We have all heard the popular idiom, "Look out for number one". Essentially this means to do what you think is best for yourself and don't care about others in the process. People might not be so bold as to openly state this application to themselves, but in reality this is how life is often played out.

David was obviously anointed and both Saul and Jonathon knew it. Saul was currently on the throne, and Jonathon was the heir to the throne when Saul died. So they both had the same to lose should David ascend to the throne, but their response was completely opposite. Saul was full of pride, envy, a desire for power and anger. We read in 1 Samuel 18:12, "Now Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul." Again, we read this in 18:28, "Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David,...".

Saul's response to God's calling of David was to repetitively attempt to kill him. Jonathon also saw God's hand on David's life, and we see his response in 18:3-4, "Then Jonathon and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathon took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt." This was a tremendous show of support and brotherly love to the one who would become king instead of him. Saul cannot fathom Jonathon's reaction to David where we read a little later in 20:31, "For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die." When one is called by God it is a serious thing to oppose him. We see this with Jesus. We read in John 3:1, from Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the ruling Sanhedrin concerning Jesus, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." We read why more did not come to support Jesus from the Pharisees in John 12:42-43, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." Gamaliel gives wise advice to the Pharisees as they imprisoned Peter and John, in Acts 5:38-39, "And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it - lest you be found to fight against God."

So, how does this apply to us? How do we respond when we feel we deserve something, and that thing is given to another? As the process is unfolding do we manipulate, conspire, point out the weaknesses of our opponents with the hope of directing the attention back onto ourselves? This can be so subtle. Little veiled compliments that are really not compliments at all, etc. The fact is can we be truly happy and supportive of another when they get what we want? We each have a choice to make, we can either be like Saul who tried to destroy his competition, or we can be like Jonathon who loved and supported his competition. The reality is, the competition only really exists in our own minds, since God already knows the outcome beforehand. Our actions are simply a manifestation of who we choose to seek during a trial, ourselves or Him. For if we seek Him, we cannot lose, we only get closer to Him through the process independent of the outcome.