Episode 85 – Heart Lessons – The Loyal Heart

Speaker 1 (00:00):

Life is hard at times. Our hearts often get bruised and battered yet God offers us words that help and heal those hearts when we turn to him. Welcome to the Sweet Selah Moments Podcast, where we study his word and find strength for the day. The Sweet Selah Moments Podcast is a cooperative production of Word Radio and Sweet Selah Ministries.

Nicole (00:28):

Welcome to the Sweet Selah Moments Podcast. This is episode 85, The Loyal Heart. Sharon, we get to talk about friendships today. Tell me about your friendships over the years and how they have shown loyalty.

Sharon (00:41):

Oh, this is a fun topic, cause I love my friends so much. And you know, I’ve had the unusual experience of having two sets of, um, threes. You know, oftentimes you have a best friend. Well, I’ve had two best friends, twice in different parts of my life. So there were three of us that all got along together. So when I was younger, in fourth grade I met Julie and then in sixth grade I met Kathy and we hung around together all through high school and it was so fun and I always felt like the sort of the ugly sister, cause they both had this gorgeous long hair.

Nicole (01:15):

Oh my goodness.

Sharon (01:15):

They was so slender and I was a little more dumpy, but we got along great. And we had the best time together.

Nicole (01:22):

Oh, that’s awesome.

Sharon (01:22):

And I still love them to this day. I mean, I haven’t lost them. (Nicole: Wow.) All these years later, Julie and Kathy are still good friends.

Nicole (01:28):

That’s remarkable.

Sharon (01:29):

I know. And then when Ray and I got married, we were in our first duty station. He met a guy named Steve, who he’d gone to West Point with and they wanted to get together with their wives. I met Maureen, Maureen introduced me to Marsha and Sharon, Maureen and Marsha prayed together every week (Nicole: Oh that’s so special) for each other. It was so incredible. And we still pray for each other. In fact they undergird this ministry, Sweet Selah Ministries, with prayer to this day.

Nicole (02:00):

Oh, I’m so thankful for them then.

Sharon (02:02):

Yeah. I kind of think of Ecclesiastes, “The threefold cord is not easily broken”.

Nicole (02:06):

Oh yeah.

Sharon (02:06):

Is that not the sweetest?

Nicole (02:07):

Oh, I love that.

Sharon (02:08):

So instead of having just like one best friend, mine come in groups. And Ray’s like, um, Sharon ‘best’ is a superlative. (Nicole: I know!) You can only have one best friend. I’m like, no, no I have about 30. And he just shakes his head. Yeah. So how about you? Have you discovered loyal friends and what have you learned about being a loyal friend? Tell me.

Nicole (02:30):

Well, it’s funny. I didn’t have girlfriends when I was younger. When I grew up, when I was younger, we moved around a lot cause we were in the military and we always happened to find places with all boys my age.

Sharon (02:42):

Oh, no kidding? You hung out with the guys.

Nicole (02:45):

This was fun. You know, I just played lots of cops and robbers and Ninja Turtles and they taught me how to spit and how to cut down tree branches with a Swiss army knife. So I mean all very valuable life skills.

Sharon (02:55):

That’s hysterical.

Nicole (02:57):

It was great.

Sharon (02:58):

I’m sitting here looking at you with your earrings and your lovely long hair trying to imagine you spitting. Don’t demonstrate.

Nicole (03:03):

No, not in office. But oh they were fun. Even one of them was really a good sport. He let us have a wedding and we could marry my Barbie dolls to his like GI Joe’s. He was my favorite.

Sharon (03:13):

Yes.

Nicole (03:13):

Corey was very sweet.

Sharon (03:14):

Cause weddings are girl things. It was very nice of him.

Nicole (03:16):

Yes. And they could fall in love and he was like, all right, fine. So that was my early years, but I still wanted a girlfriend to do like, you know, kind of girly things with. (Sharon: Right.) And it took a long time; I kept praying even when I was younger for a girl friend. It took until I was an adult to find. And the same thing, groups of threes. It’s funny how it’s always been (Sharon: You too?) me and my two girls. Me and my two girls. Yeah. Groups of three. So it’s such a blessing to have loyal friends. And I looked up the meaning of loyalty in the dictionary and it said ‘giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution’. So that’s really nice. And I’m thinking like having friends stick with you through good times and bad times has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. (Sharon: Yes) I can say honestly that I might not have made it through some really tough trials without godly friends who are there to love, pray for and just support me.

