1 Samuel 18:2 Commentary and Bible Study

Saul was obliged to take David permanently under his wing at court; he could hardly snub David or reject him. If he left him there, who knows but that people might rally round him, and he might be a challenge to Saul, and present himself ultimately as a rival ruler of the land. So Saul had to take him into court, whether or not his suspicion of David was already developing, that is, due to his great jealousy.But then we read of the covenant or the solemn agreement made between Jonathan and David. Jonathan and David made a covenant because ‘he loved him as his own soul’, and as one old writer put it, that single stone cast at Goliath killed Goliath and won Jonathan. Jonathan saw the marvel of the defeat of the Philistine challenger and champion. He must have realised, if he hadn't heard something of it already, that David was anointed to be king. This was the Lord’s doing, the Lord's authentication, his attestation of David. So Jonathan and David made this very solemn agreement, and they were one, very strongly one. They would be together valiant for Israel and for God, defending the nation and preserving it intact. ‘And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David’, and it seems likely that this was a robe that signified that he was crown prince, that he was son of the king. ‘And his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.’ The garments turn out to include implements of war, his own particular special favourite sword, and his bow, and the girdle that held it all together. These tokens, the accoutrements indeed, of battle and leadership; the garments of a captain of Israel, he gave to David. It would seem certain from this gesture that he knew that David was to take his place as crown prince, and that it was David who would replace his father Saul as king. It is doubtful that David wore them in court; that would be asking for trouble from Saul. But it was a gesture, at least. See the humility of Jonathan! Once he saw the will of God; once he saw that David was to be God's instrument, he didn't consider himself. He threw himself into supporting David in every sense he could.