1 Samuel 20

Godly Friendships Are Heaven’s Gift

Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, “May the LORD be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.” ~ 1 Samuel 20:42

Have you ever stopped to think about how different your life would be without the people God has placed in it? We all need someone who will tell us the truth, stand beside us when life gets difficult, and remind us of God’s faithfulness when we can’t seem to see it ourselves. We weren’t created to walk this journey alone. Even if you enjoy your quiet time, there comes a point where talking your pet just isn’t enough.

One of the greatest gifts God gave David wasn’t a slingshot, a harp, or even the future throne. It was Jonathan. At a time when Saul was trying to kill David, Jonathan chose faithfulness over convenience. He could have protected his own future as the king’s son, but instead he chose God’s plan over his own personal gain. Their friendship was built on a mutual love for God, trust, loyalty, and a desire to see God’s will accomplished.

That’s the kind of friendship every believer should desire, cultivate and pray for. As God’s people today, we need relationships that strengthen our faith, encourage our calling, and point us back to the Lord when life becomes confusing.

Below are three characteristics of godly friendships that can strengthen our own walk with the Lord Jesus.

1. Godly friends speak truth, even when it’s difficult.

Jonathan loved both his father and David. That wasn’t an easy place to be but when Saul’s heart turned against David, Jonathan didn’t ignore the truth or pretend everything was fine. He courageously discovered the facts and warned David because he cared more about God’s plan than avoiding an uncomfortable conversation. That’s what a true friend looks like.

Sometimes the most loving thing someone can do is gently tell us something we need to hear. Maybe you’re making a decision that could lead you away from God’s best. A godly friend may lovingly ask difficult questions. At first it may sting a little, but later you’ll realize their honesty protected you. Be thankful for people who care enough to tell you the truth.

2. Godly friends celebrate God’s plan for your life.

Jonathan understood something remarkable. He knew David would one day become king. That meant Jonathan would never sit on the throne himself. Yet he wasn’t jealous, threatened or even compete with David. Instead, he encouraged him. That’s a beautiful picture of spiritual maturity.

In today’s world it’s easy to compare ourselves with others. We celebrate someone’s promotion on the outside while secretly wondering why God hasn’t done the same for us. Jonathan reminds us that God’s blessings aren’t limited. God doesn’t have a shortage of purpose. When He blesses someone else, it doesn’t take anything away from what He has planned for you. If your friend receives an opportunity you’ve been praying for, celebrate with them. Your ability to rejoice with others prepares your heart for what God wants to do in your own life.

3. Godly friendships point us back to God.

The foundation of Jonathan and David’s friendship wasn’t shared hobbies or similar personalities. It was their shared commitment to the Lord. Their covenant centered on God’s faithfulness. The strongest friendships are the ones that help us become more like Jesus.

Ask yourself this question:

• Do the people closest to me encourage my faith?
• Do they inspire me to trust God more?
• Do they remind me of His promises when I’m discouraged?

If the answer is yes, thank God for those relationships and invest in them. If not, ask the Lord to bring godly people into your life who will strengthen your walk with Him. At the same time, become that kind of friend for someone else.

Here are a few practical ways to begin applying these truths today.

• Thank God for the faithful friends He has placed in your life.
• Reach out to someone who has encouraged your faith and let them know how much they mean to you.
• Pray for your friends regularly instead of only praying for your own needs.
• Celebrate the successes of others without comparing your journey to theirs.
• Be willing to lovingly speak truth when someone needs encouragement or correction.
• Ask God to help you become the kind of friend who points people toward Him.

Jonathan and David eventually had to part ways. I’m sure that wasn’t easy but even in their goodbye, they reminded one another of God’s faithfulness. Their friendship wasn’t built on convenience, it was built on covenant. That’s the kind of relationship that leaves a lasting impact. We live in a world where friendships often come and go based on circumstances, convenience, or common interests. God offers something much deeper. He places people in our lives who strengthen our faith, encourage our purpose, and help us keep our eyes on Him through every season.

Today I want to encourage you to treasure the godly friendships the Lord has given you. Don’t take them for granted. Invest in them, pray for them, encourage them, and thank God for them. If you’re praying for deeper friendships, trust that God knows exactly who you need in this season of your life. He is faithful to bring the right people across your path at the right time. As you walk together with others who love the Lord, you’ll find strength for today’s challenges, courage for tomorrow’s opportunities, and joy in knowing you were never meant to walk this journey alone.

Today’s scripture reading: 1 Samuel 20

1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”

2 So Jonathan said to him, “By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”

3 Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”

4 So Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.”

5 And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening. 

6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’ 

7 If he says thus: ‘It is well,’ your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, be sure that evil is determined by him. 

8 Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?”

9 But Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?”

10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?”

11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out into the field. 

12 Then Jonathan said to David: “The Lord God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you, 

13 may the Lord do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. 

14 And you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die; 

15 but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 

16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let the Lord require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”

17 Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 

18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 

19 And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. 

20 Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target; 

21 and there I will send a lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come’—then, as the Lord lives, there is safety for you and no harm. 

22 But if I say thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’—go your way, for the Lord has sent you away. 

23 And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the Lord be between you and me forever.”

24 Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. 

25 Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty. 

26 Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean.” 

27 And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?”

28 So Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. 

29 And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”

30 Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 

31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”

32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” 

33 Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David.

34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully.

35 And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. 

36 Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 

37 When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 

38 And Jonathan cried out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So, Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. 

39 But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. 

40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”

41 As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. 

42 Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘May the Lord be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ ” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

Journal Questions

• Who has God placed in my life that has strengthened my faith?
• Am I the kind of friend who encourages others to follow God’s plan?
• Have I allowed comparison to affect any of my friendships?
• Is there someone I should reach out to today with encouragement or gratitude?
• How can I intentionally build friendships that honor God and strengthen my walk with Him?