Stuck

Ever been stuck?

Not like in the mud, but stuck and not
knowing how to get out.

Imagine Jonathan's predicament, he's made a covenant with David, he loves him more than himself, they are needle and threaded together, but his father hates him and is attempting to kill him.

What would you do?

Oh, let's complicate things by reminding ourselves what Ephesians 1:3-4 says;

1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

Ever been there?

Tough spot, huh?

What did Jonathan do?

1 Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan was very fond of David 2 and warned him, "My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. 3 I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I'll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out." 1 Samuel 19:1-3

Jonathan did not allow his relationship with his father to jeopardize his spiritual relationship with God and with David. He spoke truth to David about his dad's hatred.

 4 Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. 5 He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The LORD won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?"

Jonathan is great example of how we should stand between God and other people in the ministry of reconciliation – reconciling people back to God and to each other.

Look at how Jonathan handled this:

He didn't flatter his father, nor did he insult him, he spoke the truth to his father about what he was doing wrong. Why is truth the hardest thing to speak to a love one?

He reminded Saul about the risk David took in fighting Goliath and how he was ready to die for Saul, that his motives weren't the throne or the rewards. When a relationship goes bad, don't we always question their motives?

He corrected the voices of others; the women had given credit to David or Saul, when it was the Lord who should have been given credit. Think about how many relationships are messed up by the voices of others!

He reminded him of his response before
others got
involved. Ever been there? At first you see the good in a relationship, but others come in and start pointing out the flaws, man, it can take a relationship south in a heartbeat!

Then he asked why. Jonathan carefully addressed the issues without getting emotional, asked the question and then he was silent.

Here's Saul's reply:

 6 Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: "As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death."

So finally, he goes and speaks the whole truth to David and brings them back together.

 7 So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

There is so much in here about reconciling relationships, I would encourage you to spend some time thinking about the strategies employed by Jonathan and how they might help you reconcile a relationship.

Maybe you won't find yourself stuck!