Evendays

A second point that Tippens makes in his book, Pilgrim Heart, is that David and Jonathan could count on each other.

1 Samuel 20:14-17: [Jonathan said]: But show me unfailing kindness like that of the LORD as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, 15 and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family— not even when the LORD has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth. 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, May the LORD call David’s enemies to account. 17 And Jonathan made David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

The promise is made to continue doing friend things even after death separates the friends. It’s an oath made by David and insisted on by Jonathan that the survivor would look after the family of the deceased. David was faithful to that. The rival to the throne refused to see Saul’s house as his enemy. Rather, Jonathan’s descendants became the object of David’s grace, not his wrath.

Tippens illustrates this aspect of friendship by a question: Could I call you at 2 AM? That is, are you there for me even when it costs you very much. Can I count on you?

I was sharing these thoughts with a buddy just this last week. We were sitting in the Lausanne train station restaurant talking about "difficult" relationships, and I mentioned Tippens’ question. My friend interupted me. "You could", he said. "I could what?" "You could call me at 2 AM. I’d be there for you."

Many of you have ten people you could call at 2 AM. Probably because they count on you too.