Sharon (04:06):

I so agree. And a praying friend, Nicole is the best kind of friend you can have.

Nicole (04:10):

Oh for sure.

Sharon (04:11):

Because they bring you before the Father. Oh, what a blessing.

Nicole (04:14):

Absolutely.

Sharon (04:15):

So good. Well today we are going to look at a very famous friendship in the Bible. David’s friendship with Jonathan son of King Saul. Man, Nicole, what I love about this friendship is that it’s a great example of mutual loyalty. They were each loyal to each other and in the hardest of circumstances. Jonathan, would’ve been the presumed heir to the throne of Israel. Yet David, this kid who was a shepherd boy had been anointed as God’s choice for the next king, not Jonathan. (Nicole: Hmm) Seriously, these two should have been rivals, right? (Nicole: Oh yeah) Instead their hearts bonded together in a beautiful way. And so we’re gonna look at Jonathan’s loyalty first. It’s amazing. Jonathan has got to be one of my favorite characters in the Bible. He is so selfless. I love him so much.

Nicole (05:04):

I’m excited to read about this today then. (Sharon: Yes) So we’ll be reading the backstory first. It’s found in 1 Samuel 18:1-16. And I’ll start with verse one.

Sharon (05:12):

Okie dokey.

Nicole (05:13):

“So after David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David.”

Sharon (05:22):

“And from that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home.”

Nicole (05:27):

“And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David because he loved him as he loved himself.”

Sharon (05:32):

“Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David along with his tunic, sword, bow and belt.”

Nicole (05:41):

“Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander over the men of war, an appointment that was welcomed by the people and Saul’s officers alike.”

Sharon (05:51):

“When the victorious Israelite army was returning home, after David had killed the Philistines, women from all the towns of Israel, came out to meet King Saul. They sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals.”

Nicole (06:05):

“This was their song. Saul has killed his thousands and David his ten-thousands.” (Ooh)

Sharon (06:12):

“This made Saul very angry. What’s this, he said? They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king.”

Nicole (06:22):

“So from that time on, Saul kept a jealous eye on David.”

Sharon (06:26):

“The very next day, a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul. And he began to rave in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp as he did each day, but Saul had a spear in his hand,”

Nicole (06:40):

“And he suddenly hurled it at David intending to pin him to the wall. But David escaped him twice.”

Sharon (06:47):

“Saul was afraid of David for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul.”

Nicole (06:52):

“Finally, Saul sent him away and appointed him commander over one thousand men and David faithfully led his troops into battle.”

Sharon (07:00):

“David continued to succeed in everything he did for the Lord was with him.”

Nicole (07:06):

“When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him.”

Sharon (07:10):

“But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle.” What a story? What a story? Good grief. So Nicole, why do you think Jonathan and David were so drawn to each other when they ought to have been rivals?

Nicole (07:27):

I know isn’t that crazy?

Sharon (07:28):

It is.

Nicole (07:29):

I wonder if they saw the same courage and loyalty in each other, you know? And they both had a love, clearly a love for their country and for Israel. (Sharon: Mm-hmm) Because they both seemed to, I mean, everything David did that Saul asked, and he did it well and did it faithfully. (Sharon: Yeah) And I’m sure Jonathan was trained up to do those things as well, but, but he should have been super jealous and a rival to David, but he wasn’t.

Sharon (07:49):

I know. Yeah. I think you’re right. I think they saw the integrity in the other yeah. And said, yes.

Nicole (07:54):

You are, you are similar to me. But they, I mean, it was almost like instant bonding between these two. It seems to, from the passage, they just loved each other right away.

Sharon (08:01):

And Jonathan initiated, cause he’s the one that said, you know, have my tunic, have my, I wanna make this official. It was almost like, I feel like, I don’t know who was older, but I feel like Jonathan had kind of a hero worship with David. He’s like, whoa, you killed the giant. (Nicole: Right) You are like my hero.

Nicole (08:19):

I want you to be my best buddy.

Sharon (08:21):

And he always kind of took second place with joy. It was just fascinating to me. He just saw a greatness in David, which is so precious. (Nicole: It is) I love it so much. I really do. So. But then we also get to start to see Saul’s hatred. We see Jonathan’s love and we see Saul’s hatred. And I wanna look back at verses nine and ten. So nine says, so from that time when Saul got all ticked off because the ladies were saying, David killed more men then Saul.

