The Covenant of Love: What True Friendship Looks Like

A spear on the wall, a vow in the field, and a choice that costs a kingdom—Jonathan and David’s story shows what real friendship looks like when it hurts. We walk through 1 Samuel 19–20 and unpack why covenant love isn’t about romance or convenience; it is about loyalty, sacrifice, and trust before God. Along the way, I share a hard lesson from a past relationship, the maturing of my marriage as we built on Scripture, and the small, faithful ways friends show up when life falls apart.

We dig into Saul’s jealousy and how it tests allegiance, then trace the covenant that binds Jonathan and David beyond emotion. 

By the end, you’ll have reflection questions to examine your circle, your marriage, and your patterns of giving and receiving help. Expect a heart check on whether your friendships guard each other’s calling, how to anchor commitments in prayer, and what sacrifices make love visible. If this encouraged you, share it with someone who needs hope, hit follow to catch weekly devotionals, and leave a kind review so others can find the show. Your stories and reviews help this message reach the people who need it most.

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Podcast Music by: prazkhanal
Song: Whip

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Series Purpose
• 0:28 Why This Devotional Matters Now
• 1:11 Title And Scripture Focus
• 1:19 A Painful Past Relationship
• 2:07 Setting The 1 Samuel Context
• 3:08 David And Jonathan’s Bond
• 4:05 Saul’s Rage And The Spear
• 5:14 The Covenant Of Love Explained
• 6:15 Friendship As A Foreshadow Of Christ
• 7:17 Selflessness And Discernment In Friends
• 8:20 Marriage, Maturity, And Foundation
• 9:36 A Friend Who Showed Up
• 11:07 God Surrounds Us With Helpers
• 12:06 Reflection Questions On Covenant
• 12:50 Closing Prayer And Sendoff
• 14:11 Share, Subscribe, And Connect

