Happy Fathers Day! I pray each of my readers has gotten to spend this weekend celebrating the special men in your lives. I am personally extremely blessed and grateful for the father to my children, my own father, and my father-in-law. Each of these men chose God for their homes and by doing so have blessed me and their children immensely.

I have been saving today’s topic for Father’s Day weekend, even though I’ve had this writing on my heart and mind for some time.

Sometimes I consider how blessed my life is because of the family I was born into and wonder what my life would be like if I had been born into a different situation. And as I read about some people in the Bible, my mind tends to wonder along those lines about them as well. In particular, I wonder about that for the sake of Jonathan.

Jonathan, the son of the first king of Israel. His inheritance as the next king should have been sealed. But because of the mistakes of his father, his title as future king is given to the man he calls his best friend. And in the end, Jonathan loses his life in a war of his father’s doing.

Yes, David was chosen and anointed by God as king of Israel. But I can’t help but wonder how differently things could have ended up for Jonathan if Saul had just kept his focus on God.

In order to fully explain my thought process, I have to backtrack a bit. There is a chain of parenting leading up to Jonathan that creates a pattern that greatly impacts their children and what their futures held. So follow along with me as we look into this group of parents, and as we prayerfully consider if our parenting aligns with any of theirs.

Let’s start with Hannah. A barren woman. She cries out to God asking for a child and vows to dedicate that child to God if he grants her greatest desire. And as hard as it had to have been, she followed through on her word. Hannah takes Samuel to Eli, the priest who witnessed her praying for this very son. “‘I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.’ And he worshiped the Lord there.”

I can’t even imagine the sacrifice this was for Hannah, but that’s a different writing for a different day. While it might seem extreme to us today, it is a picture of what we should all do with our children spiritually. The well-known Proverb to train up a child in the way he should go calls us all to this. The Hebrew connotation for the word train in this verse indicates to dedicate. As for the rest of the Proverb claiming that children who are dedicated in the way they should go would not depart from it when they are old, that came true for Samuel.

Samuel grew up in the church under Eli’s mentorship, and “The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.”

Hannah’s dedication of Samuel was not in vain. He grew to be a man of God who could prophesy, and people listened to him and respected his word.

But what about Eli’s own sons? The same man who raised Samuel is the same man whose sons “were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord.” There were many sins they were involved in, but they were even treating offerings others were presenting to God with contempt. When Eli heard of their actions, he warned them saying, “If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?” This warning, however, was too little too late.

A man of God comes to Eli to reveal a prophecy: “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always.”

How could the same man raise such drastically different men–Samuel, who grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people, and Hophni and Phinehas, who were contemptible to both God and man?

1 Samuel 3: 13 tells us, “His sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them.” Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.” The book of Proverbs is filled with instructions for parents to discipline their children, and this example is exactly why we need to do that. Because Eli did not reveal the truth to his sons sooner, that their actions were wrong, they cast off restraint and continued delving deeper into sins. Unfortunately, their example also fulfills another Proverb: “A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.” Not only are Eli’s sons prophesied to die, but he is told none of his descendants will serve God as priests in the future either. Such news would be grievous indeed.

Eli and Hannah are both presented as people who love and fear God. Perhaps what sets them apart is not their personal dedication to God, but that Hannah was faithful to dedicate her son to God as well while Eli was not.

One would think that after having seen the demise of Eli’s line, Samuel would be careful not to repeat those same mistakes, especially since he grew to become such a wise man of God. But, unfortunately, no, Samuel repeated the mistakes of the man who raised him. One might think of the term “generational curse” when we consider this type of situation.

1 Samuel 8 says that when Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders, but his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

“4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, ‘You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.’

6 But when they said, ‘Give us a king to lead us,’ this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.’”

What is so sad about this situation is that because Samuel’s sons are not desirable as leaders, it causes Israel to desire a king rather than a priest. A human king. Even though they already have God as their Lord. God tells Samuel they are ultimately rejecting him as Lord just as they have done many times over in the past.

Once again, could the fate of Israel have been altered had Samuel disciplined his sons? Would the people have been content with them leading as priests if they had been good men? Would it have curbed their desire for a king? The idea of God’s sovereignty versus man’s free will comes to mind in situations like this. This segment is just one chapter leading to David being crowned king, a lineage Jesus would descend from. I don’t personally believe God caused Samuel’s sons to stray in order to see David as king one day, but he still used this chapter to work things for the good of Israel.

Even in his sadness, Samuel was obedient and anointed the man God chose as the first king of Israel. Saul, the man who hid in the baggage to avoid being chosen. Saul did not step up as a valiant ruler until the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. He was able to prophesy and defeat enemies and therefore gained the respect of the people.

Following the pattern of his Hebrew ancestors, Saul who began in obedience, began to disobey God’s commandments. Because of this, Samuel delivers a similar message to what both he and Eli received: “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

If you had, your kingdom would have endured… for your sons. But he didn’t, so it won’t… for them.

What a sad pattern. Eli, Samuel, and now Saul.

However, Saul’s situation is a bit different than Eli’s and Samuel’s. Eli and Samuel did dedicate their lives to God but not their sons; Saul did not dedicate his life to God, but his son Jonathan did.

And now, I introduce to you someone I have grown to admire greatly: Jonathan.

Jonathan’s faith in God was so intense, he and his armor bearer alone attacked a group of Philistines, causing a God-sent panic amongst them. When Jonathan spoke with his armor-bearer about the two of them attacking a much larger group, he responded, “I am with you heart and soul.” Because of their faith in action, Saul and the Israelites were saved from the Philistines that day.

Immediately afterwards, Saul makes a foolish vow that any man who ate that day would be killed. As fate would have it, Jonathan did eat, and Saul declares he must die. However, Saul’s own men stand up to him and say: “‘Should Jonathan die—he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God’s help.’ So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.”

