Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan was very fond of David and warned him, "My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I'll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out."
Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?"
Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: "As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death."
So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.
1 Samuel 19:1-7
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
In Chapter 18 of 1st Samuel, we witnessed deterioration in the relationship between Saul and David…a deterioration which resulted in Saul attempting to murder David, first directly and then indirectly trying to use others to do his evil bidding. As Chapter 19 begins, we see that Saul hasn’t given up for we see where Saul tells “his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David”…all despite knowing that the Lord was with David, had kept him from harm up to this point and would continue to do so in spite of Saul’s murderous ambitions.
Now, we know that Jonathan had befriended David and they were one in spirit. Scripture told us that Jonathan loved David like he loved himself and showed his devotion to him by giving him robe, sword, bow and belt. (1 Samuel 18:1-4) So given this, we knew that Jonathan wasn’t about to allow any harm to come to his beloved friend.
Back to the scriptures…for after Saul gave the order to kill David, Jonathan went and warned David saying, "My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I'll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out." And David did as Jonathan asked…going into hiding and out of harm’s way.
Meanwhile, Jonathan goes to his father to address his actions toward David, speaking “well of David” as he said:
"Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?"
Indeed, why would Saul do wrong to the innocent David, killing him for no reason? Jonathan’s question had to cut to the core of Saul for Jonathan was essentially thinking that his father had lost his mind. And frankly…he had because of the evil and sin within…an evil and sin that led Saul to be blinded by jealousy, unable to see all the good that was in David…a good that had directly benefited Saul and all of Israel. Jonathan was trying to break the sinful spell his father was under…to try and bring him back to leading in a just and holy way. His efforts were successful…even if just for the short term.
For we read where “Saul listened to Jonathan” and took an oath saying, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death." Convinced that no harm would come to his good friend, “Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation” before bringing “him to Saul” where he would be as before. Things had been restored to normal…all because Jonathan was not afraid to stand up for what is right.
Certainly, we have a lot to learn from Jonathan. For he showed a great deal of bravery to stand up to his father, questioning his orders. Saul could have easily had Jonathan killed for being defiant and disrespectful…but, of course, that didn’t happen. In fact, Jonathan didn’t need fear confronting his father anymore than David didn’t need fear him. Why? Because Jonathan had the Lord with him just as much as David did. And the good news is that we do as well if we surrender our lives to the Lord fully.
The Lord had empowered Jonathan to speak to his father about his unjust orders and that same power of the Holy Spirit helped convince Saul to spare David’s life. And this is what happens when one goes forth in the name of the Lord for the cause of justice and righteousness…justice and righteousness follow.
As we get set to enter a new year, my prayer is that we will all be emboldened by Jonathan and follow his example…to not only be a true friend to others but also to stand firm against injustice and always advocate for what is right. For God’s word in the Psalms tells us:
Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right. Psalms 106:3
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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