Let's turn to the book of 1 Samuel.
1 Samuel chapter 18. I began working on this message
about two, two and a half months ago. And I had read this scripture
before and really didn't see what was in it when I read it
this last time. And I thought, Lord, I know there's
a message here if you'll help me to see it, if you'll help
me to see Christ in it so that I can share it with your people. And I believe the Lord has given
me a few things to share with you. First Samuel 18, we're going
to only read the first four verses. And it came to pass when he,
Jonathan, And it came to pass when he had made an end of speaking
unto Saul that the soul of Jonathan was knit unto the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him at his
own soul. And Saul took him that day and
would let him go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan
and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and
gave it under David and his garments, even unto his sword and to his
bow and to his girdle. Now, the account that we read
here follows the slaying of Goliath by David, which account we find
in the previous chapter. And I want to look at these four
verses and point out how that Jonathan is a type of Christ
And David, in this particular text, is a type of God's elect. I want to list several things
at Jonathan, how he is a picture of Christ, and then expand on
each one of those as we go through this message. First, the scripture
tells us that Jonathan was the firstborn of the king. Colossians
1.15 says that Christ is the firstborn of every creature. Psalm 89 verse 27, speaking of
Christ, says this, I will make him my firstborn
higher than the kings of the earth. Second, Jonathan fought
battles in the name of the king. The first battle mentioned in
the Bible under King Saul's reign was when Jonathan attacked a
garrison of 20 Philistines and killed them all. And Christ likewise
battled the power of darkness and conquered them soundly. Colossians
2 puts it this way. blotting out the handwriting
of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us,
and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. And having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly. He
mopped the floor with them. Number three, Jonathan made a
covenant with David, and Christ made a covenant with his chosen
people. A better covenant, we're told in Hebrew, based on better
promises. Number four, Jonathan stripped
himself by giving his royal robe to David. Likewise, Christ came
to this earth, became a flesh and blood man, stripped himself
of the glory which he had with the father, and made himself
of no reputation so that he might clothe us with the royal robe
of his righteousness. And fifth, Jonathan interceded
on David's behalf when King Saul sought to kill him. Likewise,
Christ Jesus interceded on our behalf when the law sought our
condemnation and damnation. Now, verse one says that the
soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David. Knit means
to join closely, to unite securely, to cause to grow together. And
this is what happens when a weaver weaves on the loom And those
individual threads become one, become one garment. So it is
with the body of Christ, we are knit together with him by the
spirit. Paul said in Galatians 3, 27,
as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek.
There is neither bond nor free. There is neither male or female
for you all are all one. in Christ Jesus, joined together,
knit together forever. In Colossians 2, 2, Paul tells
of how the saints' hearts are knit together in love. And the
Lord Jesus told his disciples in John 15, 12, this is my commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you, in the same
way that I have loved you by knitting my soul to yours. Now, Paul explained in Corinthians
that the human body is made up of many parts, but each part,
no matter how seemingly insignificant, is important to make that body
whole. Without even the little toe, your body is not complete. So it is with the body of Christ,
his church, his bride. We are joined to him in an unbreakable
bond, bound to him by his love to us, not our love to him, purchased
with his blood and verse one continues. And Jonathan loved
him as his own soul. Now you think about that for
a minute. That is an amazing statement
that one man could love another as much as he loves his own soul.
And we know that one of the strongest emotions that a human being can
experience is love. You remember when you first fell
in love with that one that was to become your spouse, how you
couldn't spend enough time with them. When you were apart from
them, you longed to be with them, to hold them in your arms, to
embrace them. And when you first held, I should
say, your newborn children in your arms, your heart burst with
love for them. And then grandchildren come along
and you experience a level of love that you didn't even know
existed before. Those of you that have grandchildren
know exactly what I'm talking about. And this love carries
over to the believer, how we feel about our fellow saints.
The Lord told his followers, by this shall all men know that
you are my disciples, if you have love one to another. There is not a bond that exists
between family members, even that closely sometimes. And we
have our differences, certainly, but our hearts are united in
love for that one who loved us and gave himself for us. Our
love for our family and friends knits our hearts to them so that
we, when we see them experiencing pain, we would, if we could,
we would take that pain away from them and suffer it ourselves. And if one who we love is sick
unto death, we would gladly gladly trade our life for theirs to
give them more years of life. I remember reading a story a
few years ago that just broke my heart. It was a little girl about three
or four years old who was sick and had a very rare blood type. And she required a blood transfusion
if she was to live. Otherwise, the doctors told her
parents that she would not live much longer. And her little brother,
who was two or three years older than her, he ended up having
the same blood type as she did. So the parents and the doctors
told this little brother that his sister needed his blood.
