By: Kevin Townsend
This two-part article will contrast the positive attributes of the faithful with the negative attributes of the faithless. Although the examples will involve physical warfare, these principles apply to the spiritual warfare each Christian must engage in today (John 18:36; 1Timothy 6:12a KJV “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life…”).
Both Jonathan and David, with Jehovah’s help, performed acts of great renown. David defeated an armed and armored, nine-foot nine-inch giant, Goliath of Gath (1Samuel 17:1-53). Jonathan attacked an entire army and killed 20 soldiers in single-combat, having only the earthly help of a loyal armor-bearer (1Samuel 14:1-23). In each case, with Jehovah’s help, the actions of one faithful person was the spark that helped overcome the enemies of God.
Notice the similar traits possessed by Jonathan and David. Both were young, yet they displayed a spiritual maturity beyond their years. They both loved their brethren more than with their own personal well-being. Both were Godly, trusting, men of faith who thought and spoke of God’s power when they made the choice to battle their opponent(s). David spoke extensively of Jehovah being the one giving the victory: 1Samuel 17:45-47 KJV “…I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; … that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.” Jonathan and David both spoke of and made their decisions based on the religious difference between the faithful and the unfaithful. For example, in describing the unfaithful, Jonathan described them as “these uncircumcised” and David as “this uncircumcised Philistine.” They showed no fear when they chose to engage in battle, in what seemed to be impossible odds against success. They both displayed extreme levels of faith in Jehovah, trusting in Him for their salvation. Jonathan’s statement shows this faith and trust in Jehovah, 1Samuel 14:6b KJV “…for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.” Both fought against extreme odds of success (according to earthly wisdom), yet they did not use earthly wisdom to make their choices. They faithfully trusted in an unseen God. Both could not be stopped in their determination to go into battle to protect their brethren. David’s older brother Eliab rebuked David’s statement that he would battle Goliath; yet, David still proceeded (1Samuel 17:28). Likewise, Jonathan took steps to ensure his father did not know of his plan to attack the Philistines (1Samuel 14:1) so that he or anything else would not stop him from carrying out his plan to rescue his brethren. If there is any rebuke to be had, the Bible does not record either man praying to Jehovah before their battle. This seems unusual to me; yet, Scripture says what it says. (My strong preference, based on Scripture, is to petition my God, especially when going into times of great difficulty. Psalm 20:5, Philippians 4:6) There is absolutely no question that both had their faith focused on Jehovah; yet, this important but missing element is puzzling and not suggested for us in our lives today.
Similar is not identical. Jonathan and David display some differences too. Jonathan was a soldier while David was not. David had the blessing of the king to go into battle against Goliath while Jonathan did not. Because Jonathan hid his plan, this leads to the conclusion that he knew his father would prevent him from attacking the Philistines and he was determined to not have that happen. David fought on the ground of the Philistine’s choosing while Jonathan fought on the ground of Jehovah’s choosing. The Bible does not record David having or speaking of any plan when he battled with Goliath. David just walked into battle using the implements of a shepherd, not the weapons of war. Soldiers like Jonathan normally plan to use all possible earthly circumstances to give them the best possible chance of victory. Jonathan did have a plan, but, using the wisdom of men, it was a horrible plan! He structured his plan in his mind to select a situation having all the worst possible circumstances, thereby placing himself into a terrible tactical position. If the circumstances of Jonathan’s worst-case scenario were to happen, then Jonathan would know that 1Samuel 14:10b KJV “…the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.” Consider Jonathan’s choices based on his faith in Jehovah. Notice how Jonathan did things, made choices, or selected options that, by the standards of earthly wisdom, reduced his chances of success in battle: ① Showing himself to the enemy vs. remaining concealed. In showing himself, he gave the enemy valuable intelligence (e.g., his location, the strength of his opposing force, the loss of the element of surprise, etc.). ② Jonathan selected the more difficult position of attacking vs. defending as his “sign” from Jehovah. He wanted to ensure that when it was over, the credit would not go to him but to Jehovah. ③ Attacking required a climb up a cliff with the possibility of falling or losing a weapon vs. defending in the Wadi Suwenit with a static defense, forcing the Philistines to come to Jonathan. ④ Attacking requires Jonathan to poke his head up into the face of a prepared, entrenched, and numerically superior enemy force vs. defending in the Wadi Suwenit on flatter ground with rock walls impeding enemy attack from two directions. Defending would allow him to become entrenched and better organized to repel an attack from the other two remaining directions. ⑤ Attacking by climbing the cliff would fatigue Jonathan, making him less effective in overcoming a numerically superior force vs. defending would reverse the situation, making the Philistines expend energy to come to Jonathan. ⑥ The slow climb during an attack would provide even more intelligence on exactly where Jonathan would appear, allowing the Philistines to marshal their forces to meet him vs. defending would remove that advantage from the Philistines.
The sum of the comparison between David and Jonathan shows us they were remarkably similar in many ways, almost like they were brothers. Even in their differences, there was the similarity of an overwhelming faith and trust in Jehovah. It is this lesson that we must learn if we are to please our God.