LESSONS FROM JONATHAN

If people know anything about Jonathan, the son of King Saul, they probably know that he was a faithful friend to David.  I learned two more important things about Jonathan recently. First, he would have made a wonderful king.  Second, he was very sensitive to what God was doing in God's Kingdom.

Jonathan as King
In the past, I have thought of Saul as a foil to David, the poor king versus the good king.  That may be true, but the biblical narrator presents Jonathan in contrast to Saul in 1 Sam 13-14.  In these chapters we get a negative portrayal of Saul.  He does not seek the will of God (e.g. 14:18-19) but tries to coerce God's favor (e.g. 13:12) and, consequentially, loses his right to a dynasty (13:13-14).  (See the previous devotional on religious ritual and Saul).  His men are not confident behind him.  They are trembling and fleeing before the Philistines (13:6-7, 11).
Our portrait of Jonathan in 14:1-15 is quite different.  He trusts God and seeks God’s will.  He goes out against a Philistine outpost with just his armor-bearer, confident that God could deliver by few or by many.  His attack leaves the Philistines trembling and fleeing.  Jonathan had the unwavering support of his armor-bearer (14:7) and gained the support of Saul's army who recognized that God had brought about deliverance from the Philistines through Jonathan (14:45).  Jonathan would have made a great king.

Jonathan as Discerner of God’s Will
We receive another portrait of Jonathan in 18:1-4.  In the previous two chapters we learn that God has now chosen David to be Saul’s successor and God’s Spirit has passed from Saul to David (Ch 16, see verses 13-14); and, we watch David’s faith in God in action as he faces Goliath in battle (Ch 17).  Jonathan was a witness to the latter event.  However, the narrator has left Jonathan out of the scenes about Saul’s dynasty ending (13:13-14) and about David’s anointing to become the next king (Ch 16).  As the audience, we know this about Saul and David.  Jonathan does not have this knowledge.  He, as the first-born son of Saul and second in command of Saul’s army, was the prince who was next in line for the throne.  As we follow the narrative, we are set up to wonder, “How will Jonathan respond to David, the man who threatens to take away his whole future?”  In 18:1-4 we learn the answer.  Jonathan becomes one in spirit with David, makes a covenant with him, and gives him his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt.  What is happening here is most significant.  Jonathan gives what would be his royal robe to David, a symbol of passing on his role to David.  We are told that when the prophet Elijah was about to die, he gave his mantle to Elisha who would be his successor (1Kgs 19:19).  We also have a text in Isaiah 22:19-22 in which a person is deposed from office by his robe being taken from him and given to another person.  So without telling us directly, the narrator reveals Jonathan's heart, spiritual discernment, and submission to God.  Jonathan perceives the will of God.  Jonathan recognizes David as the successor to the throne and voluntarily yields to him!

Application:
Jonathan, who would have a made a good, faithful king, gave up all royal power and authority he would have gained to submit to the leading of God.  The overall challenge to me is to examine what pursuits I have that I need to give up in order to be in line with God’s Kingdom.  I think those matters tend to be clear – there is the conviction of the Holy Spirit – but they may still be difficult to surrender.  The daily challenge Jonathan’s story presents to me is to ask, “What is God doing around me that I am not recognizing because I am focused on matters that profit me?”  I start my day praying, “Jesus, what are you up to today?  I would like to be included.”  However, I do not get too far into my day before I become self-absorbed and insensitive to the things of God.

Lord, it is meaningless for me to pursue anything that is not in line with Your will and Your Kingdom.  Help me to become increasingly sensitive to my straying away from that focus.  Call me back by Your Spirit.  Rebuke me and turn me around.  Amen.

ABUSING RELIGIOUS RITUAL: SAUL’S IDOLATRY

Topic: How do we abuse religious rituals?  What are we doing when we abuse religious rituals? 
Saul, the first king over all Israel lost his calling due to disobedience.  David was anointed to replace him, and the Spirit of the Lord left Saul to come upon David (1Sam 16:13-14).  What was Saul’s disobedience?  (Below is a technical description of observations that led to my conclusions regarding Saul’s sin and religious rituals.  The reader may skip the technical details and skip to “Summary” and “Application.”)

