“…so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death.” (1 Samuel 20:33)
Jonathan was a king’s son, but even with a royal lineage, he wasn’t immune to family trouble. Jonathan didn’t want to believe his father would be so egotistically and suspicious as to hate David to the point of murder, but family can be complicated, and the truth is what the truth is.
Jonathan remained faithful to God, honored his earthly father where he could, and showed kindness to David all at the same time. Life was complex, but Jonathan found a way to faithfully navigate the broken world he lived in. It is a good reminder to us that people are messy, but there is always a path to living righteously. Jonathan is a reminder that bad fathers have good sons and that each of us are responsible for ourselves, regardless of our origin story.
This Week’s Reading: 1 Samuel 17-24; Psalm 31; Proverbs 31
This year, #Biblebites are looking at lessons from the history of the Old Testament. Each week reads a section of history with a Psalm to meditate on and a dash of Proverbs to dwell upon. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2024-vision