SAMUEL: Steadfast Love

Actions in this life echo in eternity, and there is only a sliver between us and death. Ultimately, all that matters is where our supreme allegiance lies, and how we've responded to the love of God. Saul is in a rage and David is on the run. David finds Jonathan and tells him that Saul’s determined to kill him. Jonathan devises a plan to find out if this is true so he can warn David. Jonathan promises to warn David about his father’s plans, and both men make a sacred vow to be loyal to each other, whatever the cost. As it turns out David was right and the two friends bid each other a tearful and gut-wrenching farewell, renewing their covenant of friendship before David goes into exile. We see three remarkable things from the story that relate directly to Jesus and the Gospel in our lives. First, David’s desperate, life-or-death circumstances conveyed a sense of urgency. Secondly the fierce and loyal love of David and Jonathon exemplifies the steadfast love of God (hesed) towards us. Last we see Jonathon’s supreme allegiance to God’s anointed, as he sacrifices his claim to the throne and forsakes his own father. Jesus came to rescue us with a sense of urgency, he is the incarnation of hesed, and demands our supreme allegiance.