Old Testament reading: 1 Samuel 19-20
“No good deed goes unpunished.” 1 Samuel 19 continues the saga of Saul’s persecution of David and includes Jonathan’s righteous intervention. I believe Jonathan gets shortchanged in discussions of great men of the Bible. 1 Samuel 14:6 contains a great statement of his faith, “Nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many of by few.” Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul (19:4), all the while knowing Saul hated David. Later he would say to David, “You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you” (23:17). What a magnificent declaration! By the ways of man, Jonathan was next in line to the throne of his father. But Jonathan cared nothing for the ways of man. He was devoted to the things of God. Thus, he recognized God’s choice for David to succeed Saul, and he stood by that choice even though his father sought to sever him from David by means of that very subject (1 Sam 20:30-31). Every man needs a Jonathan in his life, a fiercely loyal friend and faithful confidant.
New Testament reading: Mark 9-10
Mark 9:1 is problematic for our Jehovah Witness friends as well as those who adhere to the errors of premillennialism. Jesus expressly stated that there were some who were standing with Him who would not die until they witnessed the kingdom of God coming with power. Jehovah’s Witness literature is filled with their belief that the kingdom was not established until October of 1914. Pray tell, who was alive in the days of Mark 9:1 who did not see death until October 1914? Moreover, the Jehovah’s Witnesses would have us to believe the kingdom was established secretly, not in plain view of all as Jesus Himself prophesied. On the other hand, our premillennial friends believe the kingdom has not yet been established. I’m not sure which is a worse position to take. Both are equally wrong, so I guess it doesn’t matter. The kingdom of God on earth is the church (Matthew 16:16-19). Paul said he and the Colossians had been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col 1:13). John said he was a companion in it with the seven churches of Asia (Rev 1:9). Neither doctrine can be reconciled with the clear statements of the Lord Jesus and His apostles.
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