DEFY RELATIONS

• DAY 176
• FAITH FILE: JONATHAN
• SCRIPTURES: 1 SAMUEL 20:13, 30-34

But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father. Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully.

The bond between David and Jonathan is beautiful. Especially, how their entire relationship was covenanted. From the moment David conquered Goliath, the bible says that Jonathan loved him like his own soul (1 SAMUEL 17:1). He made a covenant with him and gave him his robe, sword, and bow. Jonathan was the crowned prince of Isreal. By natural birth, he was supposed to succeed his father; therefore, his robe was that of a prince. He gave that over to David. His sword and bow were weapons of war that signified both strength and precision. By this one act, Jonathan symbolically gave David rights to the throne and the army. These were Jonathan’s positions. So he indirectly acknowledged that David would take his place.

Maybe in that moment of David’s victory, Jonathan knew that he was the anointed one. Because chances are he knew of David before the battle as that musician that calmed the father down. But he saw him Here in a different light and rather than fight it and be jealous, he aligned with God’s will and supported David. That took courage. 

A Tough Choice

Yet, when we tell the story of their friendship, we seem to omit how much courage it must have taken for Jonathan to maintain a covenant with the one person his father hated the most. It took courage to defy blood relations and family ties. He had to endure the consequences of his covenant. The discomfort in the palace, the tension with his father, and the sneers from those loyal to the throne.

Our text today paints a more vivid picture of his challenges with his dad. Think of it, to be at the table with your father and be insulted and embarrassed in front of guests because of his rivalry with somebody you love is unpleasant, to say the least, and it did not go down easy with Jonathan. Not to mention that his father also tried to kill him as he did with David. Yet, all this didn’t stop him from doing right by his friend. 

I wonder how I’d react had I been in the same situation. Exposed to the same pressure, would I be afraid or courageous? Would the promise of my covenant still be sacred to me or “gone with the wind?” Will I be brave to surrender to someone that has my place or join forces to defeat him? I hope I am a person of courage. I pray I am Jonathan.

Rare

Beloved, Jonathans are rare because faith is rare. Men of courage are fastly becoming extinct and it’s because we have let flesh puncture our faith. We are given to self-preservation over divine alignment and we ought not to be. God would have us align than rebel and when we do, we become at rest. Because the truth is, the anxieties we expose ourselves to trying to defy God’s will are not worth the hassle.

Ask the Father the grant you the courage to obey and align with him today. In Jesus’ name.

Shalom.

P.S

Dear David, do you. God has already prepared a Jonathan to support you in the place you have been ordained for. He will defy family relations to defend your calling and bestow the privileges you need for your God-given assignment.