My attention was called, at a reading meeting some time ago, to the sad circumstances of the death of Jonathan on Mount Gilboa. Israel fled from before the enemy, and fell. Saul was slain, and his three sons were slain with him. It was the total overthrow of the kingdom of Saul. What a sad picture—the body of Saul and the bodies of his three sons fastened to the walls of Bethshan! Was not this a sad, sad end for any man to come to? But for such a man as Jonathan to come to such a shameful end! How was this? why was this? and what is the lesson that God would have us learn for these last days, in this inspired history?
The turning point in Jonathan's history is in 1 Samuel 18, and this also illustrates the turning point in the history of every soul born from above.
True, we find him before this a mighty man of the house of Saul. "Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba." "And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear!" (1 Sam. 13:33And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. (1 Samuel 13:3).) And again we find him a valiant man at the pass of Michmash. Ten centuries after these events, another could say, "I was alive without the law once." "If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more,... an Hebrew of the Hebrews."
Now the turning point in the life of Jonathan was, in type, very much like the turning point in the life of Paul on his way to Damascus.
The subject opens. What a study! Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah. On the 'other side of the valley stood the adversary of the house of Saul—the defier of the armies of Israel. And there was no deliverer in the house of Saul. God sent a savior-king that day—that despised shepherd—a stripling. Ah, that despised one is God's anointed king of Israel. The mighty foe was slain that day by the youngest son of Jesse. "And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite." "And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." (chap. 18:1.)
Ah, Jonathan had looked across that valley of Elah, and beheld that terrible adversary, Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits, and was greatly afraid. Not one day merely, or two but for forty days, he thus presented himself, and with him all the armies of Philistia. How gracious of God to send to the camp that savior David, the unknown king! There he stood, having finished the work God gave him to do. Complete was that victory; the champion was dead, and the Philistines fled. Look at David now. Is not that a figure of that greater victory of David's greater Son?
As Jonathan looked across the valley of Elah, so a soul is sometimes brought to look across the valley of death. And oh, how terrible the dismay if the great adversary is there, and all the sins of a past life there—all standing in dread array, like the hosts of the Philistines! May I ask you to look across the narrow deep valley, and tell me, has the Savior Jesus been revealed to your soul as the savior David stood revealed to Jonathan? Surely the one is only a picture of the other. But there was reality and certainty to Jonathan, and this forever won his heart to David. This matter is so momentous—the valley that separates us from eternity so narrow—another, no, perhaps, not another breath, and then, after death, is it to you the judgment? If so, surely you have greater cause for dismay than Israel had in that day. You may have been as mighty a prince in your day as Jonathan; Saul's trumpet may have often sounded your praise; but has God revealed Jesus to your soul—the sent One of God—the despised and rejected sent One of God? Do you see Him? Then tell me, what are those wounds in His hands and His side? Sweetly do they speak to the heart, "I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do." Look at the mighty Conqueror, the sent One of God. "Behold the Lamb of God!" Oh, how wonderful the effect of simple faith in Jesus, as the One who has finished the work of redemption! Forty days had this adversary defied Israel; but for forty centuries had Satan defied man and dishonored God. Who but the holy Substitute could meet the adversary and maintain the glory of God? Yes, as David smote Goliath in the valley of Elah, so has Jesus met the whole power of Satan in the valley of death. My soul, it is well to meditate on this. Every sin that the accuser could bring against me has been borne by Jesus.
There were two things produced in Jonathan by this first revelation, so to speak, of David: he loved him as his own soul, and he stripped himself. Surely this was very simple and natural. How did he look in the face of that shepherd-youth who, taking his own life in his hand, with his sling and his stone had wrought such a great deliverance! And can you look at Jesus, who gave His precious life, who bore the wrath due to your sins, who shows you His hands and His side, who sweetly says, "Peace be unto you!"—when you know this, can you not love Him because He thus first loved you?
Thus, you see, faith must produce love. How beautifully simple is all this! But the stripping—why did Jonathan strip himself? Well, that other Hebrew of the Hebrews tells us why he did; and I think the one just explains why the other did it. I take these two because each of them was the finest Hebrew of his day. He was an able Jew—that Jonathan of our type, and Saul of Tarsus was one of the finest Pharisees that ever stood up in his own righteousness. Turn to Phil. 3, and read the honest account he gives of himself. He says, "Touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." This was what this Hebrew of the Hebrews could say; and oh, how many a poor Pharisee in our time sighs to say it! But now let us put Jonathan's question to Paul. Why did Paul strip himself? How clear and simple his answer: "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is... of God by faith." Phil. 3:7-97But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (Philippians 3:7‑9).