Nicole (08:49):

That definitely got to him.

Sharon (08:52):

Oh, my word, but so, (verse) nine. So that, from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. So God has already rejected Saul. We know this because Saul had made that sacrifice that he shouldn’t have made. Yes. So Saul has already, God’s already left him, but it’s after Saul gives into jealousy that the tormenting spirit from God overwhelms him. (Nicole: Yeah) So it’s like, you know, there were steps downward for Saul. (Nicole: Yes) And when we allow a jealous spirit in us, bad things happen. You know, we can’t see the spiritual realm at all. So we don’t know, but this is just a reminder to me anyways, that when I allow a sin in (Nicole: Mm-hmm) I am opening the door to Satan coming in and messing (Nicole: That’s true) with me. Right. And that’s what Saul did. Yeah.

Nicole (09:45):

Yeah. Yeah. I mean so much so that he tried to kill, he’s sitting there playing his harp, trying to soothe Saul and Saul hurls a spear at him.

Sharon (09:53):

Yes. Yes.

Nicole (09:54):

And it said he intended it to pin him against the wall. I’m assuming he wanted to kill him. Like that’s…

Sharon (09:58):

That’s really bad.

Nicole (09:58):

And I wonder if Saul, if he knew he was falling from grace and he was going down the wrong path and he felt like he, he just either didn’t want to turn back and follow God, but seeing David there and kind of knowing like that’s who I’m supposed to be.

Sharon (10:14):

Oh, that’s interesting. Yes.

Nicole (10:15):

That man of God, like this is, and he’s gonna come and kind of take, I wonder if that kind of got into his head too, you know, along with the jealousy.

Sharon (10:21):

Yeah. Yeah. But well, it overwhelmed him. The Bible says the spirit overwhelmed him. So yes, yes. He gave into it and then he couldn’t get out of it. It’s kind of like you don’t control sin. Right?

Nicole (10:34):

We’re slaves to it.

Sharon (10:36):

We’re slaves to sin.

Nicole (10:36):

And we forget that. We think we’re in control of what we do.

Sharon (10:39):

Oh yeah. And we’re not, we’re not.

Nicole (10:40):

Nope.

Sharon (10:40):

And Saul became a slave to sin and now he’s throwing spears.

Nicole (10:45):

You gotta wonder, everyone’s watching him do this.

Sharon (10:47):

I know. I know.

Nicole (10:47):

You gotta be like, why is this guy throwing— Like you think they would try to intervene or talk to him, but I guess—

Sharon (10:51):

He’s king.

Nicole (10:52):

Yeah. Ultimate power there.

Sharon (10:54):

Right. Right. I can’t imagine really ‘kingness’ because we live under a president where we, you know, vote him in and out. And we say all kinds of terrible things about our presidents all the time.

Nicole (11:04):

And nobody throws spears at us.

Sharon (11:05):

And no one throws spears at us. Sometimes I feel like we should keep our mouths a little more shuttered but anyways. So, well, let’s move on to Jonathan and his loyalty to David in light of his father’s growing hatred. Cause now we we’re gonna have a rift between son and father.

Nicole (11:21):

Yeah. So we’re reading from two passages that show Jonathan’s growing awareness that David is not safe anymore at the palace. Sharon, I’ll read 1 Samuel 19:1-10 and then you can read the 1 Samuel 20 part. Okay?

Sharon (11:34):

Okay.

Nicole (11:35):

All right. “So Saul now urged his servants and his son, Jonathan, to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David told him what his father was planning. Tomorrow morning, he warned him, you must find a hiding place out in the field. I’ll ask my father to go out there with me and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I find out. The next morning, Jonathan spoke with his father about David saying many good things about him. The king must not sin against his servant, David, Jonathan said. He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could. Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result. You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There’s no reason for it at all. So Saul, listened to Jonathan and vowed, ‘as surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed afterward’. Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he brought David to Saul and David served in the court as before, War broke out again, after that, and David led his troops against the Philistines. He attacked him with such fury that they all ran away. But one day when Saul was sitting at home with his spear in hand, the tormenting spirit from the Lord suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp, Saul hurled his spear at David, but David dodged out of the way and leaving the spear stuck in the wall he fled and escaped into the night.”

Sharon (13:04):

Oh my goodness. What a crazy, crazy time for David? Oh, you’re in, Saul likes you. Oh, you’re out. He’s killing you. (Nicole: Yeah) Can you imagine?

