WEDNESDAY July 17, 2019
A Heart Revealed
Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”
1 Samuel 20:30-31
Jonathan, testing his father’s reaction, told his father that David had gone to Bethlehem to eat the feast with his family. Saul’s heart was instantly revealed-––he did not hold back his angry words. He insulted his own son in front of everyone who came to eat at the feast. He embarrassed Jonathan in front of everybody.
Saul said to Jonathan, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman!” He called into question Jonathan’s loyalty, and disgraced the honor of his mother. In Hebrew, what Saul said was a terrible insult to Jonathan. He was accused of being twisted by his loyalty to David and to have a stubborn refusal to obey the authority of his father.
Did Saul not recognize how loyal the friendship was between David and Jonathan? Saul was furious that Jonathan chose David over him. He attempted to get into his heart and mind, saying, “Do you not understand that if you let David live, you can never be King of Israel?”
Saul had high expectations and ambitions for his son, but Jonathan did not want to be king; he knew God had chosen and anointed David to be king. Jonathan’s only ambition was to keep loyal to David––he would never go against the will of God and challenge David for the position of king.
As a father how many times do you want to push your children into something God has not called them to be in? We want them to be just like us. Not so! We have to allow them to be what God has called them to be.
Ambition rides without rein.
~John Trapp~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!