Faith: Seizing the Divine

English Standard Version Chapter 14

14

Project: projects are usually born in the human ego, while vision comes from God and is usually discerned in prayer.

If you are not sure to what it is, then just sit there for a while and see what God does.

1 Sam. 14:1-23

Context

The account of 1 Samuel 14 begins with Israel's army hiding among the caves of Gibeah after having been defeated in battle by the Philistines. The Bible says after Israel defeated the Amorites and Jonathan defeated a group of Philistines in a small battle, Saul foolishly declared war against the Philistines who were "as numerous as the sand" (1 Sam. 13:5). Saul's soldiers knew they were over-matched, and they "quaked with fear" (1 Sam. 13:7). Saul's arrogance in going to battle against a superior enemy without seeking the LORD's will led to additional disobedience. Unwilling to wait for the prophet Samuel, the arrogant King Saul foolishly offered a sacrifice. Instead of divine blessing, Samuel, who arrived just after Saul finished the offering, rebuked Saul saying, "You have not kept the command of the LORD . . .your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart." (1Sam. 13:14).

Israel's army retreated to the caves of Gibeah. While Saul's army was hiding, the Philistines raided the neighboring villages confiscating all weapons. When we come to Chapter fourteen, the Bible says that only two swords remained. Among Saul's troops Saul and Jonathan each had a sword. The rest of the army had resorted to using farm tools for weapons.

So that where we found ourself at this point.

“The Jonathan Factor is the explosive result that occurs when who God is so shapes who we are that it changes the way we live life.”

How we view God dramatically affects the persons we become. 

How we understand God to work radically affects the life we live in God.

Excerpt From: Erwin Raphael McManus. “Seizing Your Divine Moment”. Apple Books. 

Choices: choose to live: 

First, Jonathan was confident in God’s power, He says “nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few” (v. 6). Jonathan well knew that nothing is too difficult for the Lord (Jer. 32:17). 

Jonathan knew what God had done in the past in the lives of his forefathers. Eg. Abraham, when he went with 318 men to fight against the 5 Kings to rescue his nephew Lot. He knew about how Joshua and Caleb had stood again the other spies who though it was foolishness to go against the giants in Canaan. He knew how God had saved the Israelites through Gideon again with 300 men against the Midianties.

Secondly, what I called a Divine Perspective, Jonathan was seeing the world through God's eyes, I believe he recalled God’s word to Joshua” As I was with Moses, so will I be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

He Took the Initiative do something. Eg. Moses “who am I?” God, “it doesn’t matter who you are; what matters is who you stand for.”

Jonathan made a choice that day to move ahead and as a result of that he unlocked tremendous potential in himself and others, and he had no idea that that would happen when he had made that choice. (Choices unlock potential that are hidden in divine moments)

Against the cowardice and unbelief of Saul, his son Jonathan stands out in sharp contrast. Saul was supposed to be actively fighting the Philistines (9:16), but he was not going up against them as they established outposts in the Israelite-controlled regions of Canaan (14:4). Jonathan could not just sit and watch this, so he purposed to go up against a Philistine garrison without telling Saul (v. 1). This implies Jonathan’s lack of trust in his father. Perhaps he thought Saul would hold him back. Things certainly were dangerous. The Philistine garrison was on the other side of a pass, the hill was rough, rugged, uneven and slippery, suggesting a hostile environment (vv. 2–5). No wonder the Philistines did not ambush the Israelites. 

Jonathan was undeterred by these obstacles, and he called his armor bearer to go with him against the Philistine garrison near them. In so doing, Jonathan gave a confession that displays a remarkable degree of faith. So how could he display such faith?

Many a times our perspective needs adjusting so that we focus not on the size of the job but on the size of God.

Oswald Chambers, “ The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”

Now Jonathan did not let his confidence become arrogance. He said that “it may be” that the Lord would work for them against the Philistines. Jonathan did not know for certain if God wanted him to fight against that Philistine garrison, but he did know that God could deliver the Philistines into his hand if that was His purpose. He did not claim more than he should have, but he trusted the Lord.