Very beautiful and very becoming, surely, this stripping is! The despised Jesus, who died on the cross for his sins, now appearing to this Hebrew of the Hebrews, this Pharisee of the Pharisees, in glory above the brightness of the sun: "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." What a change those words produced! In the after-years, this Paul could write of the glorious One that had been delivered for our offenses, and raised from the dead for our justification, to be our subsisting righteousness—yes, that God had raised Him from among the dead, the holy righteous One, our perfect and everlasting righteousness before God and the whole universe. (Rom. 4:25; 5:1825Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25)
18Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. (Romans 5:18); 1 Cor. 1:3030But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Corinthians 1:30); Phil. 3:9, 109And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (Philippians 3:9‑10).) And oh, the peace of God that fills the soul that thus knows Him, and the power of His resurrection!
Now we must see that all which had exalted Saul the Hebrew of the Hebrews was a discount against Christ; and hence, oh how gladly he strips himself that Christ may be all! Is your heart thus knit to Jesus? and are you thus stripped?
As Paul stripped off all, so "Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle." What a sense of the worthiness of David the savior-king! As a military prince, this giving up of the sword is very significant. What a surrender! It is written of the enthroned four and twenty elders that they "cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory and honor and power."
I take these, then, to be two very blessed marks of a Christian as illustrated in our Jonathan. Such a sense of the value of redemption through the blood of Jesus that the heart is knit to Him in love; and such a sense of what He is as our righteousness or justification, risen from the dead, as at once to strip us of the old robe of self-righteousness—yes, every rag, and sword, and girdle—all, all that is of self, its righteousness, its effort, fighting, and walk—all given up to Jesus the righteousness of God, Christ in resurrection.
And sure I am, dear reader, if Christ has not thus been revealed to you, as David stood revealed to Jonathan, nothing could induce you to give up your old robe, garment, sword, and girdle. If you cannot feel quite sure that your old robe is fit for the presence of God, the devil bids you hope that you may yet fight a better fight, and walk a better walk; it may be mass-making, law-keeping, rites and ceremonies—anything, if Satan can only keep you out of Jonathan's stripping room, where you are nothing and Christ is all.
We will now look a little further at this instructive history (1 Sam. 19). Where Christ is truly known, there is not a mere momentary excitement, but abiding love to Jesus, and increasing faith in His finished work—such faith as must confess Him before men, at whatever cost. Surely we see this in Paul, and in all the members of the early Church; and so I read in our chapter, "But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David." "Delighted much!" We should notice at this point of the history a striking parallel. At this time the kingdom of Israel was outwardly governed by the house of Saul. But God had rejected him and his house, and Samuel had anointed David; and faith knew him as the anointed and coming king. In like manner, faith now knows, from the record of God's Word, that the glory of this world, with its kingdoms and its god, is all judged and about to be swept away at the coming of the King of Righteousness and Prince of Peace.
Well, so it was, I say, in Israel at this time. The hatred that is now manifested to Christ and His true followers was in a like manner shown by Saul to David and his true little band of men. Do not forget this, will you? for you will find the world's hatred to Christ a true test of your own heart. Thus was Jonathan tested. "Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David." And what does the loving Jonathan do? He told David. Is not this beautiful? Oh that you and I may go and do likewise! Have you not at times been greatly surprised to find hatred to Jesus where you least expected it? You may have been invited to meet a few friends, nearly all professors. (Saul was a professor, by the way.) Very soon you find that any subject or person may be introduced for conversation except your much-loved Jesus, in whom you greatly delight. And as to the thought that He is the glorious coming King, you must not name such a thing. Oh, rise up from among these hypocrites! Go first and tell Jesus, and then speak for Jesus as Jonathan spoke for David; or, remember, if you do not, you, silently at least, deny your Lord, by even sitting with them who practically welcome Barabbas and say, Away with the returning Lord!
"Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee; for also what he did was very advantageous to thee. For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore, then, wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?"
Now was not this a good confession? We find Paul in the same track: "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord." And Jesus says, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:3838Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:38).
And as Jonathan spoke good of David, oh, cannot we speak good of Jesus? Has He not wrought a great salvation? Apart from Jesus, is there anything truly great or good? Has any other one glorified God about sin, as He has on the cross? Does any other thing or person give eternal life but the risen Jesus? Does any other thing give peace, even to a guilty conscience, but the blood of Jesus? I am not aware of anything in the history of the world, of all nations, that enables man to stand on the brink of the grave, that valley of Elah, and look steadfastly into eternity, and say, We are always confident. "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."
And far more, tell me, has not Jesus brought life and incorruptibility to light? Yes, through the self-existing One, by whom all created things began to exist; yet has He not through death taken a new place for man, beyond sin and death? And as the beginning of that new creation, is He not what we in resurrection shall forever be, "when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality"? And is He so soon to be manifested who is indeed "God manifest"?—ineffable center of universal worship, whose smile shall fill a universe with joy! Oh, in these few remaining days of His rejection here below, shall we be ashamed of Jesus? As our Jonathan confessed David in the doomed house of Saul, so, and more, may we confess Jesus before this doomed world!