RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

It was a moment I’ll always remember. Thousands of others have gone through the same experience. Yet every time I watch someone go through this important moment of life, goosebumps cover my arms. The meaning of this event is the glue that holds society together. No nation can forget the deep meaning of this experience and survive for long. It’s foundational to any culture.
What is this great moment? It’s when a man and woman make vows to love and cherish each other for the rest of their lives. They enter into a covenant relationship in which they are committed to one another until death parts them. We call it the wedding ceremony. It’s the public commitment of the deepest of human relationships. It’s when a man and a woman “cut a covenant” with one another. This relationship is so deep, the apostle Paul compared it to the relationship of Christ to the church.
Often in ancient times, people or groups entered into covenant relationships. Sometimes these covenants were between two warring factions. Other times, the lives of two people just seemed to be knitted together. That was the experience of David and Jonathan. God seemed to knit their hearts together after David killed the giant.
The Bible describes clearly what happened: “After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt” (1 Samuel 18:1, 3, 4).
Young David found someone in Jonathan who was more than just a friend. This was one of the most profound friendships described in the Bible. Several characteristics of this covenant relationship can be a model for strong, healthy friendships today. First, they became one in spirit. It’s not often that God knits two hearts together. If a person has one relationship in life like that, he is fortunate. David and Jonathan were knit together and “one in spirit.” God gave me a friend like that many years ago. He was killed in an automobile accident several decades ago, but I’ve never gotten over the influence he had on my life.
When the ancients entered into a covenant, they often exchanged a piece of clothing and a piece of armor. This happened in David and Jonathan’s covenant. The clothing represented the material possessions they had. Jonathan was saying to David, “All of my possessions are now available to you.” The sword represented the exchange of power. Jonathan was saying that all of the power available to him as Saul’s son was now available to David.
This covenant relationship between David and Jonathan is the clearest Old Testament picture of the covenant relationship we have with Christ. He has said to us, “All that I possess is now yours. All of my power belongs to you.” We have an incredible inheritance because of the covenant Christ made with us. The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of that covenant. Every time we participate in that great symbolic event, we need to remember the covenant we have with Him. We have entered into the deepest of relationships known to man. He has given us an incredible inheritance.
But there’s one last aspect of the covenant between David and Jonathan that is very important to us. When two ancient people cut a covenant, it lasted until death. The only way they could get out of the covenant was to die. Jesus cut a covenant with us. He was faithful until death. We too must be faithful until death. Once we’ve entered the covenant, there’s no turning back. We have all of His riches in the heavenly places, but we also have the responsibility to follow Him all the way until death.
David and Jonathan’s covenant relationship teaches us a lot about life — and a lot about death.