GOVERNMENT 19 – Political Leaders: Jonathan

GOVERNMENT 19 - Political Leaders: Jonathan

A promising son of a king

  • Jonathan is the oldest son (1 Sam 14:49) of Saul, the newly chosen King of Israel (1 Sam 13:1). Jonathan has three younger brothers and two younger sisters.
  • Jonathan’s mother, Aminoam, we know nothing of, other than that she gets verbally abused by her husband Saul when in frustration over his firstborn (1 Sam 20:30). There is a concubine, Rizpah, possibly only later in Saul’s life, attractive and also quite courageous (2 Sam 3:7, 21:10-11).
  • Jonathan’s father is a rather difficult example to him: Saul is a very charismatic leader (1 Sam 11:5-15), an impressive appearance (1 Sam 9:2), endorsed by God (1 Sam 10:21), a successful warrior (1 Sam 11), experiencing the Spirit and prophecy (1 Sam 6:10-13), cherished by the old prophet Samuel (1 Sam 15:35-16:1), chosen by the people of Israel (1 Sam 10:24) and confirmed in leadership with joy (1 Sam 11:12-15).
  • Yet at the same time his father Saul yields to feelings of inferiority (1 Sam 15:17) and fear of men and disobeys God repeatedly (1 Sam 13:8-9, 15:24). Saul oscillates between trying to impress God, quick but shallow repentance and fearful religiosity.
  • Saul’s religiosity is shown in his constant inquiring of God, wanting to hear from Samuel, taking priests and the ark into battle and swearing impressive oaths (1 Sam 14). Yet Saul does not actually fear or obey God, nor really understand what God wants. He does displays a fearful back and forth, resulting in great religious displays and extreme inconsistency.
  • Jonathan seems to be the exact opposite of his father. There is no mention in the Bible of his upbringing or development and why he is so very different from his father.
  • Jonathan’s very sympathetic and godly character he displays right from the his start in the public eye (1 Sam 13:2) and remains all the way to his death (1 Sam 31:2)

Jonathan as warrior and leader

1 Sam 13: 1-23 rejection of Saul’s dynasty from kingship

  • Some time after Saul has become king of he prepares to fight the Philistines with a very small army (2000 soldiers with Saul, 1000 soldiers with Jonathan).
  • Saul and Jonathan are the only ones with weapons because the Philistine domination prevented the smith’s trade (weapon production) from developing in Israel (1 Sam 13:19-22).
  • Jonathan manages to defeat the Philistine garrison at Geba. The victory provokes further war with the Philistines, who are far superior in numbers and equipment (1 Sam 13:5).
  • As moral in the Israelite camp sinks and people start slipping away, Saul thinks he can’t wait any longer and disobeys God in performing war sacrifices himself.
  • Samuel promptly appears and declares that the kingship of Saul’s house will not last, which is not really a rejection of Saul from kingship, but of Jonathan and his line.
  • So for no fault of his own, Jonathan is side lined from kingship. There is no record of how Jonathan deals with the implications of this event but his godliness would have forced him to take Samuel’s word seriously.

1 Sam 14: 1-52 Jonathan’s military feats

  • Jonathan wholeheartedly supports Saul in the war against the Philistines.
  • Jonathan proves himself as a successful warrior (1 Sam 13:2-3), courageous, self-motivated and initiative (1 Sam 14:6). He is clearly unimpressed with the disadvantage of the Israelites (1 Sam 13:19-23), rises to the occasion (being the only one armed besides Saul) and displays a surety and confidence in God, that is very opposite to his father (1 Sam 14:12).
  • He also seems to have won easily the complete loyalty of his armor-bearer (1 Sam 14:7) and the love and trust of the army (1 Sam 14:45-46). Jonathan carries through what he says and manages to rout a Philistine garrison, start a confusion and bring about a great victory for Israel, completely against the odds (1 Sam 14:13-23). God confirms him by giving the confusion and an earthquake on top (1 Sam 14:15).
  • Jonathan’s great initial victory and further pursuit of the Philistines is overshadowed by a conflict over an oath Saul commanded. Jonathan is unimpressed with his fathers religious oath (1 Sam 14:29), but rather moves out of a trustful understanding of God’s goodness and God’s power.
  • All through this complicated story (1 Sam 14) Jonathan exhibits a refreshing mixture of genuine fear of God and lots of common sense.
  • There is a naturalness, a consistency, a confidence about every thing he does and God confirms him with success, which puts him into stark contrast to Saul who displays fear, insecurity and irrational religiosity.
  • Jonathan is honestly confessing, though – not having sworn the oath he is not really guilty – but he is willing to die if that is what needs to be (1 Sam 14:43).
  • The army ransoms Jonathan’s life by pointing to his success of the day, implying the approval of God (1 Sam 14:44).
  • Saul’s further disobedience in the war with the Amalekites brings on the even more crushing word of Samuel: Saul is rejected from kingship over Israel (1 Sam 15:26).
  • Through the continued disobedience of his father Jonathan’s hopes to leadership are irreversibly crushed. How does he deal with it? There is no record.
  • Jonathan remains Saul’s most faithful co-warrior all through his kingship, joining him in hopeful and hopeless battles but never in the raids against David.
  • Jonathan, though knowing that this final battle is doomed, he joins his father, being killed with his two younger brothers. Saul, wounded, commits suicide (1 Sam 31:1-2).

