Oh, how the mighty heroes have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies dead on the hills. How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan! Oh, how much I loved you! And your love for me was deep, deeper than the love of women! Oh, how the mighty heroes have fallen! Stripped of their weapons, they lie dead. (2Sam.1:25-27).
That was the heart cry of David when Jonathan died. The death of Jonathan was heart-wrenching. The more I study the life of Jonathan and his death, the more I tend to question the rationale for such a sad end to a melodious song.
The life of Jonathan was like an anti-climax. The big question that is begging for an answer is, Why did he die? We shall take a peek into the life of Jonathan and then see why he died.
Who is Jonathan?
Jonathan was the eldest son of King Saul. His name, in Hebrew, means, Jehovah-given. If Saul had a dynasty, Jonathan would be the heir apparent. Jonathan was a son who loved his father to a fault. And that credit goes to his father, Saul, who though failed as King, was obviously successful as a father. He succeeded in winning the heart and loyalty of Jonathan. Jonathan said of his father, “… He always tells me everything he’s going to do, even the little things. I know my father wouldn’t hide something like this from me. It just isn’t so!” (I Sam.20:2). What a confidence! Although in this instance he was wrong, his father hid from him the desire to kill David, but this one-off event did not make Jonathan lose confidence in his father.
What a loveliness!
What made Jonathan so lovely? Let’s look at a few characteristics of this man, Jonathan.
- He feared God.
What is the mark of the fear of God? The fear of God means a reverent awe that conquers the soul in submission to the One we reverence. It is not the fear of God if that reverence has not conquered your soul. When a person’s soul is conquered in awe, the person cries out, “Lord, not my will, but thine be done.”
Such was the situation that Jonathan was faced with. The heir apparent (to the throne of Saul) relinquished his rights to the throne and visibly supported David, just because he (Jonathan) understood that David was God’s choice. That was the difference between Saul and Jonathan. Saul knew that David was God’s choice, he fought against it; but Jonathan knew David was God’s choice, he supported him.
2.He was humble
What is the mark of humility? Humility is clearly manifest when a person deliberately takes a position that is beneath his or her dignity, without complaining, grumbling or feeling of displeasure. In this story, that Jonathan, the natural heir apparent, was playing the second fiddle, is clear manifestation of humility. Jonathan was much older than David, but he submitted to David when he (Jonathan) saw the hand of God upon David. Churches and Christian Ministries today need leaders like Jonathan. They need those who so much fear God that they are willing to submit to the move of God.
3. He was benevolent
A benevolent man is good to people. Jonathan showed kindness to David. When David cried for the death of Jonathan, it was because of the kindness of Jonathan to David. (1 Sam.20). How much appreciation is enough for a man who saved your life from death? What reward is sufficient? Such was the wonder of David whom Jonathan saved from the hands of Saul the King. David was waiting for that appropriate time when it would be his turn to show Jonathan kindness, but it never came. David felt indebted to Jonathan for his (Jonathan’s) love and kindness.
4. He was victorious in his military campaign
God favored Jonathan by giving him victories. When everything that Saul touched produced failure, Jonathan was the otherwise. Victory for Israel came through Jonathan (I Sam.13:1-4, 14:1-15). He commanded some troops under the overall command of his father. He fought for Israel.
5. He was a loyalist
Jonathan is such a personality that a Church leader would like to have in his leadership team. He knew the weaknesses of his father, yet he stood with him. He disagreed with his father only on matters that relate to David, but he did not allow that to define his loyalty to his father. Lamenting about Saul and Jonathan, David said, “The bow of Jonathan was powerful, and the sword of Saul did its mighty work. They shed the blood of their enemies and pierced the bodies of mighty heroes. How beloved and gracious were Saul and Jonathan! They were together in life and in death. They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.” (2 Sam.1:22-23). What a loyalty!
Then the error
A man of such sterling qualities why would he die along with Saul, the backslidden King? Jonathan died for a few reasons one of which is that he had knowledge but lacked wisdom. He possessed accurate information but lacked the will power. He passed the test of possession of information but failed at the critical point, namely, Decision.
Wisdom is the ability to possess accurate information and using that information to achieve the desired positive ends. The mark of wisdom is the ability to escape snares. A wise man foresees evil and hides his head. Proverbs 22:3 says, “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” Jonathan suffered the consequences of evil he did not commit.
Moses instructed the Israelites to move when the cloud moves, and stay when the cloud stays. Jonathan understood that the Cloud is with David, but he stayed with his father, and so reaped the judgment by association.
Why did Jonathan not quit his father’s army and follow David? That singular inability to totally follow the move of God caused him his life in due course.
Lesson for today
The subject of this article is, “Oh Jonathan, why would you die?” It carries the connotation that there are Jonathans today who are headed to the same judgment hall as the Biblical Jonathan. But, you can reverse your course today and avoid this judgment by association.
There are Christians whose eyes God has opened to the move of His Spirit. These Christians are serving “Saul” as it were; they are serving faithfully in Organizations and Ministries that obviously have lost touch with Divine realities. These Christians know the truth; they possess accurate information, and they secretly support the move of God in the lives of other Christians, but they themselves find it too difficult, inconceivable to change location. It is to such believers that this message is meant. You have to take a decision either to stay and reap judgment by association or else relocate and be rewarded.
Follow the Cloud!