2. Uncertainty (know you don’t know): reflected in Jonathans words “perhaps the Lord will work for us, for the Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few”  The Lord is able to save, he may help us” 

Uncertainty: absolute certainty in God’s ability combined with uncertainty as to what God might do in a particular situation. 

Many a times the natural question: How do we know that this is God’s will? 

The answer is we don’t know. We don’t know with absolute certainty. 100% certainty is impossible.

Willing to operate in the realm of uncertainty. The realm of uncertainty is also the realm of miracles. Sometimes the miracles will be what happens to us, as we change by taking these steps, other times the miracles is what happens when God comes through in some dramatic fashion.

But to refuse the journey is to be absolutely certain to miss the miracle.

Matthew Henry comments that “We may encourage ourselves with hope that God will appear for us, though we have not ground on which to build an assurance. An active faith will venture far in God’s cause upon an ‘it may be.’” We might be uncertain about the future, but if what we are pursuing is a good thing and we are confident in God’s power, we should not be afraid to pursue it. We are free to step out in faith and attempt great things for the sake of the Lord, knowing that He may bless our initiative.

3. RISK: There was risk involved, Usually people will sneak up on the enemy, unless you have a much bigger, mightier and powerful army than your enemies. Jonathean says, “let’s go up and show up”

Closely associated with uncertainty is risk: 

“Divine moments require us to move from the invisible to the visible, to venture beyond the point of no return so that the invisible can become visible.”

“Have you considered that His greatest blessing comes when He calls us to be pioneers, explorers, and even conquerors?”

“Choices unlock divine moments. Some moments are filled with far more significant choices. Some choices in a moment change your life forever. ”

“This is about stepping up and making sure your life counts. It’s about volunteering when God is asking, “Who will go on My behalf?”

4. ADVANCE “go unless you get a no” : primary mindset/ orientation was “I hope that tell us to come” not “I hope they ask us to stay”

Advance: 

primary mindset was “I hope that tell us to come”: From his Forefathers: Abraham, Joshua and Caleb. 

The book of Acts, they clearly moved from an advance mentality. They lived their lives fueled by the divine yes, and it was this God-inspired permission that made them an unstoppable force.”

“Many of us want a map, but what we get is a compass. We are not given a detailed outline of how we should live each day. We are given a due north, a direction we should move toward. On this journey one thing becomes certain: when you move forward on what you know, things become clearer. When you refuse to act on what you know, all that you do not know paralyzes you.”

“Those who seize their divine opportunities move with the God-given yes unless God says no. They work from the go and wait for the stop. They understand that the mission gives them permission. They know that the crisis encompasses their calling. They know that the danger is their invitation to step up to the challenge.

Eg. Paul: 

“Our lives should be filled with friends and family members who long to move forward and capture all the life that is to be experienced. This is one characteristic that makes Mosaic so special to me. We are a community of people on our toes rather than our heels. There is something exciting about an entire community leaning forward to advance the good on God’s heart rather than leaning back, attempting to resist it.”

5. IMPACT leave a mark: tremendous impact, immediately began to kill and God sent a big panic an earthquake

6. AWAKENING wake the dead: four group of people who got involved, armour bearer, Saul and soldiers, who should have been fighting instead they were hiding, then there were the defectors (, people who were hiding) there was a tremendous awakening of potential hidden all over the place.

What Jonathan did ignited a reaction in such a way that 

1) The Principle of Divine perspective

(seeing the world through God's eyes)

Eph.3:20

As I was with Moses, so will I be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

Our perspective needs adjusting so that we focus not on the size of the job but on the size of God.

2) The principle of Divine purpose.

Arise go over this Jordan, you & all the people, to the land which I am giving to them - the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. Josh.1: 2-3

As I was with Moses I will be with you now start walking.

