October 23, 2025 • 14 mins
Text if you need me? Prayer or just need encouragement…
A spear on the wall, a vow in the field, and a choice that costs a kingdom—Jonathan and David’s story shows what real friendship looks like when it hurts. We walk through 1 Samuel 19–20 and unpack why covenant love isn’t about romance or convenience; it is about loyalty, sacrifice, and trust before God. Along the way, I share a hard lesson from a past relationship, the maturing of my marriage as we built on Scripture, and the small, faithful ways friends show up when life falls apart.
We dig into Saul’s jealousy and how it tests allegiance, then trace the covenant that binds Jonathan and David beyond emotion.
By the end, you’ll have reflection questions to examine your circle, your marriage, and your patterns of giving and receiving help. Expect a heart check on whether your friendships guard each other’s calling, how to anchor commitments in prayer, and what sacrifices make love visible. If this encouraged you, share it with someone who needs hope, hit follow to catch weekly devotionals, and leave a kind review so others can find the show. Your stories and reviews help this message reach the people who need it most.
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Podcast Music by: prazkhanal
Song: Whip
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hello, hello.
You're listening to the JesseMorgan Devotions for the
Christian Heart Podcast, episode73.
This week's devotional is titledThe Covenant of Love: What True
Friendship Looks Like.
Let's go.
Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan.
I used to just share home decorand renovation tips on social
media, but now I'm sharingsomething even closer to my
(00:21):
heart.
My journey in love for JesusChrist, my Savior.
Welcome to the Jesse MorganDevotions for the Christian Hawk
Podcast.
This is a weekly devotional Istarted back in May 2024, but
the inspiration for it came muchearlier.
It was rooted in a faith journeythat began when my daughter was
born four months early in 2023.
Through that challenging time,God worked in ways that truly
(00:43):
amazed me.
On this podcast, I sharepersonal stories of faith woven
together with Scripture to showjust how incredible God's word
can be in our everyday lives.
My hope is that through thesestories, you'll be encouraged,
uplifted, and reminded of God'slove and presence, no matter
what you're going through.
So I invite you to spend lessthan 15 minutes with me each
(01:05):
week as we reflect on thesedevotionals together.
Let's all pray within.
The Covenant of Love, What TrueFriendship Looks Like.
1 Samuel 19 through 20.
You know, I told this guy onetime within three days that I
loved him.
And he told me within two daysthat he loved me.
(01:27):
I thought, this is it, the loveof all loves.
But oh, I was wrong.
That turned out to be one of themost emotionally immature
relationships I've everexperienced.
I was so wrong for him.
He was so wrong for me.
And I honestly feel like he wasone of the most selfish people
I've ever encountered.
(01:48):
And I was one of the mostselfish people he had ever
encountered.
We were so wrong for each other,and that was so far from it.
It was just terrible.
So far from love.
Terrible.
And my best friend Lorna knowsexactly which relationship I'm
talking about.
Anyways, this week's episode isreally special.
(02:11):
I think part of the reason Ididn't record last week is
because I found these chaptersin 1 Samuel to be so detailed,
so layered, and honestly, Ineeded some time to sit with
them.
There's a lot happening here,especially emotionally, and I
didn't want to rush through it.
We're diving into 1 Samuelchapters 19 and 20, as I
(02:33):
mentioned before.
And these are some of the mostmoving and emotional moments in
this whole book.
And it starts off with David andJonathan.
Let's back up a second, though.
We first meet Jonathan, Saul'sson, King Saul's son, the heir
to the throne, around chapters15 and 16 of 1 Samuel.
(02:56):
Jonathan was a man of greatfaith.
Remember that incredible victorythat he had against the
Philistines with just hisarmbearer.
That story showed not just hisbravery, but his deep trust in
the Lord.
Then comes David.
After David defeats Goliath,Jonathan meets him and instantly
recognizes something divineabout David.
