Two young men appeared like apparitions in the early morning fog that blanketed a field as they walked across it. When they met, they embraced one another as brothers.
"It's been far too long since we last saw one another," one said to the other, "How are you, my friend?"
"Ah, not well, I'm afraid," the other replied, deep furrows of sorrow evident on his face.
"Not on my account, I hope?" the first one asked, gently teasing.
"No, not because of you, David," the other replied. He chuckled softly at his friend's jest, then grew serious, "But I bring hard news-my father wishes to kill you, and I fear that he means to have the deed carried out."
Fear flicked across David's face. King Saul had everything at his command, and anything he asked for would surely be carried out.
"What shall I do, Jonathan?" he asked, the fear evident in his voice.
Jonathan bit his lower lip in thought. "I do still hope that I can convince him that it would be wrong to kill you-an innocent man who has brought him great benefit. I think that, perhaps, if I could speak to him one more time, I could convince him to not harm you."
David nodded, "I hope you can, but what shall I do in the meantime?"
"Why don't you stay hidden tomorrow? After I've talked with him, I'll tell you what I find out."
David's face relaxed and the fear left his eyes. He said, "That's the best way, there's no doubt-God bless you, my friend, for your faithfulness to me."
The two men fell into each other's arms once again; then they parted.
The next morning, at breakfast, Jonathan spoke with King Saul, but their words quickly grew heated.
"Father, forgive me, but I just don't see any justification for killing David!"
"Does a king need justification to do what he wants?" Saul sneered, "I want David dead, and that's that, as far as I can see." He crossed his arms and glared thunder at his oldest son.
Jonathan turned away in disgust, unable to look at a man who'd lost all his reason, and he couldn't help but to ball his fists in frustration. For a minute, his tongue battled his will, as the words he wanted to say weren't what should be said between a father and his son, but he gradually got control of himself, then he turned to face his father again.
Through gritted teeth, he said, "Father why? Give me one good reason-the king is not above the laws of God and shedding innocent blood is against the will of the One we serve and love. David is innocent-and what's more-everything he's done has benefitted you! Why would you kill the man who brings you so much success? Have you no respect for the Lord?"
Saul grimaced at his son's words. He'd tried to act as if he were above reproach for so long that he'd begun to believe it, but when Jonathan mentioned the Lord, Saul remembered that he wasn't above everything, and he hated that.
Jonathan continued to reason with his father, saying, "Remember Goliath, the Philistine? Remember how the Lord won a great victory when David brought down that giant, who no one else dared to face? You saw it and were glad for it-why would you kill the man who killed the mighty Philistine?"
Saul's heart began to soften and Jonathan pressed his advantage.
"And what about the times when the evil spirit came to you and tormented you, and only David playing his harp could soothe your mind and make the evil spirit go away."
"Alright, alright," Saul cried out and threw up his hands, "You win, Jonathan-I won't kill him. As surely as the Lord lives, I won't kill David."
Jonathan smiled and not long afterward the two friends met. David was received by Saul and things returned to normal.
David was restored to his position in the king's house and he, once more, played his harp to soothe Saul. Suddenly, the king's spear came flying toward him. David didn't stay around to find out what Saul was angry about, he just fled under cover of night. Then he spent several weeks on the lam before he finally got a chance to speak with his best friend.
"What have I done?" he pleaded with Jonathan, "Your father is trying to kill me again."
"What? Never!" Jonathan protested, shaking his head with vigor, "It can't be! My father has never done anything without telling me first, and I haven't even had an inkling that he wants to kill you!"
David laid a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and pleaded with him to understand, "Jonathan, your father knows how close we are, and he's kept this from you so that you won't stop him, but as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, your father will stop at nothing to kill me!"
Rage and despair coursed through Jonathan's veins as he looked into his friend's anguished face. Why must his father do this? he thought, as he ran a sweaty hand over his face as if to clear his mind. Then he said, "Alright, what do you want me to do? Whatever it is, I'll do it."
