As Saul’s son, Jonathan was the rightful successor to the throne. From a worldly perspective, he was the next in line to become king of Israel, and with that role would come great wealth and power. But God does not operate according to humanity’s expectations or customs. He had chosen David, not Jonathan, to succeed Saul. Jonathan knew that, and Jonathan accepted it.

As Jonathan and David prepared to part ways, Jonathan asked David a question that assumed something important: that David would be king, not him. Jonathan recognized that he, and his family, would stand or fall at the whim of his friend David.

There are times in our lives when God does the unexpected, the unorthodox. There are times when what we think we earned, what we think we deserve, goes to another. Perhaps we feel passed over. Or it might be that a good friend becomes better friends with someone else. Whatever it is, we will find ourselves in the same position as Jonathan. Will we resist God, will we fight and push back, digging in our heels over what we feel we deserve? Or will we trust God, yield to Him, and acknowledge that His ways are higher than ours?

How should Christ’s humility in dying a death He did not deserve shape the way you see what you have earned or deserve in life?