Q. Why did Jonathan have to suffer for the sins of his father?
Because of the sins of his father Saul, Jonathan did suffer in many ways. For one thing, he died in battle, apparently trying to defend his father from enemy soldiers who had invaded the country and who were in hot pursuit of him. Jonathan was a lifelong soldier who led a major part of Israel’s armies, and it was always possible that he might be killed in battle one day. But we know from the biblical accounts that he was careful to go into battle only where and when God led him, so perhaps he would not have been killed in such a way or at such a time, while still relatively young, if not for his father’s sins. God had told Saul that he would die in this battle because he had disobeyed him.
Jonathan also suffered a loss because, as a result of his father’s sins, he would not have become the next king of Israel after his father’s death even if he had survived. Because of Saul’s first serious disobedience, the prophet Samuel told him, “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.” The phrase “for all time” represents a Hebrew expression that means “to indefinite futurity.” The implication is that God would have established a dynasty for Saul, so that his eldest son Jonathan would have succeeded him as king. But instead God chose someone else, David, to be the next king.
Jonathan, however, did not resent this. He recognized God’s anointing on David and the gifts and strengths that David had, and they became best friends. At one point Jonathan told David, “You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you.” Jonathan was looking forward to helping David rule Israel, probably as the commander of his army. So the relationship between Jonathan and David made Jonathan experience what his role would be after his father’s death not as a loss but as something that he was looking forward to. However, Saul’s jealousy and fear of David led him to seek to kill David, and David had to flee for his life. As a result, Jonathan was deprived of many years that he could have spent together with his best friend. He may have considered that the greatest thing he suffered because of his father’s sins.
So why did these things happen to him? How was it fair for God to allow Jonathan to suffer because of the sins of his father? I think the answer is that the human community is such a closely interwoven network of relationships that anything one person does inevitably affects other people. Since that is the case, it’s actually not fair of us to do things that we know are wrong and that we know have consequences and then blame God when those consequences affect other people. Seeing how Jonathan suffered because of his father’s sins, and feeling regret and sympathy for him because of that, should make us vigilant not to do things ourselves that will cause others in our lives, especially our loved ones and those closest to us, to suffer as a result.
Good Question 