David stood before Jonathan, a bit in shock, to say the least. His friend, the prince of Israel and the heir apparent to the throne, had just removed his royal robe and given it to David—the symbol of his princely position. Then he removed his weapons, symbols of his authority and leadership as second-in-command, and his belt, which would have held all his wealth and treasure as a rich, powerful warrior. He willingly and humbly handed them over to his best friend. In today’s devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef examines Jonathan’s humble response to the rise of David.
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[00:00:00] You are listening to MY Devotional, the Daily Devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading The Way. Recognizing Gods Favor by Dr. Michael Youssef. In first Samuel chapter 18 verses 1 through 30, we read that David stood before Jonathan, a bit in shock.
[00:00:19] His friend, the Prince of Israel and the heir apparent to the throne, had just removed his royal robe and given it to David, the symbol of his princely position. Then he removed his weapons, symbols of his authority and leadership as second in command
[00:00:36] and his belt which would have held all his wealth and treasure as a rich powerful warrior. He willingly and humbly handed them over to his best friend. This humble prince loved the Lord and recognized God's anointing on David,
[00:00:53] even though his souls old as son he was expected to be next in line to the throne, Jonathan willingly stepped aside to make room for the man God had chosen. It was a tremendous gesture. Given to any other man, it likely would have gone to his head.
[00:01:10] But not David. He understood that the favor of the King's son was not due to anything he had done, rather he recognized it as a gift from the hand of God. Before he had killed Goliath, no one had known David's name.
[00:01:24] But after that great victory, word spread of the spray-vean man. In fact, the women in the region wrote a song about David's military prowess. They sang, saw his slain, his thousands and David his tens of thousands.
[00:01:40] Hearing that kind of praise from the other people didn't affect David, he remained humble. Saul, on the other hand, was enraged and jealous over the people's love for David. Even though David had saved the nation, Saul wanted him dead. David could have feared Saul, but he didn't.
[00:01:59] Instead, Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with David, but had departed from Saul. That fear, of course, turned into rage. However, Saul knew he couldn't get rid of David, so he sent him into battle to let the Philistines kill him.
[00:02:15] But each time he sent David to fight, David came back victorious. When enlisted in the army of the living God, your commander and chief will ensure you are invincible until it's time to go home.
[00:02:29] When the Jonathan's in your life honor you, don't let it go to your head. The favor is really from the Lord, and when the Saul's in your life try to destroy you. Trust that the Lord will protect you.
[00:02:42] Keep your heart honed on him, and he will keep you steady during life's ups and downs. Let's pray together. Lord, we know that you hold our lives in your hands.
[00:02:55] May we trust you with every breath and seek to draw near to you and to be holy as you are holy. Forgive us for our failings, and empower us to live for you. We pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen. www.org today.