Here we enter the third period of Jonathan’s history.
In 1 Samuel 13, he had won a victory that was without profit for God’s people. In 1 Samuel 14, a great deliverance was wrought by the energy of his faith, displayed in the fight against the enemy. Here Jonathan enters into a personal relationship with David, Goliath’s conqueror. In type he is one who knows Christ as the One who has conquered Satan through death but who is nevertheless rejected by the world. This knowledge corresponds to the knowledge Christians have today, although Jonathan properly is the type of the remnant of Israel to whom the Lord will make Himself known before taking the kingdom, and who love Christ even though He is still rejected by the people.
Up to this point Jonathan had the character of a young man, strong in faith, who had fought with the enemy; now he goes further: his soul is bound up with David’s soul when he hears him speak. He appreciates the moral beauty with which his words are impressed more than his own outward advantages; he finds in David a soul to whom his own soul answers; suddenly a special bond of love and fellowship develops between them, produced by the charm of David’s words.
The power of God having helped Jonathan, he might have been led to attribute some measure of strength to himself; he sees and hears David and immediately he realizes that he is nothing. Whatever he possesses is good only to present to the conqueror; he strips himself of that which he possesses in order to give it to David, the only one worthy in his estimation. Jonathan’s robe and garments, tokens of his royal dignity, belong to David; his sword, the instrument of his victories, belongs to David; his bow and the belt of his strength belong to David, for all strength belongs to the son of Jesse (1 Sam. 18:4)!
Not only does Jonathan give him everything, but he “loved him as his own soul” (1 Sam. 18:1). No longer are strength and energy at work in him, but rather the affections drawn forth by this all-powerful attractiveness, the perfect character of the Lord’s anointed. To Jonathan’s love the love of his friend responds. “Very pleasant wast thou unto me,” David later cries out in his grief of heart on the dark day when his brother is taken away from him (2 Sam. 1:26).
Saul believes he has rights over David; he “would not let him return to his father’s house” (1 Sam. 18:2), whereas Jonathan who has the intelligence of faith makes a covenant with David (1 Sam. 18:3), seeks his protection, and recognizes that there is no security except with him. Faith is the basis of Jonathan’s love; he shows this clearly by saluting David as the true king.
The continuation of this chapter presents the progress of David and of Saul; progress for good in the one, and progress for evil in the other. A feeling of animosity produced by Satan of necessity leads to other expressions of ill-will; it is enough that the tares are sown by the enemy in the wicked heart of the man for them to grow all by themselves and finally invade his entire being. “Saul was very wroth... and he said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed the thousands; and what is there more for him but the kingdom?” (1 Sam. 18:8). This is not yet irritation against David, but rather irritation against men’s opinion which was elevating David and lowering the king at the very moment when Jonathan’s faith was sacrificing everything for the beloved. This is because the flesh can never bear being nothing in Christ’s presence.
From this day onward Saul eyed David (1 Sam. 18:9). The next day the depth of his heart is revealed; the evil spirit comes upon him. When he was among the prophets he had been able to give the impression that he was dependent on the Spirit of God; delivered up to Satan, the fruits of his wicked heart are immediately seen, and this man who “prophesied in the midst of the house” casts his spear in order to “transfix David to the wall” (1 Sam. 18:10-11).
In 1 Samuel 18:12, Saul was afraid of David and, being unable to endure his presence he “removed him from him” while giving him an apparent honor, for he made him “captain over a thousand.” This honor—and this is what he desired—removes David from his sight, but delivers up the poor king to every suggestion of pride and hatred when he no longer has in his presence his servant, the model of humility and grace. Poor Saul! he deliberately deprives himself of the only person able to soothe him and serve him as a bulwark against the attacks of Satan.
Soon the king, who is already a murderer in his heart, becomes that in reality (1 Sam. 18:11), seeking in an insidious way to rid himself of the object of his hatred. He promises his daughter Merab to David, but this is only a sham. “Fight Jehovah’s battles,” Saul tells him, full of outward respect, while in the depths of his heart hatred is boiling and the desire to see “the hand of the Philistines... upon him” (1 Sam. 18:17-19).
Michal, Saul’s second daughter, loves David. Saul tells himself: “I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be upon him” (1 Sam. 18:21). In his thoughts this union is a new means of getting rid of his future son-in-law. He dissimulates and orders his servants to speak to David secretly, saying: “Behold, the king has delight in thee, and all his servants love thee” (1 Sam. 18:22). He pretends to feel affection toward him in order to push the son of Jesse to his destruction all the more surely.
David’s great humility in face of the king’s proposals only moves Saul further along in his wicked plan. Man’s hatred and pride never could comprehend the humility and the love of Christ.
The wiles of the adversary are finally foiled when David wins the victory and receives the king’s daughter as his wife, because the destruction of the Lord’s enemies is required of him in exchange for her.
The result for Saul is that his fear increases and his hatred becomes continual enmity: “Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David’s enemy continually” (1 Sam. 18:29).
During this period we observe David’s progress in every sphere and in every direction: “David went forth; whithersoever Saul sent him he prospered... and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants” (1 Sam. 18:5). “Jehovah was with him... and he went out and came in before the people. And David prospered in all his ways, and Jehovah was with him... all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them” (1 Sam. 18:12-16). All these qualities of necessity made David esteemed; but we must not forget that human love has many different traits and that only one of these traits has value in the sight of God.
The daughters of Israel, the people, and Saul’s servants love David for his deliverances. Even Saul, at a given moment (1 Sam. 16:21), “loved [David] greatly,” because of the relief that he brings him in his sufferings. Michal loves David according to nature - which does not hinder her from despising him later on (2 Sam. 6:16). Lastly, Jonathan loves him with the only love which is true, good, and enduring; he loves him as his own soul; he cherishes him for what David is in himself.
Thus David succeeds better than all Saul’s servants, and his name was much esteemed (1 Sam. 18:30); a lovely picture of the Lord at the beginning of His career (Luke 4:15)!