By Steve Sammons
BIG IDEA
Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is clear the path for someone else.
The world celebrates people who fight for what’s theirs. But what if real strength looks like handing over what was promised to you?
BACKGROUND
Jonathan was next in line for the throne of Israel. His father was King Saul, and the crown was his birthright. But Jonathan recognized something most of us miss: destiny doesn’t always follow bloodlines. Sometimes it follows calling.
STORY
Here’s a prince who wins a battle with just his armor-bearer.
Just two men. Climbing a cliff. Defeating twenty enemy soldiers. Triggering an earthquake and a full-scale rout (1 Samuel 14:1-23).
This guy was no pushover.
And yet.
When David walked into his life—a shepherd boy who’d just taken down a giant—Jonathan didn’t see a rival. He saw a friend. He saw a future king.
So Jonathan did something unthinkable.
He took off his royal robe and gave it to David. Then his armor. Then his sword, bow, and belt (1 Samuel 18:3-4).
Every symbol of his future power. Handed over. Freely.
We’re trained to climb. To compete. To protect what’s ours.
Jonathan shows us another way.
When his father tried to kill David, Jonathan warned him. When Saul’s jealousy turned murderous, Jonathan protected the very man who would take his throne (1 Samuel 19-20).
This was wisdom vs. weakness.
Years later, when David was hiding in the wilderness, exhausted and hunted, Jonathan found him. He didn’t come to reclaim anything. He came to encourage. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you” (1 Samuel 23:16-17).
Second.
A crown prince. Choosing second place. On purpose.
Most of us spend our lives trying to be first. The Jonathan story illustrates that knowing when to be second might be the greater gift.
He never got to serve alongside David. He died in battle with his father (1 Samuel 31). David’s lament for him is one of the most beautiful passages in Scripture: “Your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women” (2 Samuel 1:26).
Jonathan pointed beyond himself—to a better king, a greater kingdom.
Centuries later, another man would say: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Same posture. Same humility. The same recognition that some things matter more than our own advancement.
What if the best leadership move we could make isn’t grabbing more?
What if it’s opening our hands?