Nicole (13:14):

That would’ve been so, just uncertain, like you think you’re safe again with the king in favor, leading his, you know, sitting back at your position. He’s calm. He promised you before God not to kill you. And then out the blue, he just throws his spear again.

Sharon (13:27):

He throws the spear at you again. (Nicole: Okay?) This is so disorienting.

Nicole (13:31):

David’s poor nerves.

Sharon (13:32):

Aye, aye, aye, aye, aye. You just can’t trust Saul.

Nicole (13:35):

No, he’s, he’s very, manic, like back and forth in huge differences.

Sharon (13:40):

Huge differences.

Nicole (13:41):

Yeah. That would’ve been very scary.

Sharon (13:42):

So, so, so sad. Yeah. Oh boy. So he’s very changeable. (Nicole: Yes) Let’s read further and watch the story unfold a bit more. I am gonna read 1 Samuel 20:5-15, and then I’m gonna skip to verses 30 to 31 and then 41 and 42.

Nicole (13:58):

Okay.

Sharon (13:59):

There’s this long back and forth-ness, and we’re only gonna catch a little glimpses of it today.

Nicole (14:03):

Okay, perfect.

Sharon (14:04):

So David is convinced basically after that second spearing attempt that he is no longer safe at the palace. Hello?

Nicole (14:11):

Who can blame him?

Sharon (14:12):

Right. But Jonathan who talked to his dad previously is like, no, no, no, it’s fine. And David’s like, I don’t think so Jonathan.

Nicole (14:18):

Were you there? Oh, poor Jonathan.

Sharon (14:21):

He’s stuck in the middle. No, Dad promised. Yeah. Well the sword, just happened to slip outta your dad’s hand.

Nicole (14:28):

Right.

Sharon (14:29):

So, okay. I’m gonna pick up the story at verse five. So they’re arguing about whether he’s safe or not. And David’s talking to Jonathan, “David replied to Jonathan, tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival and I’ve always eaten with the king on this occasion, but tomorrow I’ll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day. If your father asks where I am, tell him, I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice. And if he says fine, you will know all as well. But if he is angry and loses his temper, you will know he is determined to kill me. Show me this loyalty as my sworn friend for we made a solemn pact before the Lord, or kill me yourself if I’ve sinned against your father, but please don’t betray me to him. Never, Jonathan exclaimed, you know that if I had the slightest notion my father was planning to kill you I would tell you at once. Then David asked, how will I know whether or not your father’s angry? Come out to the field with me, Jonathan replied. And they went out there together. Then Jonathan told David, I promise by the Lord, the God of Israel, that by this time tomorrow or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father and let you know at once how he feels about you. If he speaks favorably about you, I will let you know. But if he is angry and wants you killed, may the Lord strike me and even kill me If I don’t warn you so you can escape and live. May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father and may you treat me with the faithful love of the Lord as long as I live. But if I die treat my family with this faithful love. Even when the Lord destroys all your enemies from the face of the earth.”

Nicole (16:07):

Wow.

Sharon (16:08):

Oh my word. I think Jonathan knows it’s not gonna go well for him in the end. And he’s already like, just be nice to my family would you? I think you’re gonna be king despite all this weirdness.

Nicole (16:20):

Yeah.

Sharon (16:21):

And doesn’t verse 13, just kick your heart? May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father.

Nicole (16:27):

I was gonna say, I wonder if that’s why his loyalty was so strong to David because he had such a heart for God as well. (Sharon: Yeah) And he could just see his dad drifting away and going, this is not what we were supposed to do.

Sharon (16:38):

No, no.

Nicole (16:38):

So he is backing away.

Sharon (16:39):

This is who my dad could have been,

Nicole (16:41):

Yeah. Oh, poor Jonathan.

Sharon (16:43):

It’s just, it really is tragic.

Nicole (16:45):

It is. Oh it so sad.

Sharon (16:46):

Yeah. Yeah. So anyways, we’re sort of summarizing the next bit, Jonathan goes to dinner and David hides. Saul actually is livid when David doesn’t show up and lectures, Jonathan. I’m gonna read verses 30 to 31 and there’s strong language here. It’s kind’s rude language. “Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan, you stupid son of whore, he swore at him.” What? I can’t even believe I said that on the radio, well not the radio, the podcast but anyways, it’s in the Bible. That’s what he called him. (Nicole: Yeah) And no, Jonathan wasn’t. Good gravy Saul, get a grip.

