Reading
SAA Notes
Jonathan as the heir of God’s Christ acts by his faith. It is faith, not chance or luck that guides this young man. God routs His people’s enemies. It is fear of the Lord that sends the overwhelming Philistine army running. The earthquake unnerves them. They remember what happened the generation before with the Ark of the Lord. Faith not fears should warm our heart as we speak to others about Christ.
SJA Notes
* Holy God, hear our cry, listen to our prayer – From the end of the earth we call to you when our heart is faint. Let us to the rock that is higher than we are.
“So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die.”
The idea of ransom is woven tightly through God’s plan as revealed through His word.
We see another foolish oath (remembering Jephthah and his daughter).
Saul makes a rash command and promise, which has a poor strategic influence on the army, but bore a deeper problem of spiritual folly.
Saul is once again trusting in his own understanding.
Jonathan calls out his father’s foolishness.
Was God angry at Jonathan for breaking his father’s oath? Was God angry at Saul for making the oath? Was God silent because it was His will at that time to be silent?
The end of the matter is that Jonathan is taken by lot and Saul is ready and willing to kill him for the sake of his oath (a stark difference in motivation from Abraham with Isaac).
But.
But!
The people RANSOM Jonathan away from the wrath of the king.
This is a good work Israel did that day.
Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2,
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, …”
While in this passage we see the people of God ransoming one young man who loved God and served Him with courage and faithfulness – In Jesus we see one man, fully God and fully man, who gave Himself as a ransom for the entirety of His people throughout time and space.
Jesus’ work was without limit and has not lost any of its power or effectiveness today.
Praise God that He, as God in the Person of the Son, has ransomed us from His just wrath at our sin.
* God Above,
Please open our eyes today to Your word, writing it on our hearts so that we might not sin against You.
Amen.