The Bible highlights friendship through out all of scripture but we short side the impact of a friendship by only thinking that being a friend of or to God leads to favors being given back and forth. The strongest friendship is formed when individuals give all of their honor to raise another up higher than themselves.
1 Samuel 18:1-5
One of the most deepest friendships mentioned in the Bible is between David and Jonathan. Their friendship definitely had a complicated element, since Jonathan father, king Saul made several attempts to kill David all through out their friendship, but Jonathan did not let the selfish opposing desire of his father tear down what he discerned in David. The spirit of David was God honoring and Jonathan literally gave all the honor he could to David. That is why this passage acknowledges Jonathan giving him the robe he was wearing including his weapons, which was the highest honor to receive from a royal.
This moment in Jonathan’s life is one of those special moments that makes a huge impact because he didn’t hesitate and he gave all that he could. If we are going to live our life for Christ we need to take out the hesitation and we need to give all that we can. When we hesitate we start to justify and usually justify for the power of our own self rather than with the power of God, which is worthy of more than we’re capable of giving.
1 Samuel 23:15-18
The last time Jonathan and David meet one another, is when Jonathan gave David another warning that Saul was coming after his life. This passage says that he met David to strengthen him in the hand of God, and also admitted that he believed David would be the next king of Israel.
I believe that the only way that we are willing to keep giving all of our honor to Jesus is to live believing that everything good given to us comes from God (James 1:17). This keeps the motivation of our work pure and therefore acceptable and useful to God. The only other alternative to ignore or oppose God making us the enemy to God’s purpose and gift to His people.
David never really has the opportunity to give all of his honor to Jonathan other than being caring and loving in the their interactions with each other. We are in a similar place because although we know Jesus intercedes for us to the Father there is glory and honor that we cannot experience in this life, but live and wait in expectation of it because Jesus will be a friend to us who believe in the promises of God.