Nicole (17:23):

Is that not horrible.

Sharon (17:24):

Anyways. Do you think I don’t know that you want him to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother, who he just offended by calling— I mean, Saul? As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you’ll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him.

Nicole (17:39):

Oh my goodness.

Sharon (17:41):

All right. So that was pretty clear.

Nicole (17:41):

Yeah. I don’t think Jonathan has anymore doubt. Hopefully.

Sharon (17:45):

Yep. So Jonathan, at this point, realizes David is right and does this secret arrow thing that we won’t go into to let David know that it’s not safe to come back to the palace. So I’m gonna skip now to verse 41 part B. So David came out of, from where he’d been hiding to the stone pile, then David bowed three times to Jonathan with his face to the ground. Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said goodbye, especially David.

Nicole (18:10):

David, he’s so tender-hearted.

Sharon (18:13):

I know. I love how emotional these men are allowed to be.

Nicole (18:17):

Yeah. And they noted it in the Bible. So clearly it was important.

Sharon (18:20):

It was okay that they cried. (Nicole: Yes) They loved each other and they were gonna be separated and it wasn’t going to go well.

Nicole (18:26):

They were devastated.

Sharon (18:27):

Yeah. And they kind of knew it wasn’t. (Nicole: Yeah) “At last Jonathan said to David, go in peace for, we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever. Then David left and Jonathan returned to the town.”

Nicole (18:46):

That’s so sweet. It’s so sad.

Sharon (18:47):

I know. So talk to me Nicole. What do you see here in Jonathan’s loyalty that is admirable because, oh my goodness so much of it is.

Nicole (18:56):

Yeah. He’s keeping his oath of friendship that he made before the Lord to David, even though his father is gunning for him. And he’s forfeiting his right as heir, as everything. And clearly his father is now angry at him so he’s putting himself at risk defending David.

Sharon (19:14):

Yes, he is. Yes, he is.

Nicole (19:15):

And staying loyal to David. I just think that’s so admirable. That loyalty again, he’s willing to sacrifice himself for it.

Sharon (19:22):

He is.

Nicole (19:23):

He’s thinking about his friend above himself.

Sharon (19:24):

He is absolutely. And he’s doing what’s right more than he wants to please a parent. (Nicole: Yeah) That’s tricky.

Nicole (19:30):

That’s really hard. That’s a hard road to walk, yeah.

Sharon (19:33):

Because we’re to honor our parents, but not if they tell us to do things that are wrong.

Nicole (19:36):

Right. And he knows his father is not following God.

Sharon (19:39):

Right.

Nicole (19:40):

So I think he knows that.

Sharon (19:41):

Right. We must obey God, rather than men. That’s from Acts. Yeah. I was thinking of the passage, I think it’s in Philippians 2, where it says, don’t look only to your own interests, but look to the interests of others and Jonathan is looking to David’s interest and he is not gonna let harm come to his friend. (Nicole: Yeah) Even at personal harm to himself. I just, I’m amazed. I really am. Even to his own hurt.

Nicole (20:05):

Oh, yeah.

Sharon (20:06):

That’s that’s the way we’re supposed to live, isn’t it?

Nicole (20:07):

I know. We don’t often put ourselves out that much, like Jonathan’s example. I mean his entire future is now on the line. (Sharon: Right. Right) He’s no longer gonna be king. That’s huge. His father could kill him too if he’s trying to kill David. And he’s like, nope, I swore an oath before God and I’m gonna be loyal and faithful to you. That’s really admirable.

Sharon (20:24):

It’s incredible, it really is.

Nicole (20:27):

To live your life like that. Yeah.

Sharon (20:28):

Yeah. It’s easy to be nice to people when nothing’s going to hurt you by doing it.

Nicole (20:33):

Oh yeah. Yeah. It’s much safer that way.

Sharon (20:36):

It is so much harder to be nice to people, even in little tiny things, like someone is saying something nasty about your friend. And your friend isn’t there (Nicole: Mm-hmm) and it’s easier to just stay quiet, you know? And yet we need to speak up (Nicole: Yes) and be loyal and say, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I think you’re misjudging her here. (Nicole: Yeah) Or whatever. Even that’s hard.

Nicole (20:58):

It is.