Oswald chambers; " the land .......

According to your faith so will it be for you.

Having a promise from God is no guarantee of success if we lose our focus

3) The principle of Divine persuasion

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage. Josh.1:9

3 times The Lord tells him be strong.

Leadership is a great deal more than gauging which way the wind is blowing. It often requires standing firm as the current tries to bend you in another direction.

4) The principle of Divine priority.

Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you observe to do according to all that is written in it. Josh.1:7-8

God's motivational principle: Study the word of God & obey.

One man who understood the principle of numbering his days was Jonathan, the son of King Saul. What most remember about this man is that he befriended David and humbly acknowledged David's calling to be the next king of Israel. Jonathan never demanded that the throne be passed down to himself as the reigning prince. In 1 Samuel 14, we discover that Jonathan was an incredible soldier who possessed an amazing faith in the LORD. There came a day in his life when Jonathan decided life was too precious to waste. One historic day Jonathan chose to become a Vertically Inclined person.

“ However mundane a moment may appear, the miraculous may wait to be unwrapped within it. You rarely know up front the eternal significance of a moment. When a moment is missed, you have a glimpse at an opportunity lost. When you dream, you look to a moment still to come. Yet the only moment that you must take responsibility for right now is the one in front of you. ”

BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” 

“After risk comes advance. After “no turning back” comes “you must go forward.” The closer you get to a divine challenge, the bigger it will seem, and the smaller you will feel. If the signs you are looking for are guarantees of success, you may retreat when you should be advancing. It would be great if the signs from God that we should advance were always things like a perfect situation, all the resources necessary to succeed, or a guaranteed win. Yet if that were the case, there would be no adventure.

Besides, that isn’t reality. More often than not the signs pointing us to advance will be ominous. They will cause us to assess who we are and who we believe God to be. They will make clear our priorities. Are we in it for what we can get or for what we can give? The signs will expose our hearts, reveal our fears, and unleash our faith. There is a word for the mind-set of those who seize their divine moment—advance. There is a context for their journey: the adventurer lives for the challenge.”

“The divine potential of a moment is unlocked by the choices we make. Each moment’s personal, historic, and eternal value is directly related to the choices we must make within it. If a moment is the gate through which your divine journey begins, then choice is the key that unlocks the adventure. ”

“If your church is full of members, you get an occasional missionary. If your church is full of missionaries, the rest is just about geography”

Daniel: 

In the fiery furnace here’s what happened.

Freedom from their bonds: the only thing that the fire touched was their bonds, they found freedom in the fire when they were bond outside the fire.

Secondly, Who showed up. There was an awesome encounter with Jesus in the middle of the fire. It became a worship experience for them.

Thirdly: the ones who were the safest, the guards. They ended up being perishing. 

What if because of the uncertainty we might be refusing the journey, we might be refusing an opportunity from bounds we might not even known our lives. We might be missing an opportunity to encounter Jesus in a fresh way. And by remaining were we are because we think we are safer something might actually die within us that we might not be aware of. 

We'll explore six powerful principles from Joshua to send you forth as a conqueror rather than a hostage to your own fear of failure.

The bible identify at least 200 character who were afraid of failures.

(Moses, Gideon, Jeremiah, ....)

Failures are always the stepping stone of success.

For us 

If a fear of failure is gripping you?

The principle of success is to follow

How do we make it our way of success:

A) Talking about the word Constantly.

This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth.Josh.1:8

B) Meditate on the word Continuously.

You shall meditate in it day & night. Josh.1:8

Ps.119:96-100

C) Read the Word obediently 

D) Follow the Word exclusively.

That you may observe to do according to all that is written

A bible which is falling apart usually belongs to somebody whose life isn't. Charles spurgeon

E) Accept the word totally.

5) The principle of Divine presence.

I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

6) The principle of Divine Prosperity.

He will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Josh.1:8