(03:19):
He sees that God's hand is onhis life, and right away
Jonathan loves him.
Now, people sometimesoveranalyze this passage and try
to make it into something it'snot.
But the type of love Jonathanhad for David wasn't romantic.
It was godly love, the kind oflove that's selfless, loyal, and
rooted in covenant orcommitment.
(03:42):
We often think of love assomething tied to just romance
or marriage, but this storyreminds us that true love, the
kind of love that reflects God'sheart, is sacrificial.
It's about giving, trusting, andstanding by someone, even when
it costs you something.
Jonathan and David's friendshipblossomed quickly, but you know,
(04:04):
in the in these chapters, wealso see how heartbreaking it
was.
They eventually had to saygoodbye, knowing Saul,
Jonathan's father, jealousy,made it impossible for them to
stay close.
Um, by this point, Saul iscompletely consumed by jealousy
in chapters 19 and 20 and rage.
(04:27):
He tries to kill David multipletimes.
And check this scene out withSaul and his son Jonathan.
It says in 1 Samuel 20, 30through 33, a little bit of a
long passage, but I think it'sjust really uh really well
written, and it sets the tonefor for the direction I'm gonna
take.
So um in 1 Samuel 20, 30, 30through 33, it says, Saul's
(04:49):
anger flared up at Jonathan, andhe said to him, You son of a
rebellious woman, don't I knowthat you have sided with the son
of Jesse to your own shame andto the shame of the mother who
bore you?
As long as the son of Jesselives on this earth, neither you
nor your kingdom will beestablished.
Now send someone to bring him tome, for he must die.
(05:14):
Why should we why should he beput to death?
What has he done?
Jonathan asked his father.
But Saul hurled his spear at himto kill him.
Then Jonathan knew that hisfather intended to kill David.
Insane to think and to readthis.
Saul even throws or a spear athis own son, Jonathan, which he
(05:39):
realizes that Jonathan isdefending David.
Jonathan knew that his heir tothe throne wasn't going to
happen because David was thechosen one.
But Jonathan, as a friend, stillsupported David despite uproar
in his family.
Jonathan finally sees how farhis how far gone his dad is, and
(06:01):
he warns David and says, Myfather really intends to kill
you.
David begs Jonathan to stayloyal, and Jonathan swears that
he will, making a covenant oflove before the Lord.
For it says in 1 Samuel 20, 42,it says, Jonathan said to David,
go in peace, for we have swornfriendship with each other in
(06:23):
the name of the Lord, saying,The Lord is witness between you
and me, and between yourdescendants and my descendants
forever.
Then David left, and Jonathanwent back to the town.
And also here's the key versewhere the covenant between
Jonathan and David was reallyfirst mentioned in 1 Samuel 20,
16 through 17.
I think these are reallypowerful.
(06:44):
So Jonathan made a covenant withthe house of David, saying, May
the Lord call David's enemies toaccount.
And Jonathan had David reaffirmhis oath of love for him,
because he loved him as he lovedhimself.
That covenant, you know, itwasn't casual.
It meant commitment, sacrifice,and trust before God.
(07:05):
Jonathan sacrificed his thronefor David.
What a love, what a friend, whata commitment.
You know, what loyalty, whattrust.
And you know what?
What a God we serve.
And you know what?
It's the same kind of love thatJesus later showed to us.
A love that's faithful no matterwhat.
(07:27):
You know, I love thisfriendship.
I love how this friendshipforeshadows what Jesus did for
us on the cross.
David, you know, the firstanointed king of Israel, comes
from the lineage that leads tothe birth of Jesus Christ, our
eternal King.
And Jonathan's love and loyaltyto David mirrors Jesus' selfless
(07:49):
love for us, a love that'swilling to sacrifice everything
for the sake of another.
And when I think aboutfriendship today, I think about
what it really means to have acovenant bond with someone.
Are we willing to be selfless?
