Always the Bridesmaid...

1 Samuel 11-15

Seems to me that Jonathan is one of those people that never really got his due... he remained always the bridesmaid, never the bride. His father King Saul encouraged the Israelites to join him in battle, then led them into battle, but he never really showed the kind bravery and faith that Jonathan displayed in 1 Samuel 14. While Saul and his 600 men camped beside the pomegranate tree trying to figure what to do about the Philistine army, Jonathan and his armor bearer... approached a Philistine outpost, laid a fleece before the Lord, received the Lord's response, climbed the cliff to the outpost, then attacked and killed the 20 men there. The Lord used this attack to create confusion and fear within the Philistine army such that they began attacking each other. Later, after David came into the scene, Jonathan could have chosen to be jealous of David, but instead chose the more honorable route and supported David in his bid for the throne that traditionally would have been his.