Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 8, Number 43, DeMotte, Jasper County, 15 September 1938 — IMPROVED UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL SUNDAY School Lesson [ARTICLE]

IMPROVED UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL SUNDAY School Lesson

By HAROLD L. LUNDQUIST. D. D.

Lesson for September 18 JONATHAN: COURAGEOUS FRIENDSHIP LESSON TEXT—I Samuel 20 4-17. GOLDEN TEXT—A friend loveth at all times. —Proverbs 17:17. PRIMARY TOPIC—Noble Prince Jonathan. JUNIOR TOPIC—Noble Prince Jonathan. INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC— The Adventure of Friendship-. YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC— The Cost of Being a Friend. Without question, the most precious possession any man or woman has (apart from his fellowship with God if he is a Christian, and the love of his own family) is friendship. It is the flower that blooms by the side of the rugged pathway of life. Like many flowers, some friendships need to be cultivated and encouraged. It has been said that the love of a woman for another woman is a beautiful thing, the love of a man for a woman an even more devoted and precious thing, but that the bond of love between man and man surpasses all in its strength and glory. Some might question such a statement, and yet it is true that between man and man there is the possibility of the highest type of friendship. David and Jonathan stand at the head of an inspiring list of men who loved each- other with their whole souls. The lesson for today calls for a j careful reading of the incidents in ■ the life of Jonathan and David recorded in I Samuel, chapters 14, 18, ; 19, and 20, as well as the first chapter of II Samuel. IVis a story which will richly reward a careful reading. Considering the printed portion in the light of this background we note six things that characterized this great friendship. I. Cultivated (v. 4). Friendships must be "kept in repair.” Foolish , and almost‘wicked is that man who by boorishly offending his fellowmen, or by neglecting the thoughtful words and acts that cultivate friendship, dpiyes men away from him. "He that hath friends must show himself friendly” (Prov. 18:24). Consider the admonition of our Lord in Luke 16:8, 9, where he urges the righteous use of even our worldly possessions to cultivate eternal friendships. Read what Jonathan did in I Sam. 18:3-5, only one of his many loving and thoughtful acts. 11. Courteous (v: 8). David asked that Jonathan deal kindly with him, and the entire story reveals that he did just that, always. More friendships are wrecked on the rocks of little discourtesies than in almost any other way. We live in an age which affects an outward veneer of culture but which is at heart often thoughtless and unkind. Let Christian men and women be courteous. They should be as followers of the gentle Jesus, and it will bring them countless friends. 111. Candid (v. 9). Friendships that last must be built on absolute candor, not the kind that delights in telling an unpleasant truth, but one which speaks the truth in love.. Jonathan told David the truth. IV. Courageous (vv. 12, 13). Jonathan was such a faithful son that when the time of parting came he stayed with his wicked father rather than go with David, whom he loved. But he was true to David even though he knew it would incur the.wrath of his father if that friendship became known. Things that cost us nothing are usually "worth it.” Real friendship calls for sacrifice, standing by in the night hours, sharing burdens, loyal even though others may condemn us for it. V. Covenant Keeping (vv. 16, 17). ’ Covenants entered info by solemn treaties in our time are soon discarded as "scraps of paper.” People make promises to one another that they never intend to fulfill. Jonathan and David made a covenant and kept it. True friends do not violate their loving agreements. This matter of trickery and falsehood in life and business is one that deeply troubles the writer of these notes. He sees unmistakable evidence that this perverse spirit has come into the precincts of the church itself. We should have a revival of honesty in office, home, state, and church. VI. Complete (v. 17). "He loved him as he loved his own soul”—such a friend was Jonathan. His devotion to David had no qualifying "strings” on it. He was not seeking something for himself. The closest he came to that was to bring his children into the covenant with David (v. 15), and who could question the propriety of such devotion between true friends? He saw that David was to supplant Saul as king, and in the face of his own interest as Saul’s son, he put David forward. Friendship is akin to our relationship to God in that it calls for a complete giving of ourselves, if we are to be true friends. This does not mean that individuality is lost, or special interests and abilities destroyed, but it does mean a wholesouled desire for our friend’s welfare, and a complete devotion of our all to his good.