Are we willing to give up ourpride, our comfort, our image
for someone else we truly love?
(08:10):
If we can't sacrifice one thingfor a friend for that person,
that may not be a realfriendship.
And I'm seeing that so vividlyin my own life as I grow
spiritually.
Now, of course, if someonebetrays you in a way that breaks
all trust, like cheating withyour partner and putting
something else before yourfeelings, then that could be a
(08:33):
false commitment, a falsefriendship.
We always hear about falseprophets, but there's fake
friends too.
Hello.
Now I've had to do some deepreflection on this myself,
thinking about my parents, myhusband, and my close friends.
Those relationships are layersof friendships in them, and
(08:56):
they've learned, and I'velearned how important
selflessness really is.
I can say today confidently thatI'm willing to sacrifice for the
people that I love, and I knowthey do the same for me.
My marriage, for example, isbuilt on the Lord, and that's
our foundation.
I'm realizing how precious thatis now.
(09:18):
I didn't see it so clearly whenwe married because my
relationship with God wasn'twhere it should be.
I love my husband more than youknow, more than anything now,
because of the commitment I madeto him with God as a witness and
me realizing it like now.
And I'm not saying I didn't wantto be married seven years ago.
(09:41):
I'm just saying I wasn'tmatured, I wasn't mature enough
to really embrace what acovenant of love really was
about till now.
And also, you know, when I lookat my circle of friends, my
close friends, it's very small,but I like it that way now.
And I used to think friendshipwas about constant
(10:02):
communication, but now I seeit's about presence, support,
and genuine care.
My close friends in my life, Idon't speak to daily, but I know
if I needed them, they answer.
They are loyal to me, and viceversa, and they include me
always, even when I can'tphysically be there.
(10:24):
My mom told me something thatstuck with me forever, and she
said, Many people really don'tknow how to be friends.
At the time I didn't fully getit, but she was right.
Friendships and covenants takework, marriages, relationships
take work.
It takes showing up in the hardtimes and not just the fun ones.
(10:47):
And when my daughter Sage wasborn early, okay, let me not get
choked up.
My best friend Lorna texted me10 minutes after I told her what
was going on, and she said tome, Do you want me to come down
there?
Now she had just gone throughmajor surgery herself and was
(11:09):
dealing with her own familychallenges.
Yet she was ready to dropeverything to be there for me
when I knew that she was goingthrough some things too, and she
checked on me regardless, andshe just was there for me if I
needed her.
And you know what?
That's love, that's friendship,that's a covenant bond.
(11:33):
And when you look at Samuelfirst, we look at first Samuel
19 and 20, we see how Godsurrounded David with people who
were willing to sacrifice forhim.
Jonathan, Mikhail, and evenSamuel.
Each of them showed selflesslove and a different type of
relationship, and God used themto protect David.
(11:55):
That's how God moves in ourlives, too.
He places people around us tohelp us, guide us, and sometimes
even save us from ourselves orjust danger.
But we have to be humble enoughto accept that help too.
So as you go into this week, Iwant you to really think about
what covenant looks like in yourlife, what a friendship, a
(12:20):
strong relationship looks likein your life.
Are you being selfless in yourrelationships?
Are you willing to sacrifice forthe people you love?
And most importantly, do youunderstand the depth of Jesus'
love for you?
He gave everything.
He endured humiliation and painall because he loved you that
(12:43):
much.
And that's the truest love andfriendship there is.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, I thank you somuch for the selfless love that
you've given us through JesusChrist.
We are unworthy, we don'tdeserve it, but you still gave
it to us.
Father, we thank you so much forthe gift of friendship, for the
(13:06):
gift of commitment.
And Lord, help us all who'slistening now and anybody else
to just try their best to upholdthat.
So we understand how importantit is to have relationships, to
have friendships that resemblewhat Jonathan and David were.
(13:27):
And we know that the next levelof friendship, the next level of
relationships that we want inlife have to be a reflection of
your love.
