he was handing over to David all the royal rights that could have been his. Instead of succeeding his father, he would gladly hand his right to the throne to David. If Saul had only been wise enough to do this, how much less tragic would his history have been!
The Picture for a Believer
One writer takes the scene as a pattern for how faith in Christ begins.
W. T. P. WolstonHere you have a picture of how a truly converted man starts with Christ — there is complete surrender... David stands for Christ; Jonathan for the delivered sinner... It is an immense thing to have the heart wholly surrendered to the One who has blessed you and delivered you.
The Covenant Outlived Jonathan
David did not forget what he had promised.
The Bible TreasuryJonathan looks for nothing beyond seeing David's throne established in power... David kept the covenant made that day. At the height of his glory and greatness he remembered it, and his kindness to Mephibosheth proved it.
Mephibosheth was Jonathan's son. David's kindness to him flowed from a promise made to his father years earlier.
Where the Love Stopped
Yet one writer marks a gap between what Jonathan gave and where he stayed.
C. H. MackintoshEven Jonathan was not there. He still held on to the old order of things. Though he loved David as his own soul, he lived and died at Saul's side. It is true that he dared to speak up for David, and sought his company when he could. He had stripped himself to clothe David, yet he never threw in his lot with him.
Summary
- Faith first. Their souls were knit by "a bond in the Lord" — the same faith in the living God, not two personalities that clicked.
- Faith sees the person. Jonathan "valued the victor more" than the victory. Gratitude for the rescue is one thing; love for the Rescuer is another.
- Love strips. Jonathan sealed the covenant with his robe, sword and belt — "handing over to David all the royal rights that could have been his."
- Love binds beyond death. David remembered the covenant "at the height of his glory and greatness," and showed kindness to Jonathan's son.
- Love that never leaves home. Jonathan "stripped himself to clothe David, yet he never threw in his lot with him" — the warning hanging over the whole friendship.