He came to the location of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, but Jonathan called to him and said, “The arrow is beyond you, isn’t it?” Then Jonathan called to him “Hurry up and don’t stop!” Jonathan’s young man picked up the arrow and returned to his master. He did not know anything, only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. 1 Samuel 20:37-39 HCSB
A friend of mine was under attack by another person who was trying to imply that my friend was a liar and a cheat. I could have asked my friend to come to my office at the church, but I did not want to risk others potentially hearing our conversation so I called my friend and asked if I could meet him at his house. I was able to share with him what was being said and suggest how he could best respond to the person making the attacks on his integrity and character. I wanted to protect my friend and his reputation.
Jonathan had discovered that his father was intent on killing David and wanted to protect him from his father. Jonathan and David devised a plan to use arrows to signal to David if he was in danger and needed to flee or if he was safe and could return to the city. Jonathan must have been torn between his loyalty to his father and his loyalty to his friend. Jonathan and David’s friendship stood the test. Jonathan decided to protect David and his friendship.
Challenge: We may not have a king who is trying to kill our friends, but there are times when we need to take a stand to protect them. Friends can protect each other from gossip and lies, from temptation and sin, and from unwise decisions. What have you done to protect a friend or what has a friend done to protect you? Thank God for your faithful and trustworthy friends.