God, we love you and we praiseyou.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, that wraps up this week'sepisode.
My prayer is that thesedevotions bring you a little
(13:49):
closer to God each day.
If you felt encouraged, don'tkeep it to yourself.
Share this episode with a friendor loved one who could use the
same reminder.
Be sure to hit subscribe so younever miss a weekly message.
And if you like, leaving a kindreview means so much.
For more, check the show notesor connect with me on Instagram
or TikTok at Jessie MorganFaith.
(14:11):
Until next time, this is JesseMorgan praying off.
Hello, hello.
You're listening to the JesseMorgan Devotions for the
Christian Heart Podcast, episode73.
This week's devotional is titledThe Covenant of Love: What True
Friendship Looks Like.
Let's go.
Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan.
I used to just share home decorand renovation tips on social
media, but now I'm sharingsomething even closer to my
(00:21):
heart.
My journey in love for JesusChrist, my Savior.
Welcome to the Jesse MorganDevotions for the Christian Hawk
Podcast.
This is a weekly devotional Istarted back in May 2024, but
the inspiration for it came muchearlier.
It was rooted in a faith journeythat began when my daughter was
born four months early in 2023.
Through that challenging time,God worked in ways that truly
(00:43):
amazed me.
On this podcast, I sharepersonal stories of faith woven
together with Scripture to showjust how incredible God's word
can be in our everyday lives.
My hope is that through thesestories, you'll be encouraged,
uplifted, and reminded of God'slove and presence, no matter
what you're going through.
So I invite you to spend lessthan 15 minutes with me each
(01:05):
week as we reflect on thesedevotionals together.
Let's all pray within.
The Covenant of Love, What TrueFriendship Looks Like.
1 Samuel 19 through 20.
You know, I told this guy onetime within three days that I
loved him.
And he told me within two daysthat he loved me.
(01:27):
I thought, this is it, the loveof all loves.
But oh, I was wrong.
That turned out to be one of themost emotionally immature
relationships I've everexperienced.
I was so wrong for him.
He was so wrong for me.
And I honestly feel like he wasone of the most selfish people
I've ever encountered.
(01:48):
And I was one of the mostselfish people he had ever
encountered.
We were so wrong for each other,and that was so far from it.
It was just terrible.
So far from love.
Terrible.
And my best friend Lorna knowsexactly which relationship I'm
talking about.
Anyways, this week's episode isreally special.
(02:11):
I think part of the reason Ididn't record last week is
because I found these chaptersin 1 Samuel to be so detailed,
so layered, and honestly, Ineeded some time to sit with
them.
There's a lot happening here,especially emotionally, and I
didn't want to rush through it.
We're diving into 1 Samuelchapters 19 and 20, as I
(02:33):
mentioned before.
And these are some of the mostmoving and emotional moments in
this whole book.
And it starts off with David andJonathan.
Let's back up a second, though.
We first meet Jonathan, Saul'sson, King Saul's son, the heir
to the throne, around chapters15 and 16 of 1 Samuel.
(02:56):
Jonathan was a man of greatfaith.
Remember that incredible victorythat he had against the
Philistines with just hisarmbearer.
That story showed not just hisbravery, but his deep trust in
the Lord.
Then comes David.
After David defeats Goliath,Jonathan meets him and instantly
recognizes something divineabout David.
(03:19):
He sees that God's hand is onhis life, and right away
Jonathan loves him.
Now, people sometimesoveranalyze this passage and try
to make it into something it'snot.
But the type of love Jonathanhad for David wasn't romantic.
It was godly love, the kind oflove that's selfless, loyal, and
rooted in covenant orcommitment.
(03:42):
We often think of love assomething tied to just romance
or marriage, but this storyreminds us that true love, the
kind of love that reflects God'sheart, is sacrificial.
It's about giving, trusting, andstanding by someone, even when
it costs you something.
