Have you ever felt alone? I mean really alone? . . .

You might be able to resonate to this feeling of aloneness—of being alone. Sad to say, this is the state of many men in our world today—alone. God has a special mission for men in the church, but manhood is in a state of flux . . .

Why? Much of this is the fact that men are alone. Sure they have wives, families, even male friends, but despite all of these, many men are alone. Add to this the reality that nobody knows what a man is or what he should be doing. Men are either over-masculinized , with the teaching that men don’t show emotions or real men don’t cry. They’re just told to go do something manly—eat some meat or go hunting, and be stronger, stoic, and more independent, as if this is what defines a real man. Or they are under-emphasized, and told that gender is fluid, and you can basically choose whether or not you want to be one, and your version of manhood is whatever you want it to be. The result is men who don’t really act like men. They are wandering aimlessly, searching, but not even sure what they are searching for.

But as we look at the friendship between two men in I Samuel—Jonathan and David, we see no such thing. Sure they were alone—David spent much time running in fear for his life. Yet while he may have been by himself, he wasn’t really alone. Because he had a friend, a true friend, in Jonathan. One that encouraged him, supported him, and lifted him up in times of despair. Most men do not have a Jonathan in their lives today, but they need one. All men need a brother—a kindred spirit who can walk with them through the ups and downs of life. Who can encourage them when they need encouragement, push them to fulfill God’s purpose their lives, and have hard conversations when need be. God never intended for men to go through life alone. Today we’re going to look at David and Jonathan, and consider 4 specific episodes in their friendship to see what we can learn this Father’s day about the importance of brother hood in the life of men. Our big idea for today:

Big Idea: without a brother, we will likely fall