The Grace Street Blog

“And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.” – 1 Samuel 23:16

Hyper-independence seems to be taking over our culture today. There is so much pressure to “make it” on your own or to pursue your dreams no matter the cost. And though passion and determination are not negative things, they hold such a tight grip on many of us because deep down we know that life isn’t fair and our success often depends on our effort.

So we strive. We step on others to get higher. We neglect the primary needs we have as human beings and we justify it all by labeling ourselves “high-achievers”, “independent”, “self-sufficient”, “goal-oriented” etc. When in reality, we are extreme individualists in search for feelings, support, and purpose that can only be found in unity.

Unity. The thing we were designed to have yet work so hard to live not needing.

Some will say they have community; that in the church, at work, school, or within their family. But community and unity are different.

Community refers to a group of people who have some sort of social relationship or common interest. But unity means the state of being or becoming one.

In 1 Samuel 23, we find David running from King Saul. This king, knowing God anointed David to take his place, was doing everything he could to stop that from happening. Though he had the force of his army, his own son Jonathan was helping David. Not to simply go against his father, but because Jonathan knew that the Lord was with David and both wanted God’s will over their own.

So as Saul planned his attack, Jonathan went ahead and met with David in this fearful time. Scripture tells us that Jonathan’s focus was helping David “find strength in God“, to which he then said “Don’t be afraid…My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this“.

Jonathan came to David to remind him of the truth that is the reason he is alive and can overcome the battle before him. That truth was in the fact that he had unity with God. Being one made complete by the Lord gave him the ability to face any trial ahead of him, despite his own weaknesses.

After their conversation, Jonathan and David “made a covenant before the Lord.” Their friendship was not just one built off of common interest. It was a covenant union between them and God. This is what made their friendship so strong despite the circumstances they were enduring.

I cannot help but see two screams for unity within this passage.

First, we see that Jonathan, though incapable of resolving David’s troubles, supported and encourage him even if it meant disagreeing with his own family. Their friendship was one built on a deep love for God, which deepened their love for one another. In chaos, in fear, in any and every season, they were there for one another.

That kind of unity is unfortunately so rare today. I hear so many people mention they have a close circle of friends, and yet even then, I have watched their bonds fall apart due to time, distance, or just plain lack of effort.

Marriage is such a promoted union in the church, but I would argue that one ought to understand what a union between a friend in Christ looks like to even begin to grasp the beauty and significance of a marriage union.

The other, and most important, union we see in this passage is that between God and David. Jonathan, wanting the best for David, did not lead him to pursue peace in the things around him or even in Jonathan himself. No, rather, he pointed him to the One who he has become one with. Through the remembering of that union with God, David could regain strength, boldness, and peace in the fact that God doesn’t just give peace, but is the embodiment of it.

Ann Voskamp says this on union with God; “And isn’t the very essence of the church this willing koinonia, the intimate union between God and humanity, the gift that comes from God and is the goal of God?”

Voskamp argues that we are not to just get to know Jesus, but actually participate in complete union with Him.

That Oneness with the Lord is the dying of ourselves and the taking up of the new creation He is making us. A new creation empowered by the Holy Spirit and in pursuit of the God we are becoming one with.

When we forget the significance of unity in our lives and that human beings are made for a great harmony between ourselves, others, creation, and God, we are so susceptible to fear, anxiety, and emptiness filling us. For until we are made one with God, we live tirelessly pursuing wholeness in the unsustainable things of this world.

Looks will fade, jobs will be lost, materials will never last, and money will only leave us hungry for more. But the unity between the Lord, and a community centered on building a union with God are not only things that will fill us, but they will have eternal impacts.

My dear friend, do not waste your life chasing the world for things that only God can offer. You are a human being designed for relationship. That with God and others. You can strive for dreams but never forget who you pursue them for to glorify.

Thoughts To Consider:

Do you have people in your life that consistently point you back to the heart of God?

In what ways have you tried to fill the ache for wholeness with temporary things?

What would it look like to truly believe you were created for communion with God rather than self-sufficiency?

Consider the possibility that the ache you feel for “more” is not solved by achievement, but by communion with the One who made you.

“And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.” – 1 Samuel 23:16