David: God's own heart Chapter 9 Jonathan - The Goodbye Kiss

 The Goodbye Kiss

If one does not know the full narrative, one might easily lose sight of what truly happened between Jonathan and David. To test both a king and a father is a dangerous path, one that should never be taken lightly. David was never just a mere servant in Saul's court, nor simply a harpist. By marriage alliance to Michal, Jonathan's sister, he had become not only Saul’s son-in-law but Jonathan's brother-in-law — a family bound by blood and covenant.

The first time David fled for his life, it was Michal, the princess, who saved him, helping him escape through a window as Saul's men came to arrest him. The second time, it was Jonathan — his brother-in-law, friend, and brother-in-soul — who risked himself to confirm the deadly intent of his own father.

Together they devised a plan. Jonathan instructed David to hide beyond the stone heap in the field while he gauged Saul’s heart. Speaking casually to his father about David, Jonathan saw the fury flash in Saul's eyes before the spear was hurled in his direction. Only his swiftness and the instinct of a seasoned warrior spared his life. Containing his anger, Jonathan departed, resolute in his mission. With a heavy heart, he took his bow and arrows to the field, knowing full well that his next actions would determine David’s fate.

The arrow flew, swift and true, beyond the mark. And David, waiting in silence, understood the unspoken message—it was no longer safe. His life was now the price of Saul's rage.

After ensuring the danger had passed, Jonathan approached David for what they both knew would be their final meeting. David, moved beyond words, bowed three times before his brother-in-law, locking eyes with the one man who had stood by him through battles, victories, and countless trials. There were no words—only the silent ache of farewell passed between them.

In ancient Israel, kissing among brothers and family members was a normal, culturally accepted practice of expressing closeness, reverence, farewell, and emotional solidarity. It was non-romantic and full of ritual and relational significance, especially during farewells, covenant-making, and reunions. The kiss between David and Jonathan was a powerful farewell between two kindred spirits bound by loyalty, grief, and sacred promise—not passion.

And then, as was their custom, they embraced and kissed one another—not with awkwardness, but with the affection of two souls knit together by God Himself.Cheek to cheek, warrior to warrior, brother to brother, their kiss was not romantic but a sacred act of farewell, a sealing of the brotherhood that had defied bloodlines and royal decrees.

AC

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