These examples go to show that the men of Israel are so devoted to Jonathan that they would risk their lives to follow his leadership and to confront his father the king. That kind of devotion doesn’t follow just any man; that kind of loyalty follows men like Jonathan. Unfortunately for him, “all the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines."

But Saul didn’t just battle with the Philistines. He battled with himself as well. But a shepherd boy had the music to soothe his soul: David.

And we know how the story goes from there. David kills Goliath and then gets a high rank in the army because of all of the success that follows. The Bible says this pleased all of the people and Saul’s officers as well. Jonathan made a covenant with David during this time “because he loved him as himself.” But “Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had left Saul.” It is Jonathan himself who warns David that his father wants to kill him, allowing David to flee for safety. And that wasn’t the only time Jonathan saved David from his father.

1 Samuel 23 says, “16 And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. 17 ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.’ 18 The two of them made a covenant before the Lord.”

We have all seen movies or read stories in which men will do terrible things in order to keep or steal the right to a throne. And yet Jonathan, who knows that David will be inheriting what he could consider rightfully ‘his,’ befriends David, encourages him in the Lord, and helps to keep him safe. If actions speak louder than words, then Jonathan’s actions are screaming about his character here. We should all consider ourselves very blessed if we have a friend like Jonathan in our lives.

Unfortunately, Jonathan loses his life in one of his father’s battles with the Philistines. Perhaps that is one reason God knew Israel would need David to lead them. Saul’s son who would be a worthy leader for the people would ultimately lose his life in the wartime of his father. Who am I to say what God was thinking? But I do know this: Jonathan was a good man whose life merited him a better future than what his father provided for him.

And that is a sad reality for far too many people.

But Jonathan’s faith was not forgotten. When David had established his rule as king, he asks: “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

Jonathan had a son who was crippled in both feet. When David learns of him, he asks that he be brought to him. Mephiboseth was probably terrified to hear that David wanted to meet with him. He was, after all, a living heir of Saul.

But David tells Mephibosheth, “Don’t be afraid, for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”

Mephibosheth, a boy who had been crippled the majority of his life, the grandson of the man who’d tried to kill David on multiple attempts, just received restoration and a seat at the king’s table. Probably in shock and overwhelmed, Mephibosheth responds by bowing and says, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” The next verse says: “So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.” The Bible doesn’t say how David replied, so we can’t know for sure. But I imagine if he had, he would have said something like, “It is because of who your father is.”

Saul’s deviation from God’s will stripped Jonathan from his chance as king and ended his life on the battlefield.

Jonathan’s dedication to God and his friend ensured his son still had a seat at the king’s table as the son of a king.

When we read people's life stories in the Bible or other historical accounts, we can see how all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together. We can see from the future the chain of cause and effects that led people to certain situations.

In the present, we don’t have that luxury. We can’t see how the decision we make today will affect our children in the future. But there are too many stories like this one out there for us to ignore the fact that our decisions do impact our children.

So it’s important for us to study these examples. We can learn from them. We can learn from what they did right and what they could have done better. It won’t make us perfect, but it can help us be wiser and more intentional for our children’s futures.

Hannah’s sacrifice and dedication of her son to God provided him with a future as a prophet who heard from God directly.

Eli and Samuel were dedicated to their own ministry but neglected to discipline or dedicate their sons, which caused them to lead lives of sin.

Saul became too prideful in his own efforts as king, resulting in him trying to do things his own way rather than God’s and taking away his descendants’ opportunities to lead one day.

Jonathan, however, broke the generational curse, and Mephibosheth benefited greatly because of it.

As I have described different parents of the past and the effect they had on their children, my intent is not to strike fear in parents’ hearts of potentially having a negative impact on our children’s futures. God is powerful enough that he can work things together for the good of our children even if we have made mistakes in our past. And let’s face it, who of us hasn’t?

Regardless of the past, we can all choose today to live in the fullness of God and to point our children in that direction as well. Even if they are now grown with children of their own, it is not too late to share your faith with them.

As parents we can have hope because, like Jonathan, Jesus broke a curse for us as well.

Perhaps as I described the generational curses of the fathers mentioned above, you pictured an affliction that has plagued your family as well. The good news is that Jesus broke the chains that bound your family to that curse many years ago.

Galatians 3:13 says, “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’”

No curse has any hold on you or your family any longer when Jesus sets you free. I pray everyone reading this letter is aware of the freedom available for each of us to walk in and lead our families in.

It is because of that freedom that we have hope. It is because of Jesus setting us free that one day, we will be called to our King’s home.

And as we stand there overwhelmed by his majesty and glory, we might say something like Mephibosheth: “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” We will not be invited there because of who we are but because of who our father is. And we will have a seat at the table of our King, our Father, the rest of our days.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

There is a song by Stuart Townsend that says:

“How deep the Father’s love for us, How vast beyond all measure,

That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss –The Father turns His face away,

As wounds which mar the Chosen One Bring many sons to glory.”

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It is beyond comprehension to consider God sacrificing his son so that we could be brought to glory with them one day. What a glorious day that will be!

And it will all be because of who our Father is.

Happy Father’s Day, God. What a good, good Father you are to us all.

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I pray this letter has encouraged you. It means more to me than you can imagine when I hear from any of you. Knowing that the words God gives me brings encouragement to others blesses me beyond measure.

I would be humbled if you felt led to share my newsletter with family or friends whom you feel it might benefit. If this letter has been forwarded to you and you would like to receive my newsletters monthly, please use the link below to sign up:

https://stillwaterswritings.kit.com/5149215172

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May God bless you all with Still Waters.

Love,

JulieAnna

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