Jonathan Jonathan, the oldest son of King Saul, was in line to be the next king. Yet when God rejected Saul and chose David, Jonathan welcomed and supported David’s rise to power (1 Sam 18:1-4; 19:1-7). Jonathan was a magnificent military leader. He led his father’s army to victory over the Philistine garrison at Geba (13:3-4). In another daring move, Jonathan and his armor bearer attacked a Philistine outpost by themselves; the ensuing confusion threw the Philistine army into disarray, allowing the main Israelite army to attack and win the day (14:1-23; see also David’s eulogy of Jonathan, 2 Sam 1:22). Saul had unwisely taken an oath that no one should eat until victory had been won. Jonathan did not know of the vow and ate some honey. When he learned of Saul’s vow, Jonathan criticized it harshly, and Saul would have executed Jonathan after the battle he had helped to win if the people had not intervened. When Jonathan and David met, they quickly became friends (1 Sam 18:1-4). Jonathan expressed his deep love for David by giving him his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt, which may have represented Jonathan’s belief that David should be the next ruler. When Saul tried to h...

Saul Saul was the first king of Israel. He was chosen by God and the people, but he failed tremendously because he lacked confidence in himself and in God. Saul was a very complex character who sometimes elicits our sympathy. He was also the source of his own problems, especially as he brought heartache and trouble into the lives of those close to him. Saul, the son of a wealthy landowner, became king unexpectedly and reluctantly. The people had requested a king to help them fight their battles, so they were happy with Saul, who was a head taller than anyone else (1 Sam 10:23). Their military problems were overwhelming, however, and Saul was not a confident military leader. Had it not been for the prophet Samuel and Saul’s son Jonathan, Saul’s reign might have been marked by complete disaster. Saul offended God by taking rash vows during wartime (14:16-46) and wrongly performing sacrifices before battle rather than waiting for Samuel (13:7b-14). He also failed to obey God’s instruction to destroy all the people and plunder of the Amalekites (15:1-35). So God determined to remove Saul from the kingship and sent Samuel to anoint David. Soon Saul was deeply suspicious of Davi...