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 the shame of your mother’s nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom.”
1 Sam 20:30-31
After reading about Jonathan, he has certainly become one of my favorite characters of the bible. Here is a man who sought the common good for all and had zero selfish ambition. He was a tremendous man despite the fact that his father was a rebellious idiot.
Jonathan was the son of a king and heir to the throne as we can see in the above passage. People throughout all of history have always fought selfishly for the title of king and would kill and deceive to get it. There are many historical accounts of entire families being murdered, brothers murdering brothers, and the murders of any competition to the throne. But here Jonathan was not only friendly with David, but also sought to protect him from his father, who continually tried to kill him. As a matter of fact, Jonathan and David were best friends.\
Jonathan is an example of a man who cared little about himself and, instead, sought the general good of all, even if that meant he wasn’t going to be in the spotlight. He recognized that David was God’s chosen and that didn’t bother him. It was a pleasure for him to serve David.
Hal Chaffee 