Loving the competitor

  • Jonathan meets David for the first time after the battle against Goliath.
  • It is unclear where Jonathan is at the time of Goliath’s defying of God and Israel, but David’s approach to the Goliath-threat (1 Sam 17) is strikingly similar to Jonathan’s approach to the Philistine threat earlier (1 Sam 14). Both trust God, are fearless and concerned with God’s honor.
  • Jonathan sees in David somebody of a kindred spirit, godly, courageous, and they become friends immediately, though Jonathan is probably 10 or more years senior.
  • Jonathan is described as “loving David like his own soul” three times in these few chapters (1 Sam 18:1,3, 20:17). Character qualities like affectionate brotherly love, deep friendship and an un-concernedness with status- and age-difference are visible.
  • Jonathan initiates a covenant with David, takes the step of commitment and humility first and generously gives David his own robe, armor, sword, bow and girdle, which probably were not only valuable, but signs of authority and status also (1 Sam 18:1-3).
  • Over time this friendship stands the test of unselfishness as David becomes increasingly important in King Saul’s court as therapeutic musician for Saul, as armor-bearer and as successful and very popular leader of the army, growing into a role that Jonathan had before.
  • Jonathan knew that first Saul’s line and now Saul himself was rejected from kingship but we do not know when in the story Jonathan understands or hears rumors of Samuel’s anointing of David as the future king of Israel (1 Sam 16:12-13).
  • When confronted with God’s choice of David, Jonathan – being the obvious loser of this transaction – not only accepts God’s choice, but sacrificially protects, supports and affirms David in his calling (1 Sam 23:15-18).
  • It seems that Jonathan, who was a trusted leader, a gifted strategic thinker, a godly character and therefore a promising future king himself was very willing to leave his place to somebody else, since God had chosen so.
  • It seems he found it in him to rejoice at seeing David’s godliness. Jonathan lets go of leadership aspirations, very unlike his father, who will chose to fear, hate and compete with David, ready to be both unfair and murderous. Saul holds on to power against the will of God, Jonathan forgoes an attempt at power.
  • This reveals unconditional obedience to God, a peace about himself and the ways God chose for him, a deep contentment and trust in God, selfless love, strong loyalty, a heart to encourage and release others, a willingness to step back and most of all: a breathtaking purity of motives.

