ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Knit Soul to Soul קשר

LALANGA FAKATAHA HONA LAUMALIE 

1 SAMUEL 18:1-4

AS SOON AS HE HAD FINISHED SPEAKING TO SAUL, THE SOUL OF JONATHAN WAS KNIT TO THE SOUL OF DAVID, AND JONATHAN LOVED HIM AS HIS OWN SOUL AND SAUL TOOK HIM THAT DAY AND WOULD NOT LET HIM RETURN TO HIS FATHER'S HOUSE. THEN JONATHAN MADE A COVENANT WITH DAVID, BECAUSE HE LOVED HIM AS HIS OWN SOUL. AND JONATHAN STRIPPED HIMSELF OF THE ROBE THAT WAS ON HIM AND GAVE IT TO DAVID, AND HIS ARMOR, AND EVEN HIS SWORD AND HIS BOW AND HIS BELT.

1 SAMIUELA 18:1-4

1 PEA ‘i he ‘osi leva ‘ene fakatau folofola kia Saula, pea pīkitai ‘a e loto ‘o Sonatane ki he loto ‘o Tēvita, pea ‘ofa ‘a Sonatane kiate ia ‘o hangē ko ‘ene mo‘ui ‘a‘ana. 2 Pea puke ‘e Saula ‘a Tēvita ‘i he ‘aho ko ia, ‘o ‘ikai te ne tuku ke foki ki he ‘api ‘o ‘ene tamai. 3 Pea hanga ‘a Sonatane ‘o fai fuakava mo Tēvita, koe‘uhi na‘a ne ‘ofa kiate ia ‘o hangē ko ‘ene mo‘ui ‘a‘ana. 4 Pea hu‘ihu‘i ‘e Sonatane ‘a e kofu tōtōlofa kuo ne ‘ai, ‘o ne ‘ange kia Tēvita, pea mo hono ngaahi kofu tau, ‘io, mo ‘ene heletā, mo ‘ene kaufana, mo hono no‘o.

Jonathan's soul was qashar ("knit") to the soul of David. The verb means to bind or tie together, as Rahab qashar a piece of scarlet to her window (Josh. 2:18). The same verb is used to describe how the Israelites were to qashar God's words to their  foreheads and hands (Deut. 6:8). It's also applied to how love binds people together, as Jacob's soul was qashar to the soul of his youngest son, Benjamin (Gen. 44:30), or Jonathan's was to David. Inwardly (soul) and outwardly (robe, armor, weapons), Jonathan emptied himself in love to David.

Jonathan's brotherly love (Greek: philia) is a picture of Jesus' perfect, selfless love (Greek: agape). He "emptied himself" (Phil. 2:7) to fill us. Inwardly and outwardly, in soul and sweat, he gave all he had that we might receive "grace upon grace" (John 1:16).

Jesus, bind us, heart and body and soul, to you, our Brother and Friend.