1 Samuel 18: The Unsung Hero and His Crazy Selfless Love

Jonathan is an unsung hero of Scripture.  We know so little about this son of King Saul, but what we know speaks volumes about his character, his heart. Though David is the hero in the spotlight, the one whose heart we praise, Jonathan’s faithfulness, loyalty, selflessness, and courage reveals a heart that too was after God’s. Perhaps even more so. I’m totally encouraged by this man in the shadows–will you sit for a second and let me tell you why?

Courage: Jonathan was a man of tremendous courage.  We cheer for David because he had the courage to kill one Philistine, but I often forget that Jonathan killed twenty Philistines in one fell swoop (1 Samuel 14:14). Talk about courage! Sometimes I mistakenly picture Jonathan as this weak and quiet soul, known only for his love for David. This man was a warrior!

Selflessness: Hands down what amazes me most about Jonathan was his utter lack of jealousy.  After David slays Goliath and is set over all the men of war and becomes very successful in battle, the people begin to sing,

“Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”

Saul hears this and he is ticked. Beyond ticked. He is angry, jealous, and begins eying David from that day on, trying to kill him every chance he has.

Jonathan’s response?  Now remember, Jonathan didn’t even get a line in the song!  No mention at all!  He was the mighty warrior who killed twenty Philistines single-handedly.  No singing for Jonathan though. Is he jealous?

No. Jonathan’s response to all of David’s success?

“the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul … and Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt” (1 Samuel 18:1-4).

Are you getting this?  This is CRAZY selfless love.  Jonathan is the King’s son.  That means Jonathan would be next-in-line as king. And yet this David character, who by birth has zero right to the throne, (but has been secretly anointed the next king by Samuel)  comes along and becomes the hero overnight.  Instead of the crowds singing about great King Saul and Jonathan his son, they’re singing about great King Saul and David the shepherd boy!  If there was ever a time to be justified in feeling threatened, this is it for Jonathan. Right about now would be the totally understandable time for Jonathan to pretty much hate David’s guts.

But what do we see?

Jealousy? None.

Envy? Not a chance.

Hatred? Au contraire.

LOVE.

And not just love at arm’s length, which is infinitely easier to give, isn’t it?

Love close-up. Love in an embrace. Love in friendship. Love in symbolically giving David his robe and armor and even his sword and his belt. Jonathan’s actions say, “I see that God has made you, not me, the next king.  I recognize you as such and I submit my royal rights to you.

I give you all that I have, including my heart.

Does this strike anybody else as just crazy God-glorifying character that brings me to knees in conviction?

The normal response (or at least mine), when faced with jealousy and God’s command to love, is to love that person from afar.

I’ll love them but not personally promote them.  I’ll love them but not be friends with them.

Jonathan does both. He personally promotes David, and he offers selfless friendship to him as well.  And later in Scripture we see Jonathan risking his own life again and again, to bless, save, and promote his friend in selfless, loyal love.

Girls girls girls, this is friendship. Remember all our talks about envy and jealousy?  Up to this point we’ve mostly just seen what not to do. But here it is, the perfect beautiful example of what to do.

When we are threatened, diffuse the threat with love.

When jealousy creeps in, break jealousy’s back with love.

When envy arises, douse envy’s burn with love.

And not just a love from afar. A love that gets close. A love that personally promotes.  A love that cheers for one’s threat. A love that refuses rivalry.  A love that kicks out competition. A love that opts out of the race.  A love that smiles at a potential enemy and extends food, water, and grace (Romans 12:20).

We might be surprised at what happens.

That rival might just be a soulmate.

But our eyes must be cleared of insecurity’s distortion, which can turn every friend into foe. We have to be freed from ourselves, before we can love like this. Before we can quit seeing others as a threat and cheer them on instead.

Can Jonathan be my new hero?

We can’t be a Jonathan to everyone, but we can look for ways to continually be lifting others up and cheering them on–to be looking out not only for our own interests but also the interests of others (Phil 2:4).

And you, who can you cheer for today? On whom do you recognize the call of God–and how can you nurture that calling in that person? Who are you tempted to view as a threat? How can you love them instead?

By grace, with joy,

Kari