Miracle at Michmash

Prologue

PRAY

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and redeemer. (Ps 19:14)

· Israeli Ofra Field School story about British fighting in Israel during WW1

In 1918, towards the end of the First World War, the British reached the southern bank of the Michmash River, the Ottomans were entrenched on the north side of river. The deep, cliff-like course of the river remains as it was during the days of Saul, and the British decided to descend into the river basin to attack, although it was clear the approach would be difficult. On the eve of the battle, a British officer sat in his tent reading about the war of Saul and Jonathan with the Philistines, and thought to himself, “This passage, those cliffs … they are all still standing in their place. After all, nothing had changed in Palestine throughout generations.” The officer showed his general the Bible passage, and the plan of attack was changed. In the darkness of the night, one platoon advanced up the Michmash Pass, between Bozez and Seneh, the great cliffs. The sleeping Turks, having assumed that the entire British army was crowding them, fled in panic. Thus, thousands of years later, Jonathan’s tactics were once again used by British forces.

READ: 1 Sam 14:1-15

1 Samuel 14:1–15 ESV

One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave at Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men, including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. Within the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba. Jonathan said to the young man who carried 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 can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.” Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.” So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.” Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him. And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre of land. And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.

Introduction

· Rambo sermon, no! There’s something for everyone, even greatest love story

· Of passage many say “God will fight your battles,” or “God not done with you.”

· Not deep enough and arguably not accurate

· Beach Boys founder Mike Love says “The history of mankind in a history of war.”

· Bible is history book; two notable qualities (1) true and (2) God’s perspective

· Bible is littered with war accounts: NT = Revelation

· War levels: 1. Strategic, 2. Operational, 3. Tactical

· Hand gestures in a fighter squadron, our glory; news every day

· My dissertation tactical study of one leader in one battle in the Korean War

· MoH winner COL Lewis Millet Battle of Bayonet Hill

· Only a few “tactical” accounts of battles in the Bible

o David and Goliath (1 Sam 23:1-5) most famous

o Gideon’s 300 men defeating Midianites in Judges 7, broken jars

o The Battle of Micmash

o Sampson (mostly raids and skirmishes)

o Hall of David’s Heroes 2 Sam 23:8-39

o READ 2 Sam 23:8

· David and Goliath get prime time, from purely tactical perspective this greater

1. The Background READ 1 Sam 13:2-7

· Soon after Saul king, dealing with the increasing Philistine threat

· Philistines were a coastal warrior people, most likely from Aegean Islands/Crete

· Calling someone a “Philistine or Cretin” is not normally a compliment

· Israel’s principal enemy for many decades, primarily 1200-1000 BC

· 1 Sam 13 deal with Saul’s unlawful sacrifice

· Aaron dealt with Saul in a great sermon back on November 15, 2020

· Saul is quintessential antinomian; God makes no demand for obedience. Pharisees are legalistic, same from a different perspective.

· God wants a submissive heart. This is difference between David and Saul.

· From a human perspective David’s sins greater; adultery, murder, pride that cost the lives of 70,000 of his own people; God sees the heart.

READ 1 Sam 13:19-23

· Philistines had technological superiority, and kept it out of Israel’s hands

· This made them proud, strengths can be exploited as vulnerabilities

· My reflection on David and Goliath, David used his size against him

· American military ability to fight at night, my experience with NVGs

· One time on a tanker at night in Alaska my wingman upside down

· Another time over Pakistan, high altitude

Matthew Henry Quote Regarding 1 Sam 13

Those that desired a king like all the nations fancied that, when they had one, they should look very great and considerable; but in this chapter we find it proved much otherwise. While Samuel was joined in commission with Saul things went well (11:7). But, now that Saul began to reign alone, all went to decay, and Samuel’s words began to be fulfilled: “You shall be consumed, both you and your king;” for never was the state of Israel further gone in a consumption than in this chapter. I. Saul appears here a very silly prince. 1. Infatuated in his counsels (v. 1–3). 2. Invaded by his neighbours (v. 4, 5). 3. Deserted by his soldiers (v. 6, 7). 4. Disordered in his own spirit, and sacrificing in confusion (v. 8–10). 5. Chidden by Samuel (v. 11–13). 6. Rejected of God from being king (v. 14). II. The people appear here a very miserable people. 1. Disheartened and dispersed (v. 6, 7). 2. Diminished (v. 15, 16). 3. Plundered (v. 17, 18). 4. Disarmed (v. 19–23). This they got by casting off God’s government, and making themselves like the nations: all their glory departed from them.[1]

Israel is in a sorry state. Can you see echoes of America now in this chapter?

