Sunday, February 1, 1998 This Week's Lesson:
In this week's lesson, which came from I Samuel 20:4-8, 13-17, 31-34, and 42, we learned about the value of true friendship. Do you have any true friends, people on whom you can count no matter what? The Lord sometimes calls us into special relationships where we can share with another person in a very special and unique way. If you are married, then your best friend should probably be your spouse. After that, however, it is possible to have even more close relationships with those to whom the Lord has brought you. Whether you have very close friends or not, Proverbs 18:24 teaches that each of us should at least try to be a friend to those around us. If we are to have friends, that verse tells us that we must show ourselves friendly. The song says that people need the Lord, and that is true. But people also need each other.
In our lesson, we studied about the special relationship between David and Jonathan, the son of King Saul. Saul was the king of Israel, and Jonathan, his son, was the next in line to become king. At that time in his life, David was only the person who had been summoned to the king's side to play a harp. Saul, in his evil temperament, began to fear that David would someday become king and that Jonathan would not ascend to his rightful place on the throne. Because Saul did not want that to happen, he secretly sought an opportunity to have David killed. David, sensing Saul's anxiety towards him and fearing for his life, fled from the king's side. He then asked Jonathan to participate in a special test to see if Saul truly did have evil planned for him. Jonathan did not believe that his dad really wanted to kill David, but he agreed to go along with David's test. During the New Moon feast, Jonathan conversed with his father and quickly learned that David was correct. He then warned his very special friend to stay away and thus protected him from almost certain harm.
The relationship between David and Jonathan was definitely special and unique. In observing Jonathan's actions, we learned that friendship love is quick to help. David was not yet king, and he needed someone special to help him through his difficulty. Jonathan let himself be that someone special. They both needed someone in their life who would be loyal to them and their families, and they both met that need for each other. Friendship love, as we saw, is emphathetic and enduring. It often means putting the welfare of others ahead of our own. It also means putting God's will between another person and ourselves ahead of everything else. By showing this kind of special friendship love, Jonathan lost his hold on the throne. David became king, and Jonathan did not. However, when David was later the king, he used the opportunity given him to honor his friendship with Jonathan by showing special favor to one of Jonathan's descendants. The Lord allows many people to cross our path. May we always be quick to recognize the needs of others, be quick to help those around us as He would have us, and always commit ourselves to the Lord's will for our life as it pertains to our relationships.
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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