David stared at the ground in thought for a few minutes, then he looked up with something of a spark of hope in his eyes. He said, "Tomorrow I'm supposed to dine with your father at the New Moon festival, but, let's say, I don't show up? I could hide out in the field tomorrow and the next day, and if your father misses me, you could tell him that I had to go to Bethlehem, for an annual sacrifice that my clan offers-tell him that you gave me permission."
Jonathan thought for a moment, then he led David to the same field as before. When they reached a particular stand of trees, Jonathan stopped and looked David in the eye.
"My friend, you know that I love you as myself, and that I will never allow any harm to come to you-as surely as the Lord lives, I promise you that I'll find out my father's mind and I'll tell you-whether it's good news or bad.. May the Lord be with you wherever you go, but you must show me unfailing kindness as long as I live, so that I will not be killed, and do not cut off your kindness from my family, even after the Lord has smite all your enemies and may the Lord call all your enemies into account. Will you do that, my friend?"
"As surely as the Lord lives, I will do everything you say," David replied to reaffirm his oath to Jonathan. Then the two men embraced.
Finally pulling away, Jonathan turned his attention toward the field. "Hide in the same place that you did before, and the day after tomorrow, I'll shoot some arrows and have a boy retrieve them." He pointed to a rock and continued, "If I tell the boy that the arrows are on this side of him, then you can come out because you are safe, but if I tell the boy that the arrows are beyond him, then that will mean the Lord is sending you away."
The next evening, just before the New Moon festival, Jonathan starred out a window. The lowering sunlight caught on the grass and olive trees and made them look as if they were ablaze with fire. It was a beautiful sight and Jonathan relaxed. Surely this beauty foretold that all was really well between his father and his best friend. He only hoped David was getting to enjoy the scene and he looked forward to reuniting with his friend.
Saul's dark shadow appeared behind him. "Are you coming," the king asked gruffly.
Jonathan tore away from the spectacular sunset and father and son made their way to the table and sat in their places. After he led a half-hearted prayer, which disgusted his son, Saul asked Jonathan, "So where's David? I thought that he, of all people, would show his face tonight-what a little coward!"
Jonathan concealed his boiling rage, as he answered, smoothly and simply. "He asked me to let him go to Bethlehem, to attend a sacrifice for his clan. His brother asked him to come and I saw no reason why he shouldn't."
"You what?" Saul rose from his place, shaking with anger, "You dog-don't you know that I know that you love David? You have brought shame on yourself and your mother-don't you know that as long as David lives--you will never be king! Don't you know that? You stupid fool-you must bring David to me, so that I can kill him!"
"Never-I will never," Jonathan choked out the words in seething anger as he shot up from his place and gripped the table till his knuckles turned white. "Why should I? David hasn't done anything wrong!"
A spear hurtled through the air and Jonathan just avoided being pinned to the wall. His eyes filled with fear for less than a second, before his rage returned and he stormed out of the room.
Jonathan was a man in extreme throes of grief, as he headed toward the field where David was hiding, while a young boy trotted beside him, He carried his bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows was slung over his shoulder. He was fairly certain that he would never see his best friend again. and he thought back to the sunset of the previous evening, wondering how it could have been so beautiful. The boy wondered why the king's son looked as if he'd lost everything that was dear to him.
They reached the spot and Jonathan fixed an arrow to his string, telling the boy to run and find the arrows as they landed. The boy darted ahead and Jonathan pulled his string back. With all the adrenaline that his grief gave him, the arrow sailed well beyond where the boy waited. When the boy came to the spot, Jonathan shouted, "It landed beyond you-keep going." The boy retrieved the arrow and came back.
Jonathan gave the boy a small sad smile and handed him the bow and quiver. "Take these back to town, lad." he whispered, almost choking on his words. The boy wondered at this, but did as he was told. Pretty soon, Jonathan was alone. He sat down on a pile of rocks to grieve.
Not many minutes past before he felt a warm hand, firm but tender, resting on his shoulder. "My friend," David's gentle voice came to his ears and Jonathan rose to receive him. David bowed down, face against the ground, three times before they fell into each others embrace and wept.
Finally, Jonathan pulled back so that he could look at David's face. "My friend," he said fondly, as he clasped David's hand, "Go in peace, for we have sworn an everlasting friendship with each other before the Lord."