Jonathan and David's friendshipblossomed quickly, but you know,
(04:04):
in the in these chapters, wealso see how heartbreaking it
was.
They eventually had to saygoodbye, knowing Saul,
Jonathan's father, jealousy,made it impossible for them to
stay close.
Um, by this point, Saul iscompletely consumed by jealousy
in chapters 19 and 20 and rage.
(04:27):
He tries to kill David multipletimes.
And check this scene out withSaul and his son Jonathan.
It says in 1 Samuel 20, 30through 33, a little bit of a
long passage, but I think it'sjust really uh really well
written, and it sets the tonefor for the direction I'm gonna
take.
So um in 1 Samuel 20, 30, 30through 33, it says, Saul's
(04:49):
anger flared up at Jonathan, andhe said to him, You son of a
rebellious woman, don't I knowthat you have sided with the son
of Jesse to your own shame andto the shame of the mother who
bore you?
As long as the son of Jesselives on this earth, neither you
nor your kingdom will beestablished.
Now send someone to bring him tome, for he must die.
(05:14):
Why should we why should he beput to death?
What has he done?
Jonathan asked his father.
But Saul hurled his spear at himto kill him.
Then Jonathan knew that hisfather intended to kill David.
Insane to think and to readthis.
Saul even throws or a spear athis own son, Jonathan, which he
(05:39):
realizes that Jonathan isdefending David.
Jonathan knew that his heir tothe throne wasn't going to
happen because David was thechosen one.
But Jonathan, as a friend, stillsupported David despite uproar
in his family.
Jonathan finally sees how farhis how far gone his dad is, and
(06:01):
he warns David and says, Myfather really intends to kill
you.
David begs Jonathan to stayloyal, and Jonathan swears that
he will, making a covenant oflove before the Lord.
For it says in 1 Samuel 20, 42,it says, Jonathan said to David,
go in peace, for we have swornfriendship with each other in
(06:23):
the name of the Lord, saying,The Lord is witness between you
and me, and between yourdescendants and my descendants
forever.
Then David left, and Jonathanwent back to the town.
And also here's the key versewhere the covenant between
Jonathan and David was reallyfirst mentioned in 1 Samuel 20,
16 through 17.
I think these are reallypowerful.
(06:44):
So Jonathan made a covenant withthe house of David, saying, May
the Lord call David's enemies toaccount.
And Jonathan had David reaffirmhis oath of love for him,
because he loved him as he lovedhimself.
That covenant, you know, itwasn't casual.
It meant commitment, sacrifice,and trust before God.
(07:05):
Jonathan sacrificed his thronefor David.
What a love, what a friend, whata commitment.
You know, what loyalty, whattrust.
And you know what?
What a God we serve.
And you know what?
It's the same kind of love thatJesus later showed to us.
A love that's faithful no matterwhat.
(07:27):
You know, I love thisfriendship.
I love how this friendshipforeshadows what Jesus did for
us on the cross.
David, you know, the firstanointed king of Israel, comes
from the lineage that leads tothe birth of Jesus Christ, our
eternal King.
And Jonathan's love and loyaltyto David mirrors Jesus' selfless
(07:49):
love for us, a love that'swilling to sacrifice everything
for the sake of another.
And when I think aboutfriendship today, I think about
what it really means to have acovenant bond with someone.
Are we willing to be selfless?
Are we willing to give up ourpride, our comfort, our image
for someone else we truly love?
(08:10):
If we can't sacrifice one thingfor a friend for that person,
that may not be a realfriendship.
And I'm seeing that so vividlyin my own life as I grow
spiritually.
Now, of course, if someonebetrays you in a way that breaks
all trust, like cheating withyour partner and putting
something else before yourfeelings, then that could be a
(08:33):
false commitment, a falsefriendship.
We always hear about falseprophets, but there's fake
friends too.
Hello.
Now I've had to do some deepreflection on this myself,
thinking about my parents, myhusband, and my close friends.
