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Show wisest man that ever lived Solomon wrote, "A man that hath friend s must shew himse lffriendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brothe r." For "a friend loveth at all times, and a brothe r is born for adversity. " (Proverbs 17: 17) Jesus said, "A new comm andme nt I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that your also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, ifye have love one to anoth er." (John 13: 3435) 1 In this mornings text, There is Jonathan and David. The two are real true friends. They love one another more than their brothers. David 's brothers tried to kill him, sold him into slavery, and lied to their father about what happened to him. Jonath an's brother fought against him and raped his sister. But the text says, "... the soul ofJonathan was knit with the soul ofDavid, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. " The soul is the inner most being. It is the God center of the human being. The soul is the underlying essence that lends to human beings the distinctive individuality as creature made in the image of God. It is the life, the being, the person, the heart that moves and returns to the God who made us when we 2 die, leaving our bodily remains to be buried or disposed of. Not just the outward flesh, holding hands and tangled up together but the soul of Jonathan is knit with the soul of David. Because of that knitting, Jonathan love David as ·he did his own soul. The kind of love Jesus and Samuel are talking about cannot be divided. Those with this love are inseparable. When Jonatha n's father Saul schemed to kill David, Jonathan warned him and help him plan a way out. The put a dummy in the bed and slipped David out of town. They learned his father's plans and told David how to escape. They established a covenant between themselves. Jonathan stripped off his own clothes and put them on David. When David rejected Saul 3 daughter, Jonatha n's sister Merab, Jonathan helped arrange for David to marry his other sister Michal. He help David hid to escape the wrath of Saul so much so that When David was safe he kissed the ground with joy. The Book says, "And Jonathan caused David to swear again because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul." (1 Samuel 20: 17) 4 |
