Let’s start things off today by looking at verse 13.
“But if my father intends to do you harm, may Adonai do as much and more to me if I don’t let you know and send you away, so that you can go in peace. And may Adonai be with you, just as he used to be with my father.“
Jonathan is speaking to David here.
Now notice the part I bolded.
This represents a key moment of realization for Jonathan.
As painful as it is for him to admit…
He recognizes God is no longer with his father.
But things don’t end there.
He reveals something that must have been stirring in his heart for quite some time…
He confesses that David will be the next future king of Israel.
“Now wait a minute”, you may be thinking.
Where in 1st Samuel Chapter 20 does Jonathan confess that David will be the next king of Israel?
He doesn’t admit it directly…
It becomes clear when he asks David to make a new covenant with him.
Take a look at verse 14:
“However, you are to show me Adonai’s kindness not only while I am alive, so that I do not die; but also, after Adonai has eliminated every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth, you are to continue showing kindness to my family forever.”
In this request, Jonathan asks David to show him and his family CHESED once God has eliminated all of his enemies.
This is an incredible proclamation of faith!
Keep in mind, at this time, David was on the run from King Saul and his henchmen.
Yet Jonathan already prophesying that David will be the next Messiah or anointed one of Israel.
It must have been a bitter pill for Jonathan to swallow indeed.
Under normal circumstances, Jonathan would have inherited the throne after his father…
But that was not to be…
We have to give credit to Jonathan for not only recognizing the Lord’s Will but being obedient to it.
His father’s dynasty is about to end and there is nothing he can do about it.
Now, this matter about David promising not to hurt Jonathan reflects a brutal practice that was common in those days.
When a new king took over, they’d often get rid of anyone from the old king’s family, so they wouldn’t try to take the throne back.
Jonathan, who was likely married, worried about what might happen to his family when David became king.
But David kept his promise to protect them, so Jonathan didn’t have to worry.
We have evidence that David was faithful to the covenant he made with Jonathan in the following verses from 2nd Samuel:
“David was not a perfect man, but he remembered his promises. His dear friend Jonathan, who forsook loyalty to his own father and the right to inherit the throne of Israel, in favor of David, was dead, killed in battle. David would now perform the chesed to Jonathan’s family that he had sworn to so many years earlier.”-2nd Samuel 9:1-7
Wow!
This is beautiful and reflects a loyal character that’s so rare these days.
Seriously, we’re living in a time where commitment is treated like a joke.
Heck, look at the over 50% divorce rate in our times…and it’s increasing in every country.
Indeed, the days of lawlessness are upon us.
Alrighty, let’s switch over to the takeaway.
Notice how Jonathan had to reject his own father to accept God’s Will that David was the next Messiah of Israel.
Well, this is the choice that lies before every human being.
When you accept God’s son, the earthly consequences will be severe…
You may be thrown out of your synagogue…
You may be rejected by family or friends…
Or be forced to reject your family or friends…
The bottom line is Yeshua warned us we will face persecution…
And we shouldn’t be surprised when it happens.
Ya feel me?
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“If anyone comes to me and
does not hate his own father
and mother and wife and children
and brothers and sisters,
yes, and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.”
-Luke 14:26
“Another of the talmidim said to him,
‘Sir, first let me go and bury my father.’
But Yeshua replied,
‘Follow me, and let the
dead bury their own dead.’”
-Matthew 8:21-22
‘”But what about you?’ he asked.
‘Who do you say I am?’
Simon Peter answered,
”You are the Messiah,
the Son of the living God.’
Yeshua replied, ‘Blessed are
you, Simon son of Jonah,
for this was not revealed
to you by flesh and blood,
but by my Father in heaven.'”
-Matthew 16:15-17
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