Unfaithfulness vs Faithfulness
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God Does Not Need Numbers to Succeed
God Does Not Need Numbers to Succeed
A Threatened Army
A Threatened Army
Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned onto the road to Ophrah, to the land of Shual, another company turned to the road to Beth Horon, and another company turned to the road of the border that overlooks the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
A Deprived Army
A Deprived Army
Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; and the charge for a sharpening was a pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads. So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.
And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
God Uses Faithfulness to Succeed
God Uses Faithfulness to Succeed
Jonathan Defeats the Philistines With Faith in God
Jonathan Defeats the Philistines With Faith in God
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 would Jonathan not tell his father?
Jonathan had already won one battle that Saul had taken credit for in 1 Samuel 13:1-7
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.
Saul was called to liberate God’s people but he seemed to always following after someone else’s victory.
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.
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.
The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.
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.”
God does not need a lot he just needs faithful!
One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.
So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.”
Jonathan had a heart for God so to do what was in his heart meant do God’s Will!
Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them.
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.
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.”
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.”
Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.”
Jonathan said to his armorbearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.”
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.
That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land.
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.
Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there.
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.
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).
Eli in 1 Samuel 4 brought judgement on himself for bringing the Ark of the Covenant into battle.
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.”
Thankfully Saul was not able to bring the Ark of the covenant into battle.
What is the difference between he and Jonathan in
Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. 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. 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.”
Notice Jonathan’s attitude versus Saul’s attitude.
Saul was ruled by his circumstance and impatience.
Jonathan was ruled by God
So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.”
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.
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.
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.
Saul took back the men who fled but later he would be ready to kill Jonathan for eating some honey.
He was unstable and unbalanced.
Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.
So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven.
The Lord Saved Israel because of the faithfulness and leadership of Jonathan and is armor bearer.
The mark of a true leader is knowing when to act.