DAVID STUDY (#6):  (1 Samuel 18:1-4)-(14-16)-(Prov. 18:24)
"A FRIEND THAT STICKS CLOSER THAN A BROTHER"

(1 Sam. 23:17-"Thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee.")
Again we are visiting this text, but in another way.  Earlier in our study we saw how that David  "BEHAVED" around people...he had a certain respectable STANDARD for his life; and God honored that!  The Lord was gracious to David in that he placed certain people in his life on which he could lean during difficult times. Jonathan was strategically placed in David’s life at the very moment he needed a genuine friend.  The name “Jonathan” means “Jehovah has given.”   David's three oldest brothers have done nothing up to this point but criticize his MOTIVES and his MANHOOD; they didn't stick with David, but Jonathan steps up to the plate and says, "I will"!!!
It is a shame and a disgrace that some have tried to take this precious, godly relationship between two men and make it into something it was not.  David and Jonathan were NOT lovers; they were simply the best of friends!
So, what is a true friendship? One person said, “A friend--a true friend--the first person who comes IN when the whole world has gone OUT.”[1] Another said, “A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you today just the way you are.”[2] We ought to be thankful to God for the few, genuine friends we possess!

I. JONATHAN’S LOVE AS A FRIEND WAS AN UNCOMMON LOVE
A. Verse 4 tells us that Jonathan removed his princely robe and placed it on David. He even gave David his sword, his bow and his girdle or belt. In other words, Jonathan willing laid aside the symbols of his position as the crown prince of Israel and gave them to David. 
In 1 Sam. 23:17, Jonathan reveals to David that he knows David will ascend to the throne of Israel after Saul. But, Jonathan is not jealous of David. He intends to stand by David, even as David assumes a throne that should have belonged to Jonathan!
B. This is a picture of the love Jesus has for His people. Just as Jonathan laid aside the royal robes and gave them to David; Jesus has done the same for us!  
C. Like David we were nothing but paupers, dressed in the rags of our sins...until Jesus came to us in His love; saved us by His grace and clothed us in His Own righteous robes.

II. JONATHAN’S LOVE AS A FRIEND WAS AN UNCOMPLICATED LOVE
A. According to verse one, Jonathan loved David just as he was. Think about it! David was nobody from nowhere.  He loved David just because he was David, and for no other reason!  Today, people look for COMPATABILITY ISSUES, MONEY, or OPPORTUNITY in friendships or relationships....but David had nothing beneficial to offer Jonathan the prince!
This is a portrait of how we are loved by the Lord Jesus Christ. His love for us is not based on our worth or our merit.  He just loves us anyway! His love for us is pure, perfect and uncomplicated.
*JONATHAN (as a type of Christ) LOVED DAVID:  
(1)-STRONGLY-(v.1-"knit")
(2)-SELFLESSLY-(v.1, 3-"as his own soul") (Matt.22:39-"love thy neighbor as thyself")
(3)-SACRIFICIALLY-(v.4-"stripped himself of") (2 Corin.8:9-"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.")
(4)-STEDFASTLY-(v.3-"made a covenant")  According to (20:14-15), this love and friendship went beyond the death of Jonathan!!!  ("Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness FOR JONATHAN'S SAKE?")

III. JONATHAN’S LOVE AS A FRIEND WAS AN UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
A. Verse 3 tells us that Jonathan “loved him as his own soul.”  Along the way, there were hurdles that developed which could have derailed their relationship.  Jonathan’s devotion to David even caused a rift to develop between him and his father, as he repeatedly took David’s side against the king!
  The Bible also says that they made a “covenant” together, 1 Sam. 18:3. A covenant was more than a mere promise. It was life and death guarantee.   This is a picture of the kind of love with which God loves us. His love for us is not affected by our behavior. It is not affected by His feelings. It is unaffected by our responses to Him. His love is not affected by anything at all. Rom. 8:38-39.  Love is a choice that God, in His sovereignty makes. It is a choice that He is willing to stand by forever.  
 (John 15:13-14-“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  Ye are my friends…”)   (John 13:1-…”having loved his own, he loved them unto the end”.)  (Heb.13:5-“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”)