The Silent Cost of King David's Crown

Jonathan loved David in a way that still amazes me!

A love so pure.

So loyal.

So selfless.

One of the greatest currencies of love is loyalty. Because what is love without loyalty?

Loyalty is what gives love its sacrificial nature. It is what says:

"Even if it costs me something, I will still stand by you."

Loyalty declares:

"I will do you no harm all the days of my life."

True loyalty would rather suffer loss than betray the person it loves.

Jonathan embodied this kind of love.

Oh!! That I could wax a poem about Jonathan!

He was a wise man. And a wise man is one who discerns the will of God and chooses to align himself with it, even when it costs him personally.

A wise man is not shaken when God's plan disrupts his own expectations. Even when the direction changes, he trusts enough to say:

"If God has decided this, then it is good. I will trust Him and keep walking with Him."

Jonathan could have fought David. He could have envied him. He could have seen him as a threat.

After all, he was Saul's son and the rightful heir to the throne by human standards. Rather he recognized David's future and chose to protect him, even when doing so endangered his own position, safety, and inheritance.

That kind of love is rare!

I dare to believe that Jonathan loved David more than David loved him. As David later said:

"I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me; Your love to me was wonderful, Surpassing the love of women."

— II Samuel 1:26 NKJV

Reading through the book of First Samuel, the friendship between Jonathan and David stands out deeply to me. But what strikes me most is Jonathan's extraordinary loyalty. Again and again, Jonathan gave something up for David:

• His security.
• His inheritance.
• His relationship with his father.
• And ultimately, his future as king.

Many people would have turned against David over the throne, (friend or not) and honestly, it would have been understandable. Jonathan was the king's first son. He knew firsthand the glory, power, and authority attached to the throne.

Yet he chose David over ambition.

He chose loyalty over possession.

Even Saul noticed it. Saul eventually stopped sharing his plans concerning David with Jonathan because he knew Jonathan would warn David. He knew Jonathan's love for David had surpassed his love for the throne.

One thing that stands out to me is the covenant Jonathan made with David. Jonathan asked David to vow that he would not destroy his household when he eventually became king.

That request was understandable because, in those days, new kings often wiped out possible rivals to secure their throne. Yet Jonathan still trusted David's word, and that amazes me.

Come to think of it, how many people truly keep their vows when power and opportunity finally arrive? Jonathan knew betrayal was possible. He knew David could go back on his word; still, he remained loyal. He chose to believe in David's integrity. Hear how the Scriptures define Jonathan's love for David:

"Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul."

— I Samuel 20:17 NKJV

He continued to stand beside David and became the support David desperately needed during one of the darkest seasons of his life.

David clearly loved Jonathan deeply too. But Jonathan's love carried a uniquely self-emptying quality. He stood to lose everything, and still chose faithfulness.

Jonathan walked with integrity; he kept his every word. He was willing to stand against even his own father for the sake of what was right.

In many ways, Jonathan became the friend who made David's survival possible. Then he quietly faded from the story. Yet without Jonathan's courage and loyalty, David's story may have ended very differently.

This is what true love and friendship should look like:

• Loyal.
• Devoted.
• Faithful.
• Rich in integrity.

A love that does not place personal ambition above people. A love that considers how its choices will affect the other person before making them.

Can you love a friend this way?

When life presents you with a choice between loyalty and personal ambition, what will you choose?