Sharon (20:58):

Let alone bucking the king who happens to be your dad, who just ordered you to get David and bring him so he could kill him. (Nicole: Right) I mean, he’s disobeying a direct command.

Nicole (21:08):

Oh wow. From his king and his father.

Sharon (21:10):

And his father.

Nicole (21:10):

Yeah. That’s pretty scary.

Sharon (21:12):

That’s pretty amazing. So he did not love his own life more than he loved doing right.

Nicole (21:17):

Right.

Sharon (21:18):

And that’s how we’re supposed to live. We’re not to value our own lives ahead of doing what is right and good. .

Nicole (21:25):

And he modeled that well.

Sharon (21:26):

Oh boy. Yeah.

Nicole (21:26):

Well, Jonathan, that’s a good lesson for us to ruminate on. Well, let’s turn to David’s loyalty now because sadly Jonathan and his two brothers and their father Saul eventually died in a battle with the Philistines, which just kills me.

Sharon (21:41):

I know.

Nicole (21:42):

So David becomes king after some infighting with some who still favored Saul and he does the most amazing thing. He kept his word to Jonathan even after Jonathan is dead. Now that’s loyalty Sharon.

Sharon (21:53):

Yes it is. Yes it is. I love that it’s reciprocal loyalty here.

Nicole (21:58):

Yes. Oh, it’s so sweet. So we’re gonna be reading 2 Samuel 9:1-12, to finish out today’s lesson on keeping a loyal heart. I’ll start with verse one. “So one day David asked, is anyone in Saul’s family, still alive? Anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

Sharon (22:15):

“He summoned a man named Ziba who had been one of Saul’s servants. Are you Ziba, the king asked? Yes, sir. I am Ziba replied.”

Nicole (22:24):

“The king then asked him, is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them. Ziba replied. Yes. One of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.”

Sharon (22:38):

“Well, where is he, the king asked? In Lo-debar Ziba told him, at the home of Machir son of Ammiel.”

Nicole (22:44):

“So David sent for him and brought him from Machir’s home.”

Sharon (22:48):

“His name was Mephibosheth. He was Jonathan’s son.” (We’re doing really well with these names.) “His name was Mephibosheth. He was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. And David said, greetings, Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth replied, I am your servant.”

Nicole (23:11):

“Don’t be afraid, David said, I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather, Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table.”

Sharon (23:25):

“Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, who is your servant that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?”

Nicole (23:33):

“Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said, I have given your master’s grandson, everything that belonged to Saul and his family.”

Sharon (23:41):

“You and your sons and servants are to farm the land for him to produce food for your master’s household. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will eat here at my table. (Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants.)”

Nicole (23:55):

So he could handle the farming.

Sharon (23:57):

I feel like he could handle it. Yes.

Nicole (23:59):

That’s good. It wasn’t a burden. “Ziba replied, Yes, my Lord, the king. I am your servant and I will do all that you have commanded. And from that time on Mephibosheth ate regularly at David’s table, like one of the King’s own sons.”

Sharon (24:13):

“Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. From then on all the members of Zebra’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants.”

Nicole (24:20):

“And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king’s table.”

Sharon (24:27):

Wow. See, both men showed loyalty. Jonathan loved David at the expense of his own potential as a king. And David showed unusual loyalty by seeking out Jonathan’s crippled son and lavishing him with attention and the crippled part’s important because he really did feel like a dead dog. (Nicole: Yeah) Just kinda waiting to die.

Nicole (24:47):

Right.

Sharon (24:47):

Right. I mean, what value was he? He couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t walk or maybe he could limp. I don’t even know. But he was, he was like the least one.

Nicole (24:56):

He was an outcast.

Sharon (24:58):

He was an outcast.

Nicole (24:59):

Cause back then they didn’t treat the underdogs very well.

Sharon (25:02):

At least Mephibosheth sure didn’t feel treated well. And he was scared to death. I could just hear him trembling. Oh, what do you want? Yes. King Saul hated you and he was my grandfather. Right?

Nicole (25:15):

Right. And you don’t know how he’s handling that. So he just appears at your house one day.

Sharon (25:18):

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. So that was scary. Yeah. But oh my goodness. David loved him. Even to the point of making him like one of his own kids.

Nicole (25:26):

No, he didn’t have to do that. No one would’ve known, but God would’ve known.

Sharon (25:30):

God would’ve known.

Nicole (25:30):

But Jonathan wasn’t around to see that. But he was so loyal and he loved him so much. Even after that, he wanted to make sure.

