Jonathan,Saul and David
I believe the Lord has finally answered my question about the death of Jonathan with Saul. I always wanted to know why did sweet Jonathan have to go down with Saul and why he did not go on to follow David? Why did he stay behind with Saul when he knew David was going to be King?
This past week I had an awful conflict with my daughter who is still in the Pentecostal church and has a very religious spirit but at times she is as Jonathan. She is part Jonathan and part Saul.
I suddenly realized the lesson we are to learn about Jonathan, Saul, and David. The reason Jonathan had to go down with Saul is because he never made the break from his “flesh” to enter into the life of David. He loved his flesh more than he loved David even though he had entered into covenant with him and loved him as his own soul.
Even as my daughter is a part of Saul (the church of religion) and also a part of the Spirit through baptism and the new covenant, she doesn't realize she is out to "kill" the life of David in me by way of her flesh. She does not yet understand the destructive power of the flesh to kill, steal and destroy the life of David that is ours through the baptism of the Spirit given to us to overcome the flesh.
Jonathan could not believe that Saul meant to do David harm even as we can't believe that our flesh will lead us to death if we obey it and the lusts thereof, but upon David's insistence he soon came to realize that Saul (the flesh) did indeed intend to kill David, but, still he did not separate himself from his flesh (in this case his father after the flesh, Saul.)
He just couldn’t bring himself to separate himself from his family tie even though in his mind he knew better. Due to his unbelief, the word of God never made the cut and division between soul and spirit that is so necessary for our successful walk in the Spirit. Jonathan and Saul remained one entity with a dual personality and naught but death would separate them.
The lesson of Jonathan and Saul is that even though our spirit has received the Holy Spirit and our mind the understanding of the cross, in Jonathan’s case, the soul was never conquered and remained unchanged with the powers of darkness still able to manifest whenever they chose. They will remain in power and control of the soul through the flesh just as they were in control of Saul and they dragged Saul to his death along with well-intentioned and well meaning Jonathan. “If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die.”
Jonathan’s covenant with David wasn't enough to separate him from his flesh. He started out good with triumphant victory and courage but he failed to follow through. He should have made his break from Saul when he had the revelation of who David was but because he did not obey and follow his heart he set himself up for deception.
There are many Christians like Jonathan who have accepted the new covenant but have not for whatever reasons, been able to follow on to know the Lord. They are content to remain behind with the Sauls and Johathan's of the church being deceived by the sweetness of Jonathan, all the while completely accepting of Saul’s bad behavior and “the works of the flesh”.