I shall be next to you

While I was reading 1  Sam 23:17 I felt pity for Jonathan.

He knew that his father Saul was wrong, David was the chosen and anointed king of Israel, and soon kingdom will be handed over to him.  Even though he saw no possibility of it as long as his father is alive, he had the revelation of the Holy Spirit to read through the will of the Father.

“And he said to him, Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. And you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. And my father Saul knows that also.” 1  Sam 23:17

Even though Jonathan loved David so much, made a covenant with him, wished to be the next one in Saul's Kingdom, he could not achieve that.

He was not at all power hungry, not selfish, given completely to fulfilling the will of the Father. He did not say to David,

‘My father will hand over kingdom to me. I will become the king. You will be next to me’.

This is called predestination in Jesus Christ. Since Jonathan was not called or chosen, he had to fall and die along with his father. He was good to David. He helped David in the maximum possible way even risking his own life.  Helping David and rescuing him from the ferocious anger and jealousy of his father seems to be the purpose of Jonathan’s life.

In this world we see certain people used like this by the Lord.  They look to be good.  They are placed in high position. They might be of great help to God's children too. But they could not accept Jesus Christ, who is the only way to eternal life. They will be rewarded in this world immensely for what they have done to the children of God. Their life ends there. They will be rewarded in this world for what they have done.  Here lies the reason of unbelievers flourishing in this world while the servants of God are suppressed and crushed.

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Nigeria: Massive Attack Shows True Horror of Fulani Crisis

ICC has confirmed that the death toll in recent attacks on villages near Jos, Nigeria has risen to more than 230 Christians. The attacks are believed to have been conducted by Fulani militants who used machetes and firearms to slaughter the predominantly Berom villagers. The police originally reported that 86 had been killed, but our local representative was part of the body recovery effort and has confirmed this much higher number. 

The series of attacks took place in the villages of Xland, Gindin Akwati, Ruku, Nghar, Kura Falls, Kakuruk, Rakok, Kok, and Razat. All of these villages are in the districts of Gashish and Ropp in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. Many of the victims were women and young children. The youngest person known to have been killed was a three-month-old baby boy who was slaughtered by machete. 

The first attack took place Saturday after the funeral of a relative of an important clergyman in Gashish District. Pam Chollom, a pastor who leads the Church of Christ in Nations reported, “Fulani people attacked our members who attended the burial of the father of one of our clergy…The armed Fulani ambushed the sympathizers on their way back from the burial, attacked and killed 34 persons from Bekan village, 39 others from Kufang, and 47 from Ruku Village.”

A resident reported via telephone to Morning Star News that 70 corpses have been recovered in the village of Nghar, and that the entire village had been burned. 

In Xland and Gindin Akwati villages, the herdsmen killed about 60 Christians, another resident reported over the phone. Multiple churches, worship buildings, and pastors’ homes were targeted in these attacks. Thousands of people have been displaced in these villages and are now unable to access their homes or work on their farms.

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari released a response to the attacks via Twitter: "The grievous loss of lives and property arising from the killings in Plateau is painful and regrettable. My deepest condolences to the affected communities. We will not rest until all murderers and criminal elements and their sponsors are incapacitated and brought to justice."

However, Reverend T. Y. Danjuma of the Christian Association of Nigeria quotes President Buhari as telling a post-attack gathering of leaders “to learn to live peacefully with their neighbors”, and that “the Fulani are known to be peaceful and carry stick, but are not known to have guns.” Buhari’s seeming indifference has left many people in Jos angry over the continued violence and inaction by the government. 

There has been controversy over whether or not the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) claimed its people had committed the attacks. A published article credited Danladi Ciroma, a MACBAN leader, with saying the attack was conducted by Fulani in reprisal for the rustling of cattle. However, a subsequent report claimed that Ciroma never made these statements. The conflicting reports have added confusion to an already chaotic situation.