Sharon (25:36):

Yes. Yes, it was beautiful.

Nicole (25:37):

So beautiful.

Sharon (25:38):

It’s a beautiful story. I love this story so much. So what does it take Nicole to have that kind of loyalty?

Nicole (25:45):

I don’t think we can produce that on our own Sharon.

Sharon (25:48):

I would agree.

Nicole (25:49):

Even on a good day I can’t. So we really need to love and follow Jesus. The more we learn about Jesus and spend time with him, he was the most loyal man that ever walked (Sharon: Yes) the earth.

Sharon (25:59):

Yes, yes.

Nicole (25:59):

You know, God and man in One, and he died for us. He gave us life for us. (Sharon: Mm-hmm) We can’t manufacture this on our own. We have to have relationship with God and ask him for help. Or we’re gonna be pretty crummy friends.

Sharon (26:12):

Yes, we are. Yes we are. Because it’s the Lord that keeps us selfless. (Nicole: Yeah) And left to our own. Our natural bent is selfish.

Nicole (26:20):

Oh, for sure.

Sharon (26:20):

Me first, me first.

Nicole (26:22):

Absolutely.

Sharon (26:22):

Me first. So.

Nicole (26:23):

And as we grow our friendship with God, we become better friends.

Sharon (26:26):

Right. We do.

Nicole (26:27):

We need that.

Sharon (26:27):

We do. Because when we’re in relationship with God, we are in the right place, under. We’re, we’re humble.

Nicole (26:35):

Yes.

Sharon (26:35):

You know? And so there isn’t that same room for the selfishness to grow.

Nicole (26:39):

That’s a good point.

Sharon (26:40):

So yeah. Oh, well said, Nicole. Well, as we close, I just, I wanna look at a few things. And one of them is that Jonathan and David put a value on promises. You know, they made a commitment to each other and they actually made a commitment to each other’s children.

Nicole (26:59):

Yeah.

Sharon (27:00):

They put a value on what they said they’d do. And even if we just say, we’re gonna do it, Jesus said, don’t swear by this and that. If you say yes, I’m gonna do something. That’s like a promise.

Nicole (27:08):

Yes. Mean it. Right.

Sharon (27:09):

Keep your word. I guess that’s the thing. We need to keep our word. So, huh. Don’t make too many to the kiddos. Because if you do, you have to keep them. I’m reading the script for those of you that are wondering what I’m doing. I’m like what in the world did I write down there? It’s because I’m thinking, if you say a lot of promises, you gotta keep them Nicole.

Nicole (27:32):

Oh, right.

Sharon (27:32):

So don’t make too many promises to the kiddos.

Nicole (27:34):

Oh, that’s, that’s so funny.

Sharon (27:35):

I used to say, I used to say to my kids, God willing we’ll do this.

Nicole (27:39):

Yes.

Sharon (27:40):

If we can, we’ll do this.

Nicole (27:41):

Oh, that’s a good idea.

Sharon (27:42):

I hope we can do this. Because I think God really does want us to keep our word.

Nicole (27:47):

Oh yeah.

Sharon (27:47):

And one of the things the girls would say to me all the time, that would drive me crazy. They’d say, you said.

Nicole (27:52):

Right.

Sharon (27:53):

Right?

Nicole (27:54):

Be so careful what you say cuz they remember everything.

Sharon (27:56):

Be careful what you say.

Nicole (27:58):

Yes!

Sharon (27:58):

So we need to keep our promises and we need to keep our promises few.

Nicole (28:02):

So we don’t get ourselves in trouble.

Sharon (28:03):

Right. So that’s the first one.

Nicole (28:04):

Oh, I like that.

Sharon (28:04):

So we need to place a value on promises.

Nicole (28:06):

Yeah. And isn’t it sweet when our friends, I know, side note, my friends will kind of take my children under their wing too and pray for my kiddos and love on my kiddos as well. I’ve said, I’m sure there’s a time when me and my four girls, when they’re all teenagers, we’ll probably butt heads.

Sharon (28:22):

Oh, yes. Oh, yes.

Nicole (28:23):

And I’m so very thankful for friends that I know, love the Lord. And if they go to they’ll go to them, if they’re angry with mama and they can point them back to the Lord and back to me. And not lead them astray. I’m so thankful for that.

Sharon (28:35):

I think it’s wonderful to have a little tribe. Yes.