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hello, hello. You're listening to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast, episode 73. This week's devotional is titled The Covenant of Love: What True Friendship Looks Like. Let's go. Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan. I used to just share home decor and renovation tips on social media, but now I'm sharing something even closer to my heart. My journey in love for Jesus Christ, my Savior. Welcome to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Hawk Podcast. This is a weekly devotional I started back in May 2024, but the inspiration for it came much earlier. It was rooted in a faith journey that began when my daughter was born four months early in 2023. Through that challenging time, God worked in ways that truly amazed me. On this podcast, I share personal stories of faith woven together with Scripture to show just how incredible God's word can be in our everyday lives. My hope is that through these stories, you'll be encouraged, uplifted, and reminded of God's love and presence, no matter what you're going through. So I invite you to spend less than 15 minutes with me each week as we reflect on these devotionals together. Let's all pray within. The Covenant of Love, What True Friendship Looks Like. 1 Samuel 19 through 20. You know, I told this guy one time within three days that I loved him. And he told me within two days that he loved me. I thought, this is it, the love of all loves. But oh, I was wrong. That turned out to be one of the most emotionally immature relationships I've ever experienced. I was so wrong for him. He was so wrong for me. And I honestly feel like he was one of the most selfish people I've ever encountered. And I was one of the most selfish people he had ever encountered. We were so wrong for each other, and that was so far from it. It was just terrible. So far from love. Terrible. And my best friend Lorna knows exactly which relationship I'm talking about. Anyways, this week's episode is really special. I think part of the reason I didn't record last week is because I found these chapters in 1 Samuel to be so detailed, so layered, and honestly, I needed some time to sit with them. There's a lot happening here, especially emotionally, and I didn't want to rush through it. We're diving into 1 Samuel chapters 19 and 20, as I mentioned before. And these are some of the most moving and emotional moments in this whole book. And it starts off with David and Jonathan. Let's back up a second, though. We first meet Jonathan, Saul's son, King Saul's son, the heir to the throne, around chapters 15 and 16 of 1 Samuel. Jonathan was a man of great faith. Remember that incredible victory that he had against the Philistines with just his armbearer. That story showed not just his bravery, but his deep trust in the Lord. Then comes David. After David defeats Goliath, Jonathan meets him and instantly recognizes something divine about David. He sees that God's hand is on his life, and right away Jonathan loves him. Now, people sometimes overanalyze this passage and try to make it into something it's not. But the type of love Jonathan had for David wasn't romantic. It was godly love, the kind of love that's selfless, loyal, and rooted in covenant or commitment. We often think of love as something tied to just romance or marriage, but this story reminds us that true love, the kind of love that reflects God's heart, is sacrificial. It's about giving, trusting, and standing by someone, even when it costs you something. Jonathan and David's friendship blossomed quickly, but you know, in the in these chapters, we also see how heartbreaking it was. They eventually had to say goodbye, knowing Saul, Jonathan's father, jealousy, made it impossible for them to stay close. Um, by this point, Saul is completely consumed by jealousy in chapters 19 and 20 and rage. He tries to kill David multiple times. And check this scene out with Saul and his son Jonathan. It says in 1 Samuel 20, 30 through 33, a little bit of a long passage, but I think it's just really uh really well written, and it sets the tone for for the direction I'm gonna take. So um in 1 Samuel 20, 30, 30 through 33, it says, Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan, and he said to him, You son of a rebellious woman, don't I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die. Why should we why should he be put to death? What has he done? Jonathan asked his father. But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David. Insane to think and to read this. Saul even throws or a spear at his own son, Jonathan, which he realizes that Jonathan is defending David. Jonathan knew that his heir to the throne wasn't going to happen because David was the chosen one. But Jonathan, as a friend, still supported David despite uproar in his family. Jonathan finally sees how far his how far gone his dad is, and he warns David and says, My father really intends to kill you. David begs Jonathan to stay loyal, and Jonathan swears that he will, making a covenant of love before the Lord. For it says in 1 Samuel 20, 42, it says, Jonathan said to David, go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever. Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town. And also here's the key verse where the covenant between Jonathan and David was really first mentioned in 1 Samuel 20, 16 through 17. I think these are really powerful. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, May the Lord call David's enemies to account. And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself. That covenant, you know, it wasn't casual. It meant commitment, sacrifice, and trust before God. Jonathan sacrificed his throne for David. What a love, what a friend, what a commitment. You know, what loyalty, what trust. And you know what? What a God we serve. And you know what? It's the same kind of love that Jesus later showed to us. A love that's faithful no matter what. You know, I love this friendship. I love how this friendship foreshadows what Jesus did for us on the cross. David, you know, the first anointed king of Israel, comes from the lineage that leads to the birth of Jesus Christ, our eternal King. And Jonathan's love and loyalty to David mirrors Jesus' selfless love for us, a love that's willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of another. And when I think about friendship today, I think about what it really means to have a covenant bond with someone. Are we willing to be selfless? Are we willing to give up our pride, our comfort, our image for someone else we truly love? If we can't sacrifice one thing for a friend for that person, that may not be a real friendship. And I'm seeing that so vividly in my own life as I grow spiritually. Now, of course, if someone betrays you in a way that breaks all trust, like cheating with your partner and putting something else before your feelings, then that could be a false commitment, a false friendship. We always hear about false prophets, but there's fake friends too. Hello. Now I've had to do some deep reflection on this myself, thinking about my parents, my husband, and my close friends. Those relationships are layers of friendships in them, and they've learned, and I've learned how important selflessness really is. I can say today confidently that I'm willing to sacrifice for the people that I love, and I know they do the same for me. My marriage, for example, is built on the Lord, and that's our foundation. I'm realizing how precious that is now. I didn't see it so clearly when we married because my relationship with God wasn't where it should be. I love my husband more than you know, more than anything now, because of the commitment I made to him with God as a witness and me realizing it like now. And I'm not saying I didn't want to be married seven years ago. I'm just saying I wasn't matured, I wasn't mature enough to really embrace what a covenant of love really was about till now. And also, you know, when I look at my circle of friends, my close friends, it's very small, but I like it that way now. And I used to think friendship was about constant communication, but now I see it's about presence, support, and genuine care. My close friends in my life, I don't speak to daily, but I know if I needed them, they answer. They are loyal to me, and vice versa, and they include me always, even when I can't physically be there. My mom told me something that stuck with me forever, and she said, Many people really don't know how to be friends. At the time I didn't fully get it, but she was right. Friendships and covenants take work, marriages, relationships take work. It takes showing up in the hard times and not just the fun ones. And when my daughter Sage was born early, okay, let me not get choked up. My best friend Lorna texted me 10 minutes after I told her what was going on, and she said to me, Do you want me to come down there? Now she had just gone through major surgery herself and was dealing with her own family challenges. Yet she was ready to drop everything to be there for me when I knew that she was going through some things too, and she checked on me regardless, and she just was there for me if I needed her. And you know what? That's love, that's friendship, that's a covenant bond. And when you look at Samuel first, we look at first Samuel 19 and 20, we see how God surrounded David with people who were willing to sacrifice for him. Jonathan, Mikhail, and even Samuel. Each of them showed selfless love and a different type of relationship, and God used them to protect David. That's how God moves in our lives, too. He places people around us to help us, guide us, and sometimes even save us from ourselves or just danger. But we have to be humble enough to accept that help too. So as you go into this week, I want you to really think about what covenant looks like in your life, what a friendship, a strong relationship looks like in your life. Are you being selfless in your relationships? Are you willing to sacrifice for the people you love? And most importantly, do you understand the depth of Jesus' love for you? He gave everything. He endured humiliation and pain all because he loved you that much. And that's the truest love and friendship there is. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for the selfless love that you've given us through Jesus Christ. We are unworthy, we don't deserve it, but you still gave it to us. Father, we thank you so much for the gift of friendship, for the gift of commitment. And Lord, help us all who's listening now and anybody else to just try their best to uphold that. So we understand how important it is to have relationships, to have friendships that resemble what Jonathan and David were. And we know that the next level of friendship, the next level of relationships that we want in life have to be a reflection of your love. God, we love you and we praise you. In Jesus' name. Amen. Well, that wraps up this week's episode. My prayer is that these devotions bring you a little closer to God each day. If you felt encouraged, don't keep it to yourself. Share this episode with a friend or loved one who could use the same reminder. Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss a weekly message. And if you like, leaving a kind review means so much. For more, check the show notes or connect with me on Instagram or TikTok at Jessie MorganFaith. Until next time, this is Jesse Morgan praying off.