Jonathan and David, a Very Special FriendshipSample

Saul and Jonathan died in battle

“And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul… Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.” (1 Samuel 31:2-4)

The last chapter about Jonathan is incredibly sad. His life came to a tragic end in a battle against the Philistines. He died there on the same day as his brothers, his father and numerous other soldiers. The Philistines achieved a resounding victory and conquered a large area of Israel. They took King Saul's head and weapons as trophies to the temples of their gods and hung his body on a city wall. Saul's sons were also hung like this. What a humiliation!

A group of Israelite men put an end to this by taking the bodies away at night, burning them and burying the bones near their own city. Years later, these were transferred by David to Saul's birthplace and family tomb as a final tribute.

In this sad story, it is striking how Jonathan remained loyal to his father to the end, even though he absolutely disagreed with Saul's behavior toward David. As David put it in a song, “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided” (2 Samuel 1:23).

Saul's life ended tragically because he had forsaken God. His son Jonathan also bore the consequences of Saul's choices. Is that fair? What do you think?