Those relationships are layersof friendships in them, and
(08:56):
they've learned, and I'velearned how important
selflessness really is.
I can say today confidently thatI'm willing to sacrifice for the
people that I love, and I knowthey do the same for me.
My marriage, for example, isbuilt on the Lord, and that's
our foundation.
I'm realizing how precious thatis now.
(09:18):
I didn't see it so clearly whenwe married because my
relationship with God wasn'twhere it should be.
I love my husband more than youknow, more than anything now,
because of the commitment I madeto him with God as a witness and
me realizing it like now.
And I'm not saying I didn't wantto be married seven years ago.
(09:41):
I'm just saying I wasn'tmatured, I wasn't mature enough
to really embrace what acovenant of love really was
about till now.
And also, you know, when I lookat my circle of friends, my
close friends, it's very small,but I like it that way now.
And I used to think friendshipwas about constant
(10:02):
communication, but now I seeit's about presence, support,
and genuine care.
My close friends in my life, Idon't speak to daily, but I know
if I needed them, they answer.
They are loyal to me, and viceversa, and they include me
always, even when I can'tphysically be there.
(10:24):
My mom told me something thatstuck with me forever, and she
said, Many people really don'tknow how to be friends.
At the time I didn't fully getit, but she was right.
Friendships and covenants takework, marriages, relationships
take work.
It takes showing up in the hardtimes and not just the fun ones.
(10:47):
And when my daughter Sage wasborn early, okay, let me not get
choked up.
My best friend Lorna texted me10 minutes after I told her what
was going on, and she said tome, Do you want me to come down
there?
Now she had just gone throughmajor surgery herself and was
(11:09):
dealing with her own familychallenges.
Yet she was ready to dropeverything to be there for me
when I knew that she was goingthrough some things too, and she
checked on me regardless, andshe just was there for me if I
needed her.
And you know what?
That's love, that's friendship,that's a covenant bond.
(11:33):
And when you look at Samuelfirst, we look at first Samuel
19 and 20, we see how Godsurrounded David with people who
were willing to sacrifice forhim.
Jonathan, Mikhail, and evenSamuel.
Each of them showed selflesslove and a different type of
relationship, and God used themto protect David.
(11:55):
That's how God moves in ourlives, too.
He places people around us tohelp us, guide us, and sometimes
even save us from ourselves orjust danger.
But we have to be humble enoughto accept that help too.
So as you go into this week, Iwant you to really think about
what covenant looks like in yourlife, what a friendship, a
(12:20):
strong relationship looks likein your life.
Are you being selfless in yourrelationships?
Are you willing to sacrifice forthe people you love?
And most importantly, do youunderstand the depth of Jesus'
love for you?
He gave everything.
He endured humiliation and painall because he loved you that
(12:43):
much.
And that's the truest love andfriendship there is.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, I thank you somuch for the selfless love that
you've given us through JesusChrist.
We are unworthy, we don'tdeserve it, but you still gave
it to us.
Father, we thank you so much forthe gift of friendship, for the
(13:06):
gift of commitment.
And Lord, help us all who'slistening now and anybody else
to just try their best to upholdthat.
So we understand how importantit is to have relationships, to
have friendships that resemblewhat Jonathan and David were.
(13:27):
And we know that the next levelof friendship, the next level of
relationships that we want inlife have to be a reflection of
your love.
God, we love you and we praiseyou.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, that wraps up this week'sepisode.
My prayer is that thesedevotions bring you a little
(13:49):
closer to God each day.
If you felt encouraged, don'tkeep it to yourself.
Share this episode with a friendor loved one who could use the
same reminder.
Be sure to hit subscribe so younever miss a weekly message.
And if you like, leaving a kindreview means so much.
For more, check the show notesor connect with me on Instagram
or TikTok at Jessie MorganFaith.
(14:11):
Until next time, this is JesseMorgan praying off.
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