Nicole (28:38):

Yes. And to have the promises to your children, like I will, I love your children as well as you. And I’ll help you raise your kiddos. You know?

Sharon (28:43):

Isn’t that beautiful?

Nicole (28:44):

It’s good.

Sharon (28:44):

It is good. It is good.

Nicole (28:45):

So another thing that I think they valued in their friendship was a desire for God’s will above their own. And we saw that with Jonathan. (Sharon: Yes) He knew David had been chosen for the next king, not him. And he received it as God’s will and supported David. Although quite frankly, he seemed like great king material. Jonathan did, you know?

Sharon (29:04):

Didn’t he, I know.

Nicole (29:05):

No jealousy. That’s kind of amazing. And just a commitment to follow God. He probably would’ve made a great king.

Sharon (29:10):

I think he would’ve.

Nicole (29:11):

But he never said that. He just trusted that God said David was it. And that’s what he did.

Sharon (29:15):

And that’s what he did. He’s he was a great second man to David. Yes.

Nicole (29:19):

Yes. He probably would’ve been a good king too.

Sharon (29:20):

I think so too.

Nicole (29:21):

But God knew something better. Different.

Sharon (29:23):

He did.

Nicole (29:23):

So we have trust him.

Sharon (29:24):

Yeah. Yeah. Well I think the third thing we learned is that we need to have a willingness to do the hard right thing. It would’ve been easier to obey his dad for sure.

Nicole (29:32):

Oh for sure. Yeah.

Sharon (29:32):

But he chose to obey God. It would be easier for David to just be king and manage a kingdom without hauling some crippled guy in.

Nicole (29:39):

Right, and giving him all his land too. His father’s land.

Sharon (29:42):

Yeah. Yeah. And he gave back, King Saul, I’m sure had a lot of property. And that all went to Mephibosheth. (Nicole: Oh) Isn’t that neat?

Nicole (29:49):

Yeah. It’s a beautiful story.

Sharon (29:50):

So any other life lessons as we close?

Nicole (29:53):

So I was thinking, dear listeners, if you haven’t found a loyal friend yet don’t lose heart. Keep praying for God to bring that person into your life. And don’t forget, I tell my girls this all the time when they’re not being super kind, but a man that has friends must show himself friendly. So be the type of friend that you want to have to those already around you.

Sharon (30:14):

I love that.

Nicole (30:15):

And you’ll be surprised how quickly your friendships will grow.

Sharon (30:18):

Yes.

Nicole (30:18):

Sometimes your next best friend is right there, but you need to put a little effort in too. So we can’t forget to pray for that loyal friend, but also be that loyal friend.

Sharon (30:27):

Mm-hmm. Yes.

Nicole (30:27):

In the waiting. So.

Sharon (30:28):

Yes. And sometimes we have to model loyalty. (Sharon: Yes. Absolutely) Even if the other person doesn’t model it back right away.

Nicole (30:33):

Yeah. And that can be tough.

Sharon (30:34):

Yeah. It’s sort of a mentoring friendship relationship then. So good point. Be a friend.

Nicole (30:40):

You can tell I waited for a long time for a friend,

Sharon (30:42):

Be the friend you want. (Nicole: Yes) I love it. That’s so good. Okay. Well let’s pray. Father God, I thank you for this incredible friendship in scripture. I thank you for these men who did the hard right thing. Who loved you above their own lives. Lord, in whatever situations we find ourselves in, help us to be loyal to our word, to what is right and true to the friends in our lives. We need you to do this Father. Please help us this week. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Nicole (31:18):

Amen. I have been inspired today. I want to be a loyal friend. What are your thoughts on this amazing story of friendship listeners? We always love to hear from you. So write us at SweetSelah.org/podcast and let us know. Are you enjoying our other offerings here at Sweet Selah Ministries? You can find us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and our new app. To join us on the app type in SweetSelahApp.org. It’s a great community. And please do come back next week for Episode 86 for a look at The Abiding Heart. David was amazing at staying close to God even when he was on the run from Saul. We’re going to learn how to stay close to the Lord among the darkest times. Until next week, may God bless you with a loyal heart.

Speaker 1 (32:03):

We are so glad you stopped for a while with us. The Sweet Selah Moments Podcast is a cooperative production of Word Radio and Sweet Selah Ministries.. More information about this podcast can be found @SweetSelah.org. Thank you for joining us.