Stories shape how we understand love, sacrifice, and devotion. Some of the most compelling narratives in both scripture and fiction explore the power of friendship—particularly the kind that endures suffering and carries another’s burden. The friendship between Frodo and Sam in The Lord of the Rings reflects a biblical model of covenant friendship, much like David and Jonathan’s bond in 1 Samuel. These relationships reveal a love that is steadfast, selfless, and ultimately sustaining.
And as I watched Frodo and Sam’s journey unfold, I found myself thinking about the friendships in my own life—the ones that have carried me when I couldn’t walk, the ones that have spoken hope when I couldn’t remember what hope felt like. The ones that, like Jonathan and Sam, reminded me of who I was when I was too exhausted to see it for myself.
“I Can’t Carry It For You, But I Can Carry You”
Frodo is the Ring-bearer, but the weight of his burden is not his alone. Samwise Gamgee doesn’t just walk beside him—he carries him when Frodo’s strength fails. In The Return of the King, when Frodo collapses on the slopes of Mount Doom, Sam says, “Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you.” That moment lodged itself in my heart. Because I’ve felt the weight of burdens too heavy to bear alone, and I’ve known the grace of someone willing to shoulder me when I couldn’t take another step.
Jonathan’s friendship with David echoes the same sacrificial devotion. Jonathan, the son of King Saul, should have been David’s enemy—David was the anointed king, the one chosen to take the throne that could have been Jonathan’s by birthright. But instead of clinging to power, Jonathan laid down his royal robe, armor, and sword, giving them to David in a profound act of surrender and support (1 Sam. 18:3-4). Later, when Saul sought to kill David, Jonathan risked everything to protect him, saying, “Whatever you say, I will do for you” (1 Sam. 20:4).
Both Sam and Jonathan show what real love looks like—one that isn’t about personal gain but about faithfulness, even at great cost.
Friendship as a Means of Grace
Neither Frodo nor David could have completed their journeys alone. Frodo, nearly consumed by the burden of the Ring, would not have reached Mount Doom without Sam’s persistence. Similarly, David, hunted and exiled, needed Jonathan’s encouragement to survive.
In The Two Towers, when Frodo is slipping into despair, he tells Sam that he can’t recall the taste of food, the feeling of grass, or the sound of water. Sam responds with a speech that still makes my throat tighten every time I hear it:
“It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end… But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass.”
That moment reminds me of Jonathan’s words to David in 1 Samuel 23:16-17:
“And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, ‘Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you.’”
Jonathan knew David’s future was secure, even when David himself could not see it. He strengthened him not with empty reassurances but with truth. And isn’t that what real friendship does? It sees what we cannot see, believes when we cannot believe, and walks with us through the dark until we remember the light.
A Love That Endures the Fire
The best friendships aren’t about convenience; they are about covenant. A transactional friendship asks, What can I get out of this? A covenantal friendship asks, How can I love you well, even when it costs me something?
Jonathan did not stand by David for personal gain—he willingly gave up his claim to the throne. And Sam did not stay with Frodo because it was easy—he followed him to the very edge of destruction, because he had promised: “’Don’t you leave him, Samwise Gamgee.’ And I don’t mean to.”
I think about the people God has placed in my life—the ones who have prayed for me when I had no words left, the ones who have reminded me of truth when my mind was tangled in lies. The ones who have seen my breaking points and chosen to stay anyway.
Bearing One Another’s Burdens
Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” In both scripture and fiction, we see how God uses friendship to sustain His people. Frodo and Sam’s journey across Middle-earth reflects the same kind of brotherhood that David and Jonathan shared—a friendship that endures suffering, clings to loyalty, and provides strength when all seems lost.
Maybe one of the greatest gifts God gives us is a friend who, when we can no longer walk, will carry us the rest of the way. And maybe, when the time comes, we’ll get to be that friend for someone else.
SAMANTHA ROSE, author of Courage at the Crossroads: 10 Devotions for Dealing with Life’s Challenges and Changes and Unburied & Becoming: Letters for the Healing Heart, is the founder of Verse & Vine Publishing. She lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband and vivacious toddler.