(By 1 p.m. January 27, a reading of the following can be found at http://www.ourchurchvideos.com/93940/montereymethodist/
The video will be under the channel for the Online Bible Study)
(Pieces of the story of Jonathan are found through Chapters 18 – 23 of I Samuel)
Jonathan was King Saul’s eldest son. Saul was the first king of Israel. Thus “royalty” was a new experience for this family, and new for the nation of Israel.
Jewish legends say that Saul was chosen king for numerous reasons. His physical attractiveness, his victories against the Philistines, his concern for a servant and his modesty. Legend says he was free from sin and thus deserved to receive the gift of prophecy. He also had good ancestry. His grandfather Abiel, in particular, was a man interested in the public welfare, and wanted the streets lighted at night so that the people could go to houses of study.
Jonathan was skilled as a military man.
Jewish legends state that Jonathan was great in military prowess and was equally skilled in his depth as a scholar. Despite this, it is said that he was one of the most modest men known to history.
After his work in the liberation of Jabesh-gilead, Jonathan was placed in charge of a thousand troops. His father commanded two thousand. This was in the midst of an ongoing war with the Philistines.
The military situation was not going well for the Israelites when Jonathan took the initiative (without his father’s knowledge) and made a surprise raid against the enemy. Saul was able to capitalize upon it, though he failed to make as much use of it as he might have done.
Saul promised to curse any man in his army who did not abstain from food that day. Jonathan knew nothing of the situation and ate some wild honey as he pursued the enemy. When the other soldiers told him of Saul’s orders, Jonathan answered that it had been an unwise decision, handicapping the soldiers from achieving an even greater victory. When Saul was unable later to determine God’s will for the situation, he decided it must be due to the breaking of the fast. Lots were cast to determine the guilty party and they eventually fell on Jonathan. Saul was determined to kill his son, but the Israelites were grateful to Jonathan and ransomed his life.
Jonathan is best known for his loyal friendship toward David. After David dispatched Goliath, Jonathan made a covenant with him, and made a gift of his own robe and armor. (In ancient times, an exchange of armor or clothing was a common way of sealing a new friendship. Glaucus and Diomede made a similar exchange in Homer’s Iliad)
David’s spectacular military success and popularity proved difficult for King Saul to stomach. At that time Saul suffered from some form of psychological illness, which made it difficult for him to make rational evaluations and decisions. Saul wanted David’s life, encouraging both his courtiers and his son Jonathan to kill the potential threat to the throne and royal succession.
Although Jonathan could have looked forward to inheriting the kingship, he voiced vigorous support for David, reminding his father of David’s loyal service. This gained a temporary reprieve and a return of David to the court. When Saul suffered a relapse, David fled for his life.
Jonathan and David devised a plan to determine whether Saul might be persuaded to look kindly upon David. Afraid that their friendship might be lost in the hostilities between David and Saul, Jonathan asked David for a pledge that he would show kindness to Jonathan and his descendants. (I Samuel 20:1-14)
The attitude of Saul was unyielding toward David. Saul was angry and perplexed by his son’s attitude of friendship, protesting that David stood in the way of Jonathan becoming king. Yet Jonathan vigorously protested Saul’s intention to slay David and felt great grief for David, because Saul had sought to disgrace him. Jonathan then conveyed the knowledge of Saul’s attitude to David by the method they’d decided upon. This involved the shooting of arrows in an arranged pattern, to be observed by David. No doubt, it was unsafe for them to be seen together in public. Yet, when the boy with Jonathan had been sent back to the city, David immediately came to him. Scholars suggest that more than one story has been combined, making some time-lines and actions appear inconsistent. But it is also possible that David’s emotions simply got the better of him. Another possibility is that the boy served as a witness to the fact that Jonathan had simply been practicing with the bow, and not meeting with David. Saul had already tried to kill Jonathan for his support of David, so it would have been safer for both Jonathan and David if no one knew they spent any time together.
The final meeting recorded between the friends was in the Wilderness of Ziph. Jonathan made a covenant to support David as the next king. Jonathan was to be his first minister. (I Samuel 23:16-18)
Jonathan died in the battle at Mount Gilboa against the Philistines. Saul and two other sons also died there. Their bodies were mistreated, being exposed by the Philistines on the wall, but were retrieved by the men of Jabesh-gilead, who buried them in Jabesh (I Samuel 31: II Samuel 2:5-7; 21:12; I Chr 10:1-12). The bodies were later moved by David to the tomb of Kish in Zela of the land of the Benjaminites (Jonathan and his family were of that tribe) II Samuel 21:13-14
Upon hearing the news of Saul’s & Jonathan’s death, David lamented both the fate of the king and the loss of his beloved friend Jonathan (II Samuel 1). He would later seek to show kindness to Jonathan’s only son, Meribbaal, also recorded as Mephisbosheth, who was five years old when Jonathan died.
As earlier mentioned, Scholars note some choppiness in the stories from this period. (The focus is, of course, upon David as he would become the celebrated king of Israelites history.) Time lines do not always appear to be consistent, and scholars believe there might be two collections of stories about David that have been combined. It also seems possible that some inconsistencies may be explained due to the erratic nature of Saul’s mental state. For example, some scholars question whether David as a youth with only one military achievement (the killing of Goliath) would so quickly have been given military command. But if Saul was not completely rational, and was desperate for victories, this could also be one explanation.
Despite confusion over time-lines of events, a consistent thread throughout the passages is the friendship and love felt by Jonathan for David. David’s feelings in return are not as strongly stated, but he does appear to have cared for Jonathan and valued their friendship. Their loyalty was something to which they asked Yahweh to be a witness and thus a participant.
Some Conversation Starters
How would you define friendship?
What do you find most meaningful in the friendship between Jonathan and David?
In what ways might we invite God into a friendship today?
Any other thoughts about this passage or about frendship?