Background Story
The Israelites were involved in a conflict with the Philistines.  Saul is specifically told to by the priest/prophet Samuel to go to Gilgal and wait for Samuel, who would make the appropriate offerings and tell Saul what to do (10:8).  Saul gathered his army at Gilgal, however, as his men were trembling and scattering in the face of the massive Philistine forces assembled against them, Saul makes the offerings before Samuel arrives (13:7-10).  This leads Samuel to tell Saul that because Saul did not keep the Lord’s command, God will take his kingdom away and give it to someone else after God’s heart (13:11-14).

Usual Explanation
It is generally thought that Saul’s disobedience – this first time – was that he encroached on the role of the priest by making an offering.  That is a possible conclusion.  By the time we get to the period of the Torah, the priest is to supervise and participate in such offerings.  Did Saul know that?  In the ancient Near East, kings often had a priestly, cultic role.  Maybe the ancient Israel audience would know/assume that when Samuel explained the regulations of kingship (10:25; see, too, Deut 17:14-20), it was clear that Israelite kings would have no such religious function?  This could be a partial explanation; however, I think Saul’s failing was more than that.

Observations about Saul’s Disobedience
I think the keys to understanding Saul’s disobedience are found in what he initially says and his pattern of behavior that follows.  In 13:12, as Saul defends his actions, he mentions: “The face of Yahweh [God’s favor] I had not entreated.”  Rather than wait for divine guidance through Samuel, Saul acted on his own to encourage his men and get God’s favor.  Two more events show a similar pattern.  In the first similar event, when Saul launches an attack on the Philistines in Ch 14, Saul starts to ask God what to do through the priest, but Saul stops the process (14:18-19) and prepares to attack.  First, though, Saul imposes a fast on his troops (14:24).  It has had negative consequences.  The point to note, though, is that fasts were generally religious rituals of humility and submission to God.  Again, it seems that Saul wanted God's favor, but without seeking God’s will first.  In the second similar event, Saul was commanded to destroy all of the Amalekites and their goods (15:1-3).  However, he let his soldiers keep the plunder, but he says he saved the best to be devoted to God as a sacrifice (15:20-21).  Instead of obeying, he does what he wants, probably to please his men, and plans to offer a sacrifice to gain God’s favor.  Here we get a famous and interesting speech/song from Samuel about how God wants obedience more than offerings (15:22-23).  In this song, we learn more about the sin of Saul in v 23:

For the sin of divination is rebellion,
and ‘awen and teraphim is patzar

The first line is clear.  Saul was being rebellious and that is compared to divination.  In the second line, teraphim were household, personal idols invoked for guidance and protection.  The term patzar receives translations such as “stubbornness, insubordination, presumption, and arrogance.”  It only occurs here as an infinitive in the so-call “causative” stem (Hiphil), so translators rely heavily on context.  Rather literally it has the sense “the act of causing to push, press, or urge.”  So, in the context as I see it, it means an act of coercion.  “’awen,” which falls within the semantic domains of evil, falseness, and deception is often tied to magic ritual and possibly forms a hendiadys with teraphim/idols here for something like “evil idolatry” or “deceptive idolatry,” giving us a better understanding of how God viewed Saul’s use of religious ritual:

For the sin of divination is rebellion,
And evil idolatry is the act of [attempted] coercion. (1Sam 15:23)

Summary
Engaging in religious rituals may be tantamount to the sins of divination and idolatry.  Motive is everything.  The disobedience of Saul is this: rather than seeking the will of God in submissiveness, Saul did what he thought best – in a couple of cases, probably to keep his army happy – and used religious rituals in an attempt to coerce God’s favor on his actions.  Saul rebelliously tried to use rituals of worship magically, manipulatively as one does in divination and idolatrous worship.  He was not submitted to God.  He was not fit to be king.  He lost the dynasty he could have had.

Application
I have no problem seeing parallels in my life.  I want to be in control.  I simple want what I want – and then I want God to bless it.  Prayer is used not as a time of communion with God to draw close to Jesus and hear the Spirit’s guidance.  Fasting, prayer, songs, “worship” are too frequently my attempts to gain God’s favor for my desires.  Such use of religious ritual is comparable to the sins of idolatry and divination.

Lord, have mercy on me.  In my head and heart, I know that, when I try to rule my life, my life turns to chaos.  You are God.  I am not.  I want to be your servant.  I want to serve in Your Kingdom.  Forgive me for the ways I arrogantly try to conform You to my will!  Shape me into a better servant.  Amen.