Daily text and picture for Thursday, 6. JULY 2017

[Queen Esther]

Do not be afraid . . . ; you will be king over Israel, and I will become second to you.—1 Sam. 23:17.

Jonathan must have been astonished by the way young David faced the giant Goliath. Now David stood before Jonathan’s father, King Saul of Israel, “with the head of the Philistine in his hand.” (1 Sam. 17:57) Jonathan probably admired David for his courage. It was clear that God was with David, and “Jonathan and David became bound together in close friendship.” In fact, they “made a covenant because [Jonathan] loved [David] as himself.” (1 Sam. 18:1-3) For the rest of his life, he was loyal to David. Jonathan’s attachment to David endured, even though God had chosen David to be Israel’s next king. Jonathan became concerned about David when Saul was seeking to kill him. To encourage his friend, Jonathan traveled into the Judean wilderness at Horesh. There, Jonathan helped David “find strength in Jehovah,” saying the words of today’s text.—1 Sam. 23:16. w16.02 3:1, 2

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/dt/r1/lp-e/2017/7/6