So Jonathan told David, saying, “My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret place and hide. And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. Then what I observe, I will tell you.” 1 Samuel 19:2-3
A Picture of Jesus
Because of his intercessory measures, Jonathan the prince becomes a picture of Jesus, the Prince of Peace; the One who intercedes for us continually before the Father on His throne.
And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1b
However, the illustration falls apart almost immediately for two significant reasons. The first is that our Father in Heaven is nothing like King Saul. He does not seek to destroy us, but will allow us to obliterate ourselves if that is our desire. The reality is that our Father endeavors to save us.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned… John 3:17-18a
A Stronger Case
Jesus, as pictured by Jonathan, is protection for His followers, persistently pleading our case before the Throne. The other reason Jonathan’s representation breaks down is because his case before his Father is not as good as our Lord’s case before His Father. How so? Because Jonathan’s defense is based solely on David’s work on the battle field, while Christ’s case is based exclusively on His work on the cross of Calvary. As a result, Jonathan’s intercession lasts but a season, while our Lord and Savior’s intervention endures eternity.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
He Dwells -- The B'log in My Eye 