In our last two visits I introduced an impact thought and illustrated it by looking at the life of Joseph in the Old Testament. The impact thought is: God wants me to walk, work and worship with divine clarity while living in the midst of human ambiguity and ambivalence.
Let me share another example of one who lived out this impact thought. Jonathan was the son of the first king of Israel. When his father Saul began to drift away from God and compromise his life God promised to take his kingdom away from him and his family and give it to David.
Over time Jonathan and David became bosom friends. This put Jonathan into a very awkward position. His father hated David and tried killing him. Jonathan wanted to honor his father. His father felt as though Jonathan was the heir apparent to the throne of Israel. Jonathan, however, knew God directed Samuel to anoint David as the next king. He wanted to honor God’s choice, be faithful in his friendship to David, yet loyal to his father.
What a picture of human ambiguity and ambivalence!
It is amazing to see how Jonathan tried to show his father how faithful David had been to him. At the same time he shared with David his father’s intentions of tracking him down and killing him. That which enabled him to walk this fine line was his perception of divine clarity concerning his own position. He protected God’s anointed, David, no matter the cost to himself. He remained faithful to his father, dieing with him on the battle field.
David, the benefactor of his devotion, never forgot his sacrificial love.