Nathan Johnson, ICCs Regional Manager for Africa, said “It is time for the Nigerian government to stop its political talk and begin to protect the lives and property of all its citizens. The Buhari regime must also punish these perpetrators who are literally killing babies in their beds. If they are unwilling or unable to provide security to their own people and punish these criminals, then the international community will have to step in to ensure such massacres are not repeated.”

Death Toll in Jos, Nigeria Attacks at 218, including Pastor, Wife and Son

An Assemblies of God Nigeria pastor, his wife and son were among at least 218 people killed in Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacks on predominantly Christian areas near Jos on June 23-25, a denominational leader said.
 
Two days after the general superintendent of the AG-Nigeria denomination, the Rev. Chidi Okoroafor, reported the deaths of the Rev. Musa Choji and family members in the Barkin Ladi area near Jos, the federal government on Thursday (June 28) ordered the arrest of a pastor who organized protests of the killings, Christian leaders said.
 
The Rev. Isa Nenman, a pastor in Jos, was arrested on Thursday after the protests reportedly resulted in property destruction when he led demonstrators to the Government House, the residence of the governor of Plateau state, on Wednesday (June 27). Nenman is northern zone chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Plateau state chapter.
 
“Following yesterday’s peaceful protest by CAN supported by youth groups, the CAN chairman, Northern Zone, is in police custody, and there is a directive from Abuja to make arrests,” Paul Dekete, one of the facilitators of the protest march, said in a press statement.
 
The protest saw thousands of Christians dressed in black marching to the Governor’s House to demonstrate against incessant attacks on Christians in the state by armed Fulani herdsmen. Prior to the protests, Christians in Plateau state had observed two days of fasting and prayer on Wednesday and Thursday (June 27-28).
 
The protestors carried a placard calling for the government to “Declare Fulani herdsmen as terrorist,” and another one that read, “Ransack Fulani settlements.” The protests started peacefully, but after the governor declined to receive them, protestors reportedly tried to storm the premises, threw stones at cars and offices and chased government officials.
  
Nigeria ranked 14^th on Open Doors’ 2018 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution.
 

Iraqi Christians Fearful That New Tax Signals Upcoming Persecution

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on January 23, 2018, the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) issued an order that business owners in Ankawa would be charged a fee when renewing their license. This order was not applied until June 2018. 

Ankawa is a predominately Christian neighborhood in Erbil whose residents report increasing pressure from Muslims relocating to Ankawa. One Christian resident told ICC, “It was not allowed for Muslims to come and have a house in Ankawa, but now it is a preferable area for Muslims and there are a lot of Muslims who have connections and they are getting permissions.”  

This history has contributed to the concerns of Christians that the new tax is being levied against them with ill intentions. Ankawa Today published a statement reading,“For those who doubted the presence of a high tax (jizya) that is exclusively imposed by the Kurdish government on the people of Ankawa and not the other Kurdish towns, it is also worth mentioning that the same tax is being applied gradually on Semel (another Christian majority town near Dohuk), which is clearly discriminatory against Christians… A simple example is the Kurdish town of Baharka which is just next to Ankawa and does not differ from it (administratively speaking) and has no such tax agency office.”

“This tax is unfair because there are no services presented by the government, I pay for main electricity and have my own generator, I pay for water, I pay for the car which takes the garbage every day. Whenever I have any problem I hire a worker to fix it, the government is not involved by any means," said Milad, who owns several shops in Ankawa.

Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager, said, “For decades, Iraq’s Christians have long suffered discriminatory policies that reinforce the narrative that believers are vulnerable second-class citizens. History shows that this narrative has led to exploitation and targeted violence that has had significant implications on Christianity in Iraq. Christians throughout Iraq live with the recent memory of ISIS’s violence, which included the institution of a jizya tax against religious minorities. This did not happen within a vacuum. The governing institutions must take the lead on demonstrating that Christians are equal members of society whose rights are valued.”