David, Saul and Jonathan
Being a friend is a blessing. Listen to the story of David and Jonathan.
Before You ListenLet's Get Started
Theme: Serving Others- God Calls His People
- The Old Testament book of Proverbs gives lots of advice about friendship. What does it mean to you to be a good friend?
- Sometimes being a good friend means putting aside something that we care about for our friends. As you listen to this episode, think about the friendship of David and Jonathan. What did they do for each other as friends and how did Jonathan put aside his own safety and future for his friend David?
After you listen
Memory Verse
Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.
Quiz
A: His royal robe, armor, and weapons.
A: To play his harp and command his troops.
Reflect
The story of David and Jonathan is one of great friendship. Jonathan went to great lengths to protect David from his father Saul, and David looked after Jonathan’s children long after he was dead. Great friends do those kinds of things for each other. In John 15:13, Jesus tells his disciples that there is no greater love than that of someone who is willing to die for a friend. You probably won’t be called on to give up your life for your friends, but a big part of friendship is putting your friends’ needs before your own.
The best part of John 15:13 is that Jesus did exactly that for us. He laid down his life for us. That is how far he went for his love and friendship for us.
You can read more about David and Jonathan’s friendship in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel. Want to dig deeper and learn more about Jesus’ love for us? Check out John 3:16, 1 John 4:7-21, and Romans 5:8.
Challenge
Make a list of your closest friends. Or, maybe draw a picture of you and them together doing something that you all love to do. Over the next few weeks, try to do something special for each of them. Maybe bring their favorite snack to share it with them, or play their favorite game with them, or invite them on a family outing. As you do things with and for your friends, thank God for his gift of friendship and for the friends in your life.