And he thought on it a few minutes with a really worried look on
his face. And the parents could tell he was very frightened by
the prospect, but he agreed to give his sister some of his blood.
So the doctors did the blood transfusion, and the little girl
immediately showed signs of improvement. But her little brother still
looked extremely worried. Even after they had removed the
needle from his arm, they thought maybe he was just frightened
of needles. So his parents, seeing his worried look, told him that
everything was going to be fine, that he had saved his little
sister's life. And it was then that they discovered
why he looked so worried. That little boy looked at them
and asked, how long before I die? He thought that when the doctors
told him that his sister needed his blood, that they were going
to take all of it and he would die as a result. But he agreed
to it anyway. And being a little child, he
didn't understand that a blood transfusion only requires a little
bit of your blood, not all of it. But he loved that little
sister enough that he was willing to die for her. Like Jonathan loved David, this
little boy loved his sister as his own soul, enough to give
his life for hers. But as touching as that story
is, it does not compare. does not remotely compare with
what our blessed savior did for us. Because he not only gave
his life for us, Isaiah 53 tells us that he made his very soul
an offering for sin. He gave his soul to endure an
eternity's worth of unimaginable suffering so that our souls could
escape that suffering that is required as payment for our sin. This is how our Savior loved
us as he loved his own soul. Now verse two, and Saul took
him that day and would let him go no more home to his father's
house. Saul being king, the ultimate
authority in the kingdom, had the power to make this decision.
He knew that there was nothing for David back at his father's
house. And so it is with our heavenly
father, our heavenly king. He knows that there is nothing
for us back in our father's house, back in that house of sin that
we dwelt in our entire life until he gave us faith to believe on
his son. And so he keeps us from ever returning to that place.
And in Revelation three, when addressing the church of Philadelphia,
God makes this promise because I has kept the word of my patience.
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall
come upon all the world. And Jude 24, that verse that
we love so much, now unto him that is able to keep you from
falling. And to present you faultless
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only
wise God, our savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power,
both now and forever. And Philippians one six promises
that he that has begun a good work and you will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ. He will keep us from ever returning
to our father's house, that house of sin that we dwelt in before
he gave us life. Then verse three of our text
in first Samuel 18 says this. Jonathan and David made a covenant.
because he loved him as his own soul. That is the title of this
message. He loved him as his own soul. A picture, a type of the covenant
that Christ made with his people. Turn over with me to Hebrews
8. This is a picture of the covenant
that Christ made with his elect. This covenant that Jonathan made
with David. Hebrews chapter 8. starting in verse six. But now have he obtained a more
excellent ministry by how much also he is a mediator of a better
covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if
this first covenant had been faultless, there should no place
have been sought for the second for finding fault with them.
He sayeth, behold, The days come, saith the Lord, when I will make
a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house
of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them
out of the land of Egypt, because they continued not in my covenant,
and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith
the Lord. I will put my laws into their
mind, and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them
a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not
teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least to the
greatest. For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember
no more. In that he saith a new covenant, he hath made the first
old, Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish
away. Now there's many ways that this
new covenant is better covenant, but the main reason we find in
verse 12, but before we look at that, flip over with me, hold
your finger here in Hebrews eight and turn way back to Leviticus
chapter 26, Leviticus 26. Now remember that the Lord told
the physical nation of Israel that if you keep my commandments
and walk in my statutes, then will I bless you. But in Leviticus
26, starting in verse 14, we read this. But if ye will not
hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments, and
if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments,
so that you will not do all my commandments, but that you break
my covenant, I also will do this unto you. I will even appoint
over you terror, consumption, and the burning of goo, that
shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of the heart. And you
shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemy shall eat it.
