I think two of the most selfless characters in the Bible were both called "John".
John the Baptist and Jonathan, the son of King Saul, both seemed to adopt the same mission statement: "He must increase but I must decrease". For John Baptist, his job was to grab the attention of the world and then - while they were all watching real close - to turn all that attention to Jesus. John Baptist would then fade away. Having had the "spotlight" for a time, I expect it was difficult for him to walk away from it. But John seemed so committed to his mission that we cannot detect the slightest note of regret as his crowds dwindled and his own disciples peeled off to follow Jesus.
Jonathan displayed that same type of humility as he gave up his own rights in order that God's greater good might be served.
If you are familiar with the Old Testament stories, you probably know that Jonathan was the son of Saul, the first king of Israel. He was the rightful heir to that throne, but when his father was rejected from being king - Jonathan became fast friends with David - the boy who would be king.
I have always pictured David and Jonathan in something of a setting like The Prince and the Pauper; I pictured them as being about the same age. However, in my recent stroll through 1st Samuel I found that Jonathan was much older than David. In fact, just two years into his father's reign, Jonathan is mature enough to lead an army.
I want to stop here a moment to talk about his father, Saul, and to say that Saul has always troubled me: in fact, I was repeating something of that effect in prayer this week - I see too many similarities between myself and Saul: he tried to please people and to please God at the same time; he lived the paradox of shunning attention while simultaneously craving it; he was reluctant to accept a position of power - but then upon accepting it - he forgot who brought him to his place of prominence.
I think I always associate the tragedy of Saul with the period in my life when I first learned of it. When I was 12 we moved from Morristown, Tennessee, to LaFayette, Georgia. It was part of my Dad's effort to get us back closer to family which was a good thing. At 12, everything seems bigger, more dramatic and threatening than it really is, so I had a tough time with that move.
It rained - continually -that winter. We had moved to a very old rental house on the edge of town, on state Highway 27. Because the Junior High School had burned down a year or so prior, we shared the high school. This meant that the high-schoolers went to school in the morning and then we went to school around 1:00 PM and came home around 6:00 PM.
All this, coupled with the fact that I had no friends and the town was very, very small, made for a depressing time. To top all of this off, we went to a very old and small church there were very few -if any- kids my own age there. My Sunday School class was less than exciting: it was up a very narrow and creaky staircase, in a small room with bare walls and ladder-back chairs. And there was sat, reading in turn about the tragedy of King Saul, who found himself disobeying God one time too many.
And it rained and rained.
So this time through the story of Saul, I am again, trying to figure why his story went the way it did.
Jonathan, I have learned, was much different from his father. I rather think Jonathan might have made a pretty good king, himself. I absolutely believe that Jonathan's influence on young David, made the latter a better king.
In chapter 13 of 1st Samuel it was Jonathan who struck the first blow for independence from the Philistines. He attacked their garrison and started a war. . . I like that the King James Version says he smote the Philistines - that is so cool.
In the next chapter, the Philistines are concentrating their massive (some say innumerable) army and planning to attack Saul and Jonathan, whose militia has now diminished substantially. But Jonathan, decides it is time for a bold endeavour - he and his armor-bearer consider approaching the enemy lines.
Jonathan does one of those "What if's -" ...
"What if you and I go over there and God just let's us run amok over the enemy - He could do that, you know".
Armor-bearers are an extremely loyal lot - loyal to a fault. So his armor-bearer replies:
"sure"
And off they go to discover themselves to the enemy. You need to read that account for yourself, it's pretty neat to see those Philistine soldiers call out to those two Hebrew "rubes" that somehow wandered into enemy territory. God ... and Jonathan and company had quite a surprise for them.
The thing is, Jonathan never told his father about this plan.
I think I know why - do you remember how that years later when word came to Saul that a little shepherd boy wanted to take on the Philistine's not-so-secret weapon of mass destruction: Goliath? Remember how Saul tried to discourage him and tried to push off his own armor onto the boy (probably hoping to reduce the carnage - bad for morale, you know)?
I suspect Jonathan knew his dad wouldn't even give his impractical plan a moment's consideration.
Before making major decisions in my life, I have often turned to my Dad, because I knew he would alert me to the negatives. This became very useful to me. The problem with being so practical, is that sometimes people will be reluctant to share their dreams with you.
Israel won a major military victory that day - and Saul didn't learn of it until the noise of mass hysteria and confusion emitting from the enemy camp became too great to ignore.
Jonathan had a heart for God.
He trusted God to be able to do mighty things. He wasn't afraid to entertain those "what if?" questions God was planting in his brain.
He also had the ability to leave himself in God's care.
As the story progresses, Israel is in pursuit of the enemy, hoping to totally route them. Saul makes some rash unnecessary proclamation that no one should even stop long enough to eat lunch - in fact none of his army was to eat anything until the battle was completely won.
The punishment for disobedience? - death.
Well, Jonathan didn't hear the order ( I suspect he was a little busy slaying Philistines left and right). So when he happened upon s honeycomb, he took a snack-break.
The sugar rush enlightened him and he felt his strength return so he encouraged his com padre's to do the same.
Saul - "majoring on minors" - got word that his orders had been ignored and called for the priest to inquire of God, just who was the perpetrator of this deed.
When it was determined that Jonathan was the culprit, he confessed and here was his defense....
"I merely tasted some honey with the end of my staff and now I must die"
At first, I read that statement as if it were a question and some translations record it that way ("now I must DIE!?!?"), but some translations put it as a statement.
I tend to believe that is the way Jonathan said it... just as a statement of fact - not as a statement about the ridiculous nature of the demand and subsequent penalty.
I think at that point, Jonathan was throwing himself into the hands of the sovereign God.
I think he was saying in effect: "Those are the rules and if God wants me to end this way, I am perfectly okay with that".
I like this guy.
I am hoping to avoid the attitudes and actions of Saul; but I so want to emulate Saul's son, Jonathan. . . .
...a heart for God
...open to God's impractical possibilities
...always mindful and trusting of God's sovereign rule over every situation.
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