Spiritual Friendship: Learning to Be Friends with God and One Another

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Spiritual Friendship

David and Jonathan’s Friendship Brought Equality between Two Different Social Statuses (3.92−96) 92. For example, Jonathan, the most outstanding of youths, ignored his royal lineage and his expectation of the throne and made a covenant of friendship with David ( 1 Sam 20; 23:17 ). In friendship he accounted this little servant the equal of his master, and so when David was fleeing from Saul, when he was hiding in the wilderness, condemned to die, Jonathan esteemed before himself this man who was destined for death. Humiliating himself and exalting his friend, he said, “You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you” (1 Sam 23:17). What an outstanding example of true friendship! What a wonderful thing! King Saul was raging against a mere servant, and stirring up the whole country against him as though against a rival for his throne ( 1 Sam 23:19–26 ); he killed the priests only because he suspected they had betrayed him ( 1 Sam 22:18–19 ); he marched through the meadows and searched out the vales; he surrounded the high places and cliffs with an armed band; all his men pledged themselves as avengers of the king’s anger ( 1 Sam 22:6–10; 23:7–8 ). Only Jonathan, who alone could have been justly envious, thought that he should oppose his father, defer to his friend, and offer him counsel. And preferring friendship to kingship he said, “You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you” (1 Sam 23:17). 93. And see how Jonathan’s father stirred up his son’s envy against his friend by pressing him with insults, terrifying him with threats, reminding him that he would be denied his kingdom and deprived of his honor. For when he had pronounced sentence of death upon David, Jonathan did not fail his friend: “Why should he be put