Johnathan and David

The relationship between Johnathan and David is a beautiful picture of friendship. From the day that David killed Goliath, Saul kept David with him, refusing to let him return to his family in Bethlehem. So he would have spent a tremendous amount of time with Saul's son Johnathan, and the two became best friends. I actually read that there is speculation that they were homosexual, but I think this confusion stems from several thousand years separating our two cultures. We simply do not speak of men "loving" one another and certainly not kissing. Of course men of this culture do have close, non-sexual relationships with other men, and men can be affectionate with each other without being homosexual. But we do not use the same terminology to describe the relationship. We learn later on in the book of Samuel, that David does wander outside the laws of God sexually, but not with men! He has hundreds of wives and his greatest sin resulted from his lust over Bathsheba. Johnathan apparently already had a family, as is clear from the covenant he made with David to ensure they would be cared for in the event of Johnathan's death. So I think we can rule out anything perverse ("eros" or erotic love) and simply appreciate the intensity of their relationship for what it was...("phileo" or brotherly love). What is particularly remarkable about Johnathan's devotion to David is not so much that he chose him over his own father, but that he valued him over himself! Not only did Johnathan risk his life by protecting David, he forfeited his shot at the throne. As Saul's eldest son, he would have been next in line, but sparing David's life negated that line of succession.

An interesting contrast between Saul and David surfaces in the account of David requesting the showbread meant for the priests, for he and his hungry men. Remember that Saul usurped the role of the priest when he offered sacrifices to God in his impatience with Samuel. Here, David presumed upon the priesthood by eating the sacred "bread of the Presence". The vastly different results (Saul loses his kingdom and David is later used as an example by Jesus to illustrate the point that the spirit of the law should be held above the letter of the law; Matt. 12:3-4) indicate that God's treatment of them was based not on their actions but on the nature of their hearts.

Now, David was a "man after God's own heart", but he was not perfect. The rest of the reading for today tells the story of his deception to Ahimelech the priest. David did not tell Ahimelech that he was on the run from Saul, but instead pretended to be on a mission from him. The reasons why he would do such a thing are clear, but the ends do not justify the means. A heavy consequence will fall for this selfish lie in tomorrow's reading. Our sins are forgiven, but not without consequence. Knowing that he had been spotted by one of Saul's men at Nob, David fled that day to Gath, probably assuming the last place Saul would look for him would be among their enemies, the Philistenes.

Tomorrow's reading:1 Samuel 22-23:12; 1 Chronicles 12:8-18; Psalm 57 and 142;