2023-11-19 - 1 Samuel 14

1 Samuel 14

Intro:

Recap of what were learning. Saul was anointed and became King against Gods desire, but he allowed it to happen, Saul made sinned and didn't own up to it, going off feelings rather then off what God said. And then we started to see the bravery of his own son Jonathan, and tonight will see it again and his faith in God in contrast to Saul's lack of faith in God.

Link:

Passage:

1 Samuel 14 (NKJV)

1 Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

Why didn’t he tell his dad

Jonathan had more faith in his hand than Saul did in his whole body combined

Jonathan basically told his armor bearer, lets go jump into a hornets nest and see if we can make it out alive.

Tell story of VM missionary Sam Ketchum going up water tower to get cell signal in MN. Wasp nest he finally messed with and got bit.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men.

3 Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

5 The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.

6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.”

Jonathan trusted in God

He put himself where his mouth was

He wanted to do something great for God

The information given to us in the Bible about the location tells us that Jonathan and his armor bearer were going to scale a wall, a cliff.

Ben Franklin once said some men die at 25 but aren’t buried until they are 75

Application 1: What do you want to do great for God

Do you want to be a Judas is Gariot?

Do you want to be an Annanias & Saphirah?

No, you want to be a Jonathan, a David, a Peter that tried to defend Jesus and sliced off the ear of Malcus...

Who we want to be isn’t always who we are - Ben Mandrell

Look how God judges a man and his manhood: 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

God doesn't judge like men do. Man judges by how many heads are on your wall, by how many women you’ve slept with, by how good you are at sports or by the cars you drive, etc. But God judges by the heart.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

7 So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.”

They trusted God together.

8 Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them.

Stack the decks so that it is impossible for man to say look what Jonathan and his friend did. It was stacked so that it must be known that God was about to win the Battle. (God does this in end times prophecy also.)

In VSS. 9-10 we see what they are laying out as their sign, they are looking to see how God will work:

9 If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them.

10 But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.”

Having this mindset, it frees you up to make BOLD MOVES FOR GOD IN THE PRESENT.

Paul wrote it down in Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Application 2: Where is your heart today? are you wanting to do something great for God? OR are you tied up in having your mind in the here and the now and not on eternal things, knowing that if man hates you, that's OK so long as you’r doing the bidding of Christ on this earth, trying to make a difference and seeing others coming to Christ.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

They Get their answer when the Philistines saw them:

11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden.”

They we mocking them. Remember last week Saul's men were hiding in holes and under rocks, they were afraid.

12 Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something (Will teach you a lesson, will show you a thing or 2).” Jonathan said to his armorbearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.”

13 And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them.

14 That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land.

15 And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling.

Shouldn’t we want the same, What we do for God to be ground shaking?

If not, then we must ask ourselves this simple question, WHY?

It requires: Bravery, Courage & Faith

1. Every man has a Jonathan spirit within himself waiting to be released.

2. Every wife needs to be her husbands armor bearer. (This is what Carrie has done for me to move from MI to NE and from NE to VT.)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

16 Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there.

17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Now call the roll and see who has gone from us.” And when they had called the roll, surprisingly, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there.

18 And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here” (for at that time the ark of God was with the children of Israel).

19 Now it happened, while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”

20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to the battle; and indeed every man’s sword was against his neighbor, and there was very great confusion.

21 Moreover the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the surrounding country, they also joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

22 Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle.

23 So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven.

B/C Jonathan and his armor bearer were faithful, they joined God where he was and didn’t scour and hide, God used this to defeat the philistines that day.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

24 And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed the people under oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.

25 Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was honey on the ground.

26 And when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey, dripping; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.

27 But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his countenance brightened.

28 Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food this day.’ ” And the people were faint.

29 But Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Look now, how my countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

30 How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?”

Saul made a rule that no one was to eat, however Jonathan didn’t hear of it and he ate. Other men saw this but didn't stop it, perhaps hoping b/c he ate of it then they could too. Jonathan even voiced his opinion of the foolishness of His father saying they couldn’t eat.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

31 Now they had driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. So the people were very faint.

32 And the people rushed on the spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.

33 Then they told Saul, saying, “Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood!” So he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a large stone to me this day.”

34 Then Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, ‘Bring me here every man’s ox and every man’s sheep, slaughter them here, and eat; and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’ ” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night, and slaughtered it there.

The Bible made it clear the Hebrews were not to eat the blood, b/c the life is in the blood. So when he got wind of it, he told them to cook the meat and then eat it.

Saul's foolishness invited the people to sin. A foolish leader.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

35 Then Saul built an altar to the Lord. This was the first altar that he built to the Lord.

36 Now Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light; and let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” Then the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.”

37 So Saul asked counsel of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But He did not answer him that day.

38 And Saul said, “Come over here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see what this sin was today.

39 For as the Lord lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But not a man among all the people answered him.

40 Then he said to all Israel, “You be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”

41 Therefore Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped.

42 And Saul said, “Cast lots between my son Jonathan and me.” So Jonathan was taken.

43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, and said, “I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. So now I must die!”

44 Saul answered, “God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan.”

Vs. 37 At the request of Ahijah, Saul inquired of the Lord regarding his battle plan. He did not answer him. Because of the sin that Saul had caused in his army, God did not answer his inquiry. This would not be the last time that the Lord would refuse to respond to sinful Saul - John McArthur

Saul thought b/c God didn’t answer him when he asked if he should go down to finish off the Philistines, that something was wrong. They cast lots and Jonathan lost and so he was asked what he did wrong. He mentioned he ate the honey. And Saul was ready to kill him for it. But the real reason was being blamed on Jonathan. Really it was Saul's sin that hindered his communication with God. But Saul again wouldn’t own up to his sin and had to find someone to shift his blame on.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

45 But the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not! As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

46 Then Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

By the time this matter was settled, it was too late to follow the Philistine army, so Saul and his men retreated. The victory did send the Philistines back home for a time, but they repeatedly threatened Israel - Wiersbe

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

47 So Saul established his sovereignty over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the people of Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he harassed them.

48 And he gathered an army and attacked the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.

49 The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Jishui, and Malchishua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal.

50 The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.

51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

52 Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself.

If Saul wouldn’t have sinned and tried to follow up on his sin, blaming it on others and being blinded by it, then God would probably have answered and told them to go after the Philistines. Saul lost his chance b/c he lost his communication with God b/c of his sin. We saw this last week with the sacrifice, we saw it again this week as well.

Challenge:

1. are you attempting to do anything that is sure to fail w/o the help of God?

2. are you living each day that if what your doing with Him will fall apart if He doesn't come through, then your not living by faith. Are you exercising great faith anywhere in your life today?

Are my children and grand-kids learning to exercise faith by watching the way that I live?

Set the bar high in making great risks for God.