LESSON 5: Jonathan and David
LESSON 5
JONATHAN AND DAVID
The friendship of Jonathan and David is a true example of a good friendship. Jonathan was the son of King Saul and David was his intimate friend. But Saul tried to kill David due to jealousy.
When David, a small boy killed a giant named Goliath of Philistines, he saved the Israelites and people praised David. But Saul was not willing to appreciate him.
Sometimes, Saul was sad and liked to hear music played on a harp. Occasionally, he liked to hear people sing good songs. It made him feel better. Saul knew that David could sing and play the harp. King Saul invited David to come to the palace sometimes to play and sing for him.
When David was at the palace, he often saw Saul’s oldest son, Jonathan. David and Jonathan became very good friends. They promised each other that they would always be friends no matter what happened. But Jonathan’s father, King Saul, was not happy for David. Sometimes, when David played his harp for Saul, Saul started thinking about all of the good things that happened to David. He thought the people might like David better than their king! Saul became very jealous.
When people get jealous, it sometimes makes them do bad things. Jealousy can also make us angry. One day, Saul got so angry that he threw a spear at David. David was able to get out of the way just in time, and he ran away. When Jonathan heard about what happened to his friend, he quickly went to talk to David.
“Don’t worry, David,” said Jonathan. “I will talk to my father. I’m sure he will be sorry for what he did!”
Jonathan talked to King Saul about David. Jonathan reminded Saul that David was a good man and loved God very much. Saul told Jonathan he was sorry for what he had done. He said that he would not do it again. But Saul did do it again. Later, he tried to kill David with his spear again. David was able to jump out of the way and run away. Jonathan was very sad when he heard about what his father had done to David. He told David to hide while he talked to his father again. David hid by some stones.
“Stay hidden by the stones,” said Jonathan. After I talk to my father, I will come back to this place and shoot some arrows. Listen carefully. If you hear me tell my helper that the arrows are far away, then you will know that you are in danger from Saul. That will be my special signal to you.”
Jonathan went to find his father. When Jonathan talked to Saul about David, Saul became very angry. He did not like David. He hated David. He even ordered some men to try to find David and kill him. Jonathan tried to take up for his friend. When Jonathan said that David was good, Saul became angry. He was so angry that he even threw a spear at his son, Jonathan.
Jonathan was very sad. He was sorry that his father was so jealous and mean. He knew he had to give a message to David so that David could run away and be safe. Jonathan took his bow and arrows out to the field and shot an arrow far away. The helper who was with him ran to find the arrow. Jonathan yelled to him to go very far to find it.
Later, when the boy returned to the palace, David came out of his hiding place to talk to Jonathan. They were both very sad, and they both cried. David knew he had to leave his friend.
“Just remember, Jonathan, we will always be friends,” said David.
“Yes, I will always remember you,” answered Jonathan.
David left Jonathan and the palace and did not return for many years. Later we see that Jonathan was killed in a war and David laments for his good friend (2Sam 1: 26).
Video Ref:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESVYqNqygtE
Craft Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKz4QpwQyIA
What can you learn from Jonathan and David?
I’m sure everyone here has had an experience with a so-called friend who has let you down. We’ve all had friends who liked us for something they could get from us. They were friends while times were good, but when times got hard, they were nowhere to be found. They left us to face our problems alone.
We’ve all had friends like that. If we’re honest, we’ve all probably been bad friends like that too.
God wants something better for us. He wants us to be true friends who put the needs of our friends ahead of our own wants. When times are good, he wants us to celebrate with our friends. When times are tough, he wants us to be loyal.
A true friend is a friend at all times. They stay loyal even when it costs them dearly. Friends will sacrifice popularity, personal gain, and pride if it means being true to a friend. Let us pray that God will bless us with friends like David and Jonathan, and let’s pray that God will help us to become true friends, just as they were to each other.