“Sin is crouching at your door, and its desire is contrary to you, but you must resist it [תִּמְשָׁל].”[1]

This post is about resistance.

Perhaps one of the best, and most complex, stories of resistance is ‘The Life of Jonathan.’ Jonathan’s father was ruled by fear and darkness. Moreover, Jonathan’s father was the supreme leader. Jonathan’s father established The First Order, which decreed, “Everyone shall be paranoid, and paralyzed by fear and darkness.”[2] …But Jonathan rebelled against his father’s decree![3] 

Then Jonathan’s father outlawed the joy of honey.

And once again, Jonathan rebelled against his father’s decree![4]

Then Jonathan’s father tried to kill him.[5]

But a rebel alliance  formed, and they intervened to save Jonathan from being murdered by his father.[6]

Then Jonathan’s father used his power as supreme leader to decree that the empire should never belong to anyone other than the Sith (a.k.a. Saul and his descendants), and most especially it should never be ceded to a ruddy rowdy shepherd king, from the podunk town of Bethlehem, descended from the inglorious[7] tribe of Judah!

But Jonathan rebelled against his father’s tenebrous edict, and he gave the empire to a ruddy rowdy shepherd king, from the podunk town of Bethlehem, descended from the inglorious[8] tribe of Judah![9]

Then Jonathan’s father became enraged, and he said to Jonathan, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! You have prodigally relinquished our family’s empire to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness!” And then Jonathan’s father attempted to murder Jonathan again, by hurling a spear at him.[10]

[1] See Genesis 4:7. See also Hebrews 12:1-4; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8-11.

[2] “All the people followed Saul, trembling; hiding in holes, and in tombs, and in cisterns.” [1 Samuel 13:6-7]

[3] Jonathan disagreed with his father’s caution-at-all-cost decree, and he said to his armor bearer, “Let’s go over to the Philistine fortress and pick a fight! And let’s NOT tell my father about it, because he has outlawed such actions, deeming them reckless and risky. My father cowers and quakes at the mere thought of fighting the Philistines, and thus he has timidly fled to the suburbs, and barricaded himself in a bunker with 600 body guards and sycophant clergymen. Let us subversively sneak off to risk our lives in rock climbing, and waging war against the Philistines!” [1 Samuel 13:5-7, 14:1-15] 

[4] People entered the forest and they saw honey! But nobody ate the honey, because they feared the Satanic decree of the supreme leader [see also Mark 7:8-9; Matthew 23:4, 13-15, 27-28, 33]. But Jonathan ate the honey and his eyes became bright! And Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. How much better it would be if the people had eaten freely!” [1 Samuel 14:29-30]

[5] See 1 Samuel 14:44.

[6] See 1 Samuel 14:45.

[7] See Genesis 38.

[8] See Genesis 38.

[9] 1 Samuel 18:1-5.

[10] 1 Samuel 20:30-33.