READ 1 Sam 14:1-3

· Armor bearer, job in the name, raised and trained with Jonathan

· Inferior weapons, did armor bearer have sword or spear? We don’t know.

· “Come let us go” (vs 1); the decision to step out in faith = God’s doing

· Jonathan leaves w/o telling father; king’s son

· Saul in pomegranate cave (or under pomegranate tree), in caves afraid

· Priest of the Lord wearing an Ephod (important later)

· Saul, rejected by Samuel, has surrounded himself with priests who will do his bidding and the ark in a hope that it will save him.

· Matthew Henry Quote “It is common for those that have lost the substance of religion to be most fond of the shadows of it,[2]”

· People didn’t know Jonathan left, he resolved to serve the Lord no matter cost

· God has been gracious to keep the Philistines from attack

· God sets boundaries to the church’s enemies

· The 3000 men Saul chose earlier have dwindled to 600

[1] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 404. [2] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 406. READ 1 Sam 14:1-3

· Armor bearer, job in the name, raised and trained with Jonathan

· Inferior weapons, did armor bearer have sword or spear? We don’t know.

· “Come let us go” (vs 1); the decision to step out in faith = God’s doing

· Jonathan leaves w/o telling father; king’s son

· Saul in pomegranate cave (or under pomegranate tree), in caves afraid

· Priest of the Lord wearing an Ephod (important later)

· Saul, rejected by Samuel, has surrounded himself with priests who will do his bidding and the ark in a hope that it will save him.

· Matthew Henry Quote “It is common for those that have lost the substance of religion to be most fond of the shadows of it,[1]”

· People didn’t know Jonathan left, he resolved to serve the Lord no matter cost

· God has been gracious to keep the Philistines from attack

· God sets boundaries to the church’s enemies

· The 3000 men Saul chose earlier have dwindled to 600

2. The Skirmish (I Sam 14:4-15)

· READ 4-5

· Two rocky crags BOZEZ and SENAH, not a WWE Match (John Cena)

· BOZEZ to the North means surpassing white, glistening (bare/slippery)

· SENEH to the South means thorny cliff, NOT Br’er Rabbit’s Briar Patch

· FCF: Moving Forward Confident of the Lord’s Plan

· READ 6-7

· Jonathan Says:

1. Come let us go. GO

2. The garrison is uncircumcised DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE YHWH

a. Not focused on numbers, deployment, weather, reinforcements

b. Oriented toward their relationship with God

c. Do we do this with people in error? Murder/mutilation of children

3. The Lord may work for us OUTCOME NOT CERTAIN

a. Some commentators say “this shouldn’t be construed as doubt.”

b. Jonathan doesn’t know if it will work out. Outcome isn’t known.

4. Nothing can hinder the Lord. TRUST IS CERTAIN

a. What is known is his Lord, his trust is certain

5. By many of by few (READ Joshua 23:8-11) GOD IS SOVEREIGN

a. God’s plan doesn’t depend on resources.

b. This doesn’t mean don’t “go,” he’s already done that

c. Where would the Lord have you go today?

d. Maybe deepest, darkest parts of Africa, or worse church nursery

· Jonathan making every tactical error possible (John Wayne movie)

o Attacking uphill

o No support from the air (archers)

o No dispersed attack (two guys, enemy could focus)

o No response or backup force

o Broad daylight, no surprise attack, shows himself

o No previous plan (strategy), inferior weapons

· Armor Bearer Response

o Is he confident in Johnathan or the Lord? We don’t know

o Is this a matter of keeping his job (and head)? NO

· Do all that is in your heart

§ He had confidence in Jonathan's heart/motivation

§ Was Jonathan trying to make a name for himself?