Jonathan as Mediator

  • Saul’s envy and enmity towards David escalate in commands to kill him. Jonathan warns David and seeks open communication with his father, attempting reconciliation.
  • He succeeds to appease Saul and David is allowed back into Saul’s presence (1 Sam 19:1-7).
  • David’s life is again threatened by Saul. David finds Jonathan to understand the reasons for the enmity (1 Sam 20:1)
  • Jonathan does not take up the charge against Saul easily (1 Sam 20:2) but is willing to test his father to find out whether David is right, since this is potentially dangerous (1 Sam 20:9)
  • In this test situation Saul does not only betray his intention to kill David but furthermore insults Jonathan and tries to spear him (1 Sa 20:30-31).
  • Finally the issue is out: “For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die” (1 Sam 20:31).
  • Saul is astute but also rejecting God’s will. He clings to power, is willing to murder … and thinks Jonathan will agree to it. He doesn’t know his son. Also he doesn’t acknowledge that it is his choices as a father that have sidelined his son.
  • Even with his father so abusive, Jonathan is still appealing to reason, facts and character (a good man, thinking another man good also): “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” (1 Sam 20:32) which is an appropriate question of good governance: no death penalty without capital offense.
  • Saul now throws the spear at him. “Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger … for he was grieved for David, (and) because his father had disgrace him.” (1 Sam 20:34) Jonathan is fiercely angry and grieved not at being abused and attacked by his own father (not to mention all other loss he has through his father), but at the disgracing of David! This is breathtaking purity of motives.
  • Jonathan then warns David, they renew their covenant of friendship and, realizing that there is inevitable conflict between the two families, extend it to their descendants (1 Sam 20:41-42). David will keep this covenant after the death of Jonathan and spares Jonathan’s sons and treats them well (2 Sam 4:4, 21:7-14).
  • All through the evolving conflicts he displays great integrity and manages to remain faithful, loyal and honest both to Saul and his opponent David at the same time. He consistently seeks open communication, unlike his sister Michal, who also helps David but in a deceitful way (1 Sam 19:11-17).
  • It can be safely said that the only reason that Saul’s court doesn’t deteriorate any quicker, is because Jonathan remains a voice of integrity, fairness and sanity at the ever increasingly violent and corrupt court of Saul, as exemplified by his killing of the priests of Nob by sycophant Doeg (1 Sam 22:6-19).
  • Jonathan’s integrity and loyalty to two opposing parties costs him conflicts, effort, insults, shame and of course: the throne.
Lessons from Jonathan – the beauty of a less spectacular calling
  • Jonathan finds himself caught between two men, two kings, two callings and two heart attitudes.
  • There is no evidence that Jonathan ever reproached his father for messing up a possible calling as king for himself. Nor is there evidence of Jonathan struggling with God for choosing David above himself.
  • Jonathan gets to play the most difficult role in this conflict: not being responsible for his fathers choices, not being chosen by God for kingship, not being able to change his fate and not having time to reap the fruit of his sacrificial friendship.
  • Yet he submits willingly under God’s choice and accepts the change in calling for himself. He understands God’s purposes for David and deliberately lives his ‘getting out of the way-calling’ to the fullest: Jonathan becomes the strongest supporter, the dearest friend and the most loyal follower of his own competitor.
  • Jonathan, being senior to David and yet his best champion, must have had a most powerful influence on David:
  • Jonathan befriends, trains, challenges, develops, encourages, affirms, supports, protects and saves David throughout those difficult years. Jonathan disciples Israel’s future king. The best king Israel will ever have.
  • We all know the story of David respecting Saul, not touching the Lord’s anointed king and refusing to take the promised kingship by force (1 Sam 24, 26).
  • What we often don’t realize is that this very attitude was modeled to David powerfully by Jonathan, who also respected Saul, who refused to usurp kingship and who trusted God’s choices.
  • Jonathan’s ‘getting out of the way-ministry’ foreshadows a towering figure in the New Testament, about whom Jesus says “no one has arisen greater than him” (Mth 11:11): John the Baptist. John also gets out of the way of the coming king: Jesus (Jhn 3:30).
  • Jonathan reminds us that the major battle is one of developing character, not one of developing ministries or spheres of influence. Effect comes with character.
  • Jonathan has a very captivating, attractive and Christ-like character. He models God’s heart: a God who is willing to sacrifice all, his Son, his honor, his peace, to see us saved, developed and reaching our destiny. Integrity is attractive.
  • Jonathan is a sore challenge to our selfish motives, our struggles with God’s ways, our constant questioning of God’s fairness and our unwillingness to let go.
  • We want different circumstances, Jonathan shows how to shine precisely because of a set of utterly frustrating circumstances.
  • Jonathan teaches us to take the place we do have, to do what is possible in our situation, to rise up to the challenge, to move forward confidently.
  • He challenges us to be obedient to God, to be at peace with ourselves, to trust God’s ways and to live out of close relationship with God.
  • Jonathan’s story is one of shattered hopes, of frustration, yet God comes through powerfully with purposes beyond our understanding. God is honored by ‘the beauty of a less spectacular calling’.
GOVERNMENT