And I will set my face against you, and you shall be slain before
your enemies. They that hate you shall reign
over you, and you shall flee when none pursue with you. And
if you will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then will I
punish you seven times more for your sins. This unbending strictness of
the law represents the old covenant. Obey and live, disobey and die. But as I read a minute ago here
in Hebrews 8, it tells us why this new covenant that Christ
made with his chosen people is so much better than the old that
we just read about. For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness. And their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more. What? What? What did we just
read in Leviticus? And yet our Lord tells us here
that he promises to be merciful, not to our righteousness, because
we have none, but to our unrighteousness. You think about that. This is the same God that said
the soul that senteth it shall die. How is this even possible? One way that we find described
in Isaiah 53. He was wounded for our transgressions
because he was bruised for our iniquities because the chastisement,
the required punishment for our sin was upon him. And because with his stripes
were healed, our sin debt was paid by our great substitute. This is the better covenant spoken
of in Hebrews eight written hundreds of years before it was actually
fulfilled and finalized in time on a hill called Golgotha outside
of Jerusalem. Now in verse four of our text
in first Samuel 18, we read this, and we're getting to the really
good part now. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was
on him and gave it to David and his garments, even to his sword,
and to his bow and to his girdle. This is such a clear picture
of how Christ gives us the robe of his righteousness. In Matthew
6, 31, Christ tells his disciples this. Therefore, take no thought
saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewith
shall we be clothed? What are we going to wear? For
after all these things do the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly
Father knoweth ye have need of all these things. Now I've read
that text for years and years and decades, and pretty much
always thought of it in a physical sense, that the Lord will provide
our need for food, for housing, for shelter, for clothing. But the more I thought on this,
and the more I studied it, I believe this text is referring much more
to spiritual eating and drinking than to the physical act. What
shall we eat? David said in the book of Psalms,
he said, speaking of physical bread, I have been young and
now I am old, yet have I never seen the righteous forsaking
nor his seed begging bread. But Christ answered this question,
what shall we eat and what shall we drink? in a spiritual sense,
because in this same chapter of Matthew 6, where he says in
verse 51, I am the living bread which came down from heaven.
If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for
the life of the world. The Jews, therefore, strove among
themselves saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat?
Then Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, except
ye eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, ye
have no life in you. Whosoever eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up
at the last day, for my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood
is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh
my blood dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the father has sent
me and I live by the father, so he that eateth me, even he
shall live by me. Christ here applies eating and
drinking much more to the spiritual act than to the physical. And
the last question is, wherewith shall we be clothed? And the
spiritual answer to that question is found in the picture of Jonathan
stripping himself of his robe and giving it to David. And verse 32 of Matthew 6 that
we just read concludes with the words, for your heavenly father
knoweth ye have need of all these things. Now, when the triune
God chose us in Christ before time ever was, he knew what things
helpless sinners would need. Spiritual food, so he gives us
Christ's bread of life. Spiritual drink, so he gives
us the blood of Christ to drink. spiritual clothing. So he purposed
that we shall be clothed with the robe, which Christ strips
off himself and gives to us. This is pictured so well in the
story of the prodigal son. When he returned, the father
said, bring forth the best robe and put it on him. That best
robe, which is the righteousness of saints, which is spoken of
in Revelation 19 verses seven and eight, it says, let us be
glad and rejoice and give honor to him. For the marriage of the
lamb has come, and his wife hath made herself ready, and it was
granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness
of the saints. That righteousness that is granted
to us by Christ. Isaiah also wrote a similar text
in Isaiah 61 10. He said, I will greatly rejoice
in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God. Why, Isaiah,
what's the big deal? For he hath clothed me with the
garment of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe
of righteousness. And this was all pictured in
the act of Jonathan stripping himself of his robe and giving
it to David. Now, our text in 1 Samuel 18
also says that Jonathan gave David his sword. Now, throughout
scripture, a picture, a type of the word
of God is pictured by the word sword. Ephesians 6.17 says this,
and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit,
which is the word of God. And Hebrews 4.12 repeats the
same message. He says, for the word of God
is quick and powerful. and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and
of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart. Our God gives us his word as
a sword to do battle with the forces of darkness, as a weapon
that we use to conquer them, and in the end, conquer them
we shall. With God's word, which Psalm
138, two tells us that God is magnified even above his very
name. And we read that Jonathan also
gave David his bow, another picture of a weapon that is to be used
against the evils of this world. Now we know throughout scripture,
and particularly in the book of revelation, Babylon is pictured
as false religion, all the false religions of this world, regardless
of what name they may fall under. And Jeremiah wrote in chapter
50 verse 14, it says, put yourselves in array against Babylon roundabout. All ye that bend the bow, shoot
at her. Spare no arrows, for she has
sinned against the Lord. And verse 29 of that same chapter
tells us, call together the archers against Babylon. All ye that
bend the bow, camp against it roundabout. Let none escape.