· Do as you wish, Septuagint “Do all your mind inclines to.”

§ He had confidence in Jonathan’s skills

§ They had trained and fought together.

· Behold I am with you heart and soul.

§ This is what the Christian marriage, family, friendship/church about

· READ 8-10

· Jonathan’s Plan getting worse

· Armor Bearer second opinion joke - Elijah and Elisha, flaming Chariots

· Johnathan does not want to move without seeking the Lord’s will

· Significant point here, midst of (short-term) peril; He turns to the Lord

· Tom Hemingway story about Vietnam shelling

· READ 13-15

· Most likely only swords and shields, clubs, perhaps a short spear/javelin

· Philistines not champions but certainly warriors (Steven Seagal “I’m just a cook”)

· God will, some way or other, direct the steps of those that acknowledge him in all their ways, and seek unto him for direction, with full purpose of heart to follow it.

· Sometimes we find most comfort in that which is least our own doing, and into which we have been led by the unexpected.[2]

· Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed twenty men in an acre (Hebrew yoke of land)

· Derived from Middle English acre had one origin in the typical area that could be plowed in one day with a yoke of oxen pulling a wooden plow

· Story of our surveyor, two axe throws; roll of a wagon wheel

· I think point here is the Philistines see this happen, think larger assault underway

· Panic in camp, earth QUAKED (Same as Ex 19:18)

· Matthew Henry says, “To complete the confusion, even the earth quaked, and made them ready to fear that it would sink under them. Those that will not fear the eternal God, he can make afraid of a shadow[3]”

· Became a panic from God, the route was on but not from Jonathan

· Dissertation: November 25, 1950, Chinese soldiers poured across the Yalu River in massive waves and attacked the UNC on a broad front. The Eighth Army collapsed under the assault of approximately 200,000 Chinese troops; General Walker ordered a retreat.[4] The Army experienced 11,000 casualties in the first five days. The UNC was in full retreat by any means possible, the longest retreat in American military history.[5]

· Todd FCF from last week: “Love your enemies as Christ loved us while we were His enemies.”

3. The Battle (READ 1 Sam 14:16-23)

· God turns their greatest strength into weakness (weapons used on each other)

· Realized this was from God, nobody was missing but two, animated to action

· Saul’s chance to turn, but instead “withdraw your hand” EPHOD, contained the Urim and Thummin stones of God’s guidance.

· Saul’s rash vow 1 Sam 14:24, not to eat

· Jonathan doesn’t get the memo and eats honey

· Saul wants to kill him, the people turn on Saul

· What was an opportunity for Saul to repent and turn becomes the catalyst for God’s rejection of him as a king

4. The Goodbye (READ 1 Sam 20:12-17)

· David and Jonathan hatch a plan to determine Saul’s intentions toward David

· Johnathan in great peril

· Come up with an arrow shooting scheme, why not meet at Stabucks?

· Johnathan in great peril, Saul has bad actors (kill Priests few chapters later)

· READ 1 Sam 20:35-42

· Character of Jonathan is on full display here, he could have it all

· Also the Line of Jesus is in peril: great genealogies of Matthew & Luke

· One of the few Biblical characters we don’t have listed obvious sins

· Only see David one more time for a stealth meeting in woods (1 Sam 23:16)

· Johnathan goes on to die in battle against the Philistines at Mt Gilboa 1 Sam 31:1, only a mention in passing as Saul and his other brothers die

What does it mean?

1. We are called to take part in God’s ongoing work, not to do but to be.

· Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (not “do”)

2. Our confidence is in the Lord and in His plan, we move forward

· Phil 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

3. We cultivate armor bearers (men and women in the Church)

· Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

4. We become armor bearers to others, this is obedience

· Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

5. We grow in confidence in our spiritual skills and gifts given by the Holy Spirit

· Col 2:6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

6. We struggle with pride and set it aside

· Romans 12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned

7. We submit to God’s plan READ Luke 22:41-42

Matthew Henry Quