I Need a Hero

One of my favorite Old Testament stories is the life of David. I have preached it different times at different locations over the years, and it is always received as one of people’s favorites. I recall when studying the book of 1 Samuel being reintroduced to Jonathan. Oh, I had met Jonathan before. I probably first met him 40+ years ago in a kindergarten Bible class on a flannel board. But I only knew him as David’s friend. Jonathan was much more than David’s friend. Jonathan had his own identity. It is a beautiful and heroic identity. It is just sometimes difficult to see it in David’s long shadow.

 Do we want to be someone’s hero? Not all heroes get their picture on the front page of the newspaper. When we think of the “Hero of First Samuel,” we automatically think of David standing over the giant. But the story of Jonathan is an equally heroic story. We don’t have to kill giants to be a hero, we just have to, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself,’” (NASB, Luke 10:27). That’s what Jonathan did.