One of the greatest needs on earth today is true friendship among men and nations. The discernment of spiritual good brings such friendship to light. Knowledge of Christian Science, the Science of goodness, reveals the nature of friendship, defines it, and sets forth the rules by which its demonstration is made possible.
A well-known friendship recorded in the Bible is the one which existed between David and Jonathan and which dated from the time of David's slaying of Goliath. The Bible tells us that after his victory David was brought into the presence of Saul, the king; "and it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (I Sam. 18:1).
This friendship, transcending personal ambition, included elements of true goodness. In his zeal to preserve the kingdom for himself and for his son Jonathan, Saul sought often to slay David. Jonathan may have perceived the God-impelled mission of David, and this perception, together with the true friendship that existed between these men, not only served to bless these two individually, but did much to preserve the unity of Israel in troubled times.
