2012-08-31
Good Morning Dear Ones,
We have been looking at ones’ new covenant identity upon entering into a covenant [two-way promise] with God. Now, let’s look at the meaning of a friendship covenant, like the one between David and Jonathan [1 SAM 18: 1-3]. To do this, first see what they did in establishing the covenant. 1 SAM 18 4, “Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.” This was an action taken that denoted that this new covenant identity would supersede all other relationships, except his covenant with God. It was a very serious commitment indeed, but one with many long-standing benefits to both men and their families. Another aspect to it was that neither man was alone any more. They now became covenant brothers.
Can we have imagined what this would mean in the future? Probably not, except that the Scriptures give us a way to see that from the stories of what happened to their families, even long after Jonathan’s all-too-early death at Mt. Gilboa [1 SAM 31: 2]. We know, for example, that David married Saul’s daughter, Michal [2 SAM 6: 20-23]. Judging from the exchange between David and Michal at the time that David danced disrobed [probably with just a loin cloth] before the procession that brought the Ark of the Covenant, their marriage wasn’t the happiest. The Ark was being brought home to Israel from being previously wrested from her by the Philistines. Michal was upset with David. It probably grated on Michal that she was given in marriage to her father, Saul’s, successor to the throne of Israel. On the other hand, David looked at his being “undistinguished” as a way to show humility before the Lord God. Michal saw it as undignified, vulgar, and humiliating, especially before the slave girls of his servants.
We are given another story, one which has always touched my heart, as a partially disabled person. It is the story which happened years later of Saul’s grandson and Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, who the latter’s servant, Zilba, characterized as “crippled in both feet” in 2 SAM 9: 3b. This was after David asked in (1), “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” This question reveals to us three things about David-his commitment to the covenant of friendship, his innate kindness, and the love he had for his friend, Jonathan. These are all qualities that could have only come from God [PS 16: 2]. We know from the story of Mephibosheth in 2 SAM 9: 8-13 that David’s feelings were genuine and that he followed them with action that would please God from the moment of their meeting. David made Mephibosheth welcome and calmed any fears the disabled man might have had in David’s presence. 2 SAM 9: 13, “And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was crippled in both feet.”
We need to look at friendship covenants in our own lives. Peter and I are involved in one with my two sisters “by mutual spiritual adoption.” I believe God brought us together of His purposes. Both our sisters are women of faith in Christ. These relationships have brought huge blessings in our own lives, because we do things together, and one of my sisters lives with us each summer. These ladies are genetically related to each other, one is married and the one is a widow. What happens to people in such a relationship is that they never need to feel alone again. Before our covenant relationship happened, we had no family anywhere near MN; Peter and I were alone. Beforehand, the sister who lives with us in the summers (she lives with her sons the rest of the year) lost her beloved husband to cancer. She felt lonely and will always miss him, but she always has a place to live with us anytime, if she needs it beyond the time we already live together. When one of her son’s got married, we were invited to the wedding. When my sisters’ niece passed away from cancer last year, we were with them at the funeral, just as if we were family. When our eldest sister got married for the second time after being alone for 35 years, we were at her wedding and continue to be close. She sews with me every week, and when our other sister comes to us in June, she will join us.
A number of years ago, a married couple from our church, young enough to be our children, decided to move. Their home sold right away, and the new home they bought nearby wouldn’t be ready for occupancy for a few months. We invited them to move in with us during that time. This was a God-forged situation, once again for His purposes. While we have a son in CA, we are still separated by the miles. As time went on, our two families entered into another “mutually-spiritually adopted” relationship. The wife of this couple has family out of state, but had lost both her parents early on in her life. She “adopted” me as her second mom and Peter as her second dad, and we’re both delighted and honored to be in that relationship. In both these covenants of friendship God has placed all of us in a position to share our faith, strengthen each other’s faith, and live in a way which pleases Him. We have people in our lives to whom we can turn, and they can always turn to us. Praise and thanks be to God!
PRAYER: O Lord, we offer praise and thanks to You, because we can see how You intervene for righteous reasons in our lives. Moreover, with Your help, we enter into friendship covenants before You, which enrich our lives and those of others. This very morning a brother in Christ sent me this passage about loving You. 1 JN 5: 1-2, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands.” Our Lord Jesus left us with very clear instructions about what makes a true believer. JN 13: 34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” These familiar words have a much enlarged meaning in the lives of the person who is indeed willing to love others, as Christ has loved us. We know that You want us to examine our lives to see how well we are living up to this command. We understand that as sinners, we must examine our lives frequently-not to bring guilt into the picture, but instead, to identify our sins and expunge them. In the final analysis on the Day that You assign, our Lord Jesus will come as the Judge [DN 7: 13-14], the task to which You have authorized Him. If we live righteously, we will have nothing to arouse fright. When the Book of Life is opened, our names will be in it, and we will be resurrected to heaven as the just [REV 20: 4-5]. Those whose names are not in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire, judged fairly according to their deeds [REV 20:13b-15]. Our need is to place our trust in You and to faithfully obey You. We should also offer You our eternal thanks and praise for Who You are and what You do. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m led to begin with the age old question: Are we our brother’s keepers? From there, we’ll continue to look at what God would like our response to the worldly culture we live in to be. It’s my hope that each reader of this devotion will examine the relationships in his own life. Just because I have the special relationships God put together mentioned above, it doesn’t mean that these are our only ones. God knew that as a rebellious, headstrong sinner, I needed to be married to a man who is honest, wise, peaceful, and kind. He also knew I needed to be surrounded by people who love Him and who, by their example, would show me how to be a better, more dedicated believer in His Son. So, He brought my husband, Peter, into my life and placed us at Woodbury Lutheran Church. By no means does this mean WLC is the only place that does this, nor is Peter the only honest, intelligent, humble, and upright man in the world-- only that Peter is the right husband for me. We need to understand PS 33: 5, “The Lord loves what is righteous and just; His constant love fills the earth.” Moreover, we should know how to make God’s love complete. 1 JN 4: 12, “No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” And yes, our Lord Jesus has commanded us to do this most difficult thing: MT 5: 43-44a, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” He not only tells us to do this, but with faith and trust in Him, He empowers us to do it. Praise and thanks be to the Lord!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24:15
© Lynn Johnson 2012. All Rights Reserved.
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