recompense her according to her work, according to all that she
had done due unto her, for she had been proud against the Lord
and against the Holy One of Israel. Now we are to go to battle against
the dark forces of this world with everything in the arsenal
of our spiritual weapons. Give no mercy, give no quarter
to the teaching of dead false religion, no matter what name
it goes by. It is to be utterly slain by
God's sword, his word that he gives us. Then lastly, in verse
four, we read that Jonathan gave David his girdle. Now the biblical
meaning of this word girdle denotes a belt. It was an article of
dress worn around the waist. And the common girdle was made
out of leather, but a fine girdle was often made out of linen,
embroidered with silk, and sometimes with gold and silver threads,
and frequently studded with gold and precious stones. And the
military version of a girdle was worn about the waist and
the soldier's sword and dagger were suspended from it. And hence,
when we read the term many times in the scripture, gird up thy
loins, it's referring to tightening the girdle or the belt in preparation
for a battle. And speaking of the Redeemer
that was to come, Isaiah 11 says this, And there shall come forth
a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch, capital B, shall
grow out of his roots. And the spirit of the Lord shall
rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of the knowledge of
the fear of the Lord. And righteousness shall be the
girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. Our mighty Savior girds himself
with righteousness, and faithfulness. And he goes on to conquer all
those who would oppose him, both in this world and that world,
which is to come. Now, in Exodus 15, we read the
words of the song of Moses and the children of Israel, and they
sang this. I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider hath
he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my
song. He has become my salvation. He is my God. I will prepare
an habitation. My father's God. I will exalt
him. The Lord is a man of war. The
Lord is his name. Now, in summary, we see how that
the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David. So it
was with our Lord Jesus Christ because of his immense love for
us, for his chosen people, his soul and the soul of his people
are knit together in an unbreakable bond. They are truly one. Then we saw how Jonathan made
a covenant with David because he loved him as his own soul.
So did our blessed Savior enter into a covenant with us, a better
covenant. And we saw how Jonathan stripped
himself of the robe that he wore and gave it to David, so as Christ
did for his people, clothed them with that perfect robe of righteousness,
making us to be as holy as the God-man himself. If you know yourself, you would
be astounded by that statement. But it's true. That's how mighty the blood of
Christ is. It makes us to seem to be not to seem to be. I shouldn't
have said that. It makes us to be as righteous
as Christ himself in the eyes of a holy God. And lastly, we
saw how that Jonathan gave David all the weapons he needed to
go forth to war when it was necessary. And in closing, in 2 Samuel chapter
2, we find David grieving for Jonathan after he learned of
his death. And David says in verse 25 of
that chapter, how have the mighty fallen in the midst of battle?
O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thy high places. Thou was slain
in thy high places. This again is a picture of Christ
slain in a high place. It was called Calvary's Hill,
lifted up like that brazen serpent. His high place was a cross of
Golgotha. Then in verse 26, David says
of Jonathan, I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan.
Very pleasant has thou been unto me. Thy love to me was wonderful. passing the love of women. Now, when God, the Holy Spirit,
shows us the cost of Christ's life, the sin of ours that cost
him his life, his blood and his very soul, we are distressed,
as David was distressed for Jonathan. And our heart is broken because
of our iniquity that brought on and caused the death of our
Savior. And David then said, very pleasant
has not been unto me. And Christ Jesus could have cast
us away because of our trespasses. He instead chose us for reasons known but to himself,
chose us to be part of the royal family, heirs of God and joint
heirs with himself. This is how he had been very
pleasant to his people. And lastly, David says this,
thy love to me was wonderful. What a fitting description of
the love of Christ to us, his bride, his body, the church,
the word wonderful. I looked this up, it has many
meanings, and all of them can be applied to the love of Christ
for his elect. It means excellent or splendid. astonishing, marvelous, stunning,
extraordinarily inconceivable. And it is certainly beyond human
comprehension why a thrice holy God would ever choose a bunch
of wretched sinners and make them his very own children and
give to them eternal life to enjoy his presence forever. And the only reason that happened
was explained by the Lord in his prayer to his father in Matthew
11. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. And we will sing his praises
throughout the endless ages of eternity as the words of that
song, Blessed Redeemer. Oh, how I love thee, Savior and
friend. How can my praises ever find
end? Through years outnumbered, On
heaven's shore, my tongue shall praise thee forevermore. What a blessed, blessed people
we truly are. And the reason we are as blessed
as we are is because Christ loved us as Jonathan loved David. Christ loved us as he loved his
own soul. I hope that had been a blessing
to you.