Can’t you see that sort of loyalty in the friendship between Jonathan and David? Don’t you aspire to such loyalty in your friendship with Jesus? I think that this passage tells us why Jonathan was so loyal to David, and shows us how we can become loyal to Jesus.
Jonathan had met this
man who was after God’s own heart, and it resonated with his love for God. Jonathan was inspired as he saw David so
passionate for God’s glory that he steps into battle with Goliath. Jonathan celebrated David’s victory and saw
that God was with him. I believe that it
was God who knit Jonathan’s heart with David, and caused him to love him as his
own soul. Jonathan gladly handed David
his robe and sword. Now we read that
Jonathan was fond of David (1b). This
can be translated ‘Jonathan delighted in David’ (ESV). Everything that Jonathan saw and experienced
with David caused him to delight in his friend.
That delight was at the root of his loyalty, even when his dad put the
pressure on.
Has what we have seen
in the Son of David caused us to delight in him? Have we seen that how his heart is sold out
for his Father? Have we witnessed him
stand up to the plate and win the victory so that we can be free from the
tyranny of sin, death and the devil?
Have we allowed God knit our soul to Christ—that we might love him as
our own soul? Have we bowed to his
authority and surrendered our ambition to rule our lives? Do we ponder his beauty in such a way that
causes us to delight in him? This is the
key to remaining loyal to him!
Loyalty
remembers that Christ has been good to us (1-7)
Becoming a follower of
Jesus has implications for all of our relationships. All over the world people have displeased
their parents by chosen to love God’s Messiah.
Jonathan’s love for God’s chosen king would become of bone of contention
between himself and his dad.
Jonathan reasons with
his father: let not the king sin against
his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds
have brought good to you. For he took
his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a
great salvation for all Israel. You saw
it and rejoiced (4-5).
Isn’t this the message
that we bring to all of Christ’s enemies?
‘Don’t sin against God’s anointed, because he has not sinned against
you. He took his life in his hand when
he faced death for you. Through him the
Lord has worked a great salvation for all.
Look to him and rejoice.’ That’s
a message that should inspire us to be loyal!
Loyalty
to Christ is God’s gift to us (8-17)
Saul takes David back
into his presence for the last time.
Again David is granted victory over the Philistines. However, Saul’s hatred for David comes back
to the surface and he throws a spear at him.
Just as it was not the accuracy of David’s sling shot that resulted in
Goliath’s death, it was not the lack of Saul’s spear throwing that saved his
life. God was David’s shield.
In Psalm 59 David
speaks of God being his refuge, fortress and shield. The title of that psalm tells us that it was
written when Saul’s men went to watch David’s house in order to kill him. This incident is both humorous and troubling.
It is humorous because
when Saul’s soldiers come to kill David they are turned away by Michal’s
explanation that David is ill. They are
not there to ask him out to play. They
are there to kill him. So why would they
turn away when told he is sick? Saul has
to go himself to get the job done. This
story is troubling because Michal is far less than truthful and there is
mention that there was a household idol at David’s home.
How do we read Psalm
59? We can read it remembering that God
rescued David. We can read it with Jesus
in mind, seeing how God spared him from his enemies until the time came for him
to lay down his life for us. We can read
it remembering that Jesus is our fortress, refuge and shield.
The fact that God is
our refuge and shield does not mean that we will be spared from
persecution. Jesus warned his followers
that there would be a time when, you will
be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and
some of you will be put to death. You
will be hated by all for my name’s sake.
But not a hair of your head will perish (Luke 21:16-19). Some will even be martyred for their loyalty
to their anointed one, yet not a hair of their head will be touched! How does that work? Our bodies may perish, but God will be with
us, and nothing can separate us from his love.
In the time of trial he will give us the strength to remain loyal.
You
can be a loyal subject now or else a reluctant subject in the future (18-24)
David flees to Samuel
in Ramah. Saul finds out and sends his
servants to take him. They come across
Samuel and a band of prophets and the Spirit of the Lord overpowers them. They had come with murderous intentions, but
now they are caused to speak words of praise.
When Saul turns up the same thing happens to him. He too ends up prophesying. Then Saul is stripped of his clothes and lies
naked all day and night. Saul’s kingdom
will be removed from him like his clothing being stripped away.
Compare Saul and
Jonathan. Jonathan loved David as his
own soul, gladly handed David his robe, and delighted in the Lord’s
anointed. Saul was consumed with
jealousy, did everything to keep himself on the throne, and was humiliated as
his kingdom was stripped from him. One
day every knee will bow, and acknowledge that the Son of David is God’s chosen
king—the question is, will we bow in delight or with reluctance?
Conclusion
Why was Jonathan
willing to remain loyal to David, even when his father put such pressure on
him? He was loyal to David because he
delighted in him. He had seen David’s
heart, celebrated his victory, had his soil knit in friendship and bowed in
submission. Like Jonathan we say to the
enemy of God’s anointed, ‘he has not wronged you. He has won a great victory for his
people. Why then did we do wrong and
kill an innocent man (for we would have been in that could crying crucify)? We
should see it and be glad’.
The early Christians
were hated in the Roman Empire, in part because of their refusal to sacrifice
to romans gods. Around 160 AD, Polycarp,
the bishop of the church in Smyrna, was sentenced to death. He was an old man, at least 86. He was bound and burned at the stake, then
stabbed when the fire failed to touch him.
When the governor had asked him to deny Christ he had replied, ‘for
eighty-six years I have served him, and he has never done me any harm, how then
can I now blaspheme my King and Saviour?’
May God grant us such
loyalty as we delight in his anointed!
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