He never became king. He died in his prime of life. But Jonathan is a great example of sacrificial love. Many theologians note the similarities between Jonathan and Jesus. David's best friend pointed towards David's "Greater Son" in the way he exercised humility and willingly sacrificed his life for others.

2. MAJOR LEAGUE INSTRUCTION FROM
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS IN THE BIBLE
•Played 22 years in the
minor leagues.
•2418 hits and 234 HRs
•900 extra base hits.
•Batting average: .314Lee Riley

3. MAJOR LEAGUE INSTRUCTION FROM
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS IN THE BIBLE
Jonathan
Sacrificial Love

4. MAJOR LEAGUE INSTRUCTION FROM
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS IN THE BIBLE
First Point
Sacrificial love takes
risks.

5. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
•Saul has 2000
troops in Michmash.
•Jonathan has 1000
troops in Geba.
•The Philistines show
up in force at
Michmash.

6. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 13 – Grossly Outnumbered!
5 And the Philistines mustered to
fight with Israel, thirty thousand
chariots and six thousand horsemen
and troops like the sand on the
seashore in multitude.

7. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 13 – Grossly Outarmed!
19 Now there was no blacksmith to
be found throughout all the land of
Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest
the Hebrews make themselves
swords or spears.”

8. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 13 – Grossly Outarmed!
20 But every one of the Israelites
went down to the Philistines to
sharpen his plowshare, his mattock,
his axe, or his sickle,

9. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 13 – Grossly Out-armed!
21 and the charge was two-thirds of a
shekel for the plowshares and for
the mattocks, and a third of a
shekel for sharpening the axes and
for setting the goads.

10. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 13 – Grossly Out-armed!
22 So on the day of the battle there
was neither sword nor spear found
in the hand of any of the people
with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul
and Jonathan his son had them. 23
And the garrison of the Philistines
went out to the pass of Michmash.

11. 1 Samuel 14 – Dependent upon God
6 Jonathan said to the young man
who carried his armor, “Come, let us
go over to the garrison of these
uncircumcised. It may be that
the LORD will work for us, for nothing
can hinder the LORD from saving by
many or by few.”

12. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 14 – Dependent upon God
7 And his armor-bearer said to him,
“Do all that is in your heart. Do as
you wish. Behold, I am with you
heart and soul.”

13. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Sam. 14: God evens the odds!
14 And that first strike, which
Jonathan and his armor-bearer
made, killed about twenty men
within as it were half a furrow's
length in an acre of land.

14. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Sam. 14: God evens the odds!
15 And there was a panic in the
camp, in the field, and among all the
people. The garrison and even the
raiders trembled, the earth quaked,
and it became a very great panic.

15. MAJOR LEAGUE INSTRUCTION FROM
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS IN THE BIBLE
What motivated Jonathan’s risks?
1. He wanted to establish his
father’s rule.

16. MAJOR LEAGUE INSTRUCTION FROM
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS IN THE BIBLE
What motivated Jonathan’s risks?
1. He wanted to establish his
father’s rule.
2. He wanted to change the
misfortunes of his people.

17. MAJOR LEAGUE INSTRUCTION FROM
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS IN THE BIBLE
Second Point
Sacrificial love defends
those at risk.

18. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 18 – Jonathan’s Love for David
1As soon as he had finished speaking
to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was
knit to the soul of David, and
Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

19. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 18 – Jonathan’s Love for David
2And Saul took him that day and would
not let him return to his father's
house. 3 Then Jonathan made a
covenant with David, because he loved
him as his own soul.

20. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 18 – Jonathan’s Love for David
4 And Jonathan stripped himself of
the robe that was on him and gave it
to David, and his armor, and even
his sword and his bow and his belt.

21. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 18 – Jonathan’s Love for David
5 And David went out and was
successful wherever Saul sent him, so
that Saul set him over the men of war.
And this was good in the sight of all the
people and also in the sight of Saul's
servants.

22. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 18 – Saul’s Jealousy
6 As they were coming home, when
David returned from striking down the
Philistine, the women came out of all
the cities of Israel, singing and dancing,
to meet King Saul, with tambourines,
with songs of joy, and with musical
instruments.

23. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 18 – Saul’s Jealousy
7 And the women sang to one
another as they celebrated,
“Saul has struck down his
thousands, and David his ten
thousands.”

24. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 19 – God’s hardening of Saul
9 Then a harmful spirit from
the LORD came upon Saul, as he sat
in his house with his spear in his
hand. And David was playing the
lyre.

25. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 19 – God’s hardening of Saul
10 And Saul sought to pin David to
the wall with the spear, but he
eluded Saul, so that he struck the
spear into the wall. And David fled
and escaped that night.

26. MAJOR LEAGUE INSTRUCTION FROM
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS IN THE BIBLE
Troubling Question
Why is God instigating a conflict
between King Saul and David?
Jonathan seems to be the
peacemaker and God the
warmonger.

27. MAJOR LEAGUE INSTRUCTION FROM
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS IN THE BIBLE
Third Point
Sacrificial love puts
other’s first.

28. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 20 – Jonathan’s plea
14 If I am still alive, show me the
steadfast love of the LORD, that I may
not die; 15 and do not cut offyour
steadfast love from my house forever,
when the LORD cuts off every one of
the enemies of David from the face of
the earth.”

29. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
15 David saw that Saul had come out to
seek his life. David was in the
wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. 16 And
Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to
David at Horesh, and strengthened his
hand in God.
1 Samuel 23 – Jonathan’s Covenant

30. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 23 – Jonathan’s Covenant
17 And he said to him, “Do not fear,
for the hand of Saul my father shall
not find you. You shall be king over
Israel, and I shall be next to you.
Saul my father also knows this.”

31. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 23 – Jonathan’s Covenant
18 And the two of them made a
covenant before the LORD. David
remained at Horesh, and Jonathan
went home.

32. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 31 – Jonathan’s Sacrifice
1Now the Philistines were fighting
against Israel, and the men of Israel
fled before the Philistines and fell
slain on Mount Gilboa.

33. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
1 Samuel 31 – Jonathan’s Sacrifice
2 And the Philistines overtook Saul
and his sons, and the Philistines
struck down Jonathan and Abinadab
and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

34. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
2 Samuel 1 – David’s Lament
25“How the mighty have fallen in the
midst of the battle! Jonathan lies
slain on your high places.

35. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
2 Samuel 1 – David’s Lament
26I am distressed for you, my brother
Jonathan; very pleasant have you
been to me; your love to me was
extraordinary, surpassing the love of
women.

36. SECOND STRING SAINTS: JONATHAN
2 Samuel 1 – David’s Lament
27 “How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war
perished!”

37. MAJOR LEAGUE INSTRUCTION FROM
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS IN THE BIBLE
John 15:13
13 Greater love has no one than
this, that someone lay down his life
for his friends.

38. MAJOR LEAGUE INSTRUCTION FROM
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS IN THE BIBLE
What are some of the
ways we can lay down
our lives for others?

39. MAJOR LEAGUE INSTRUCTION FROM
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS IN THE BIBLE
As Disciples…
What is your next step of
obedience to Jesus?

40. MAJOR LEAGUE INSTRUCTION FROM
MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS IN THE BIBLE
As Leaders…
What is your next step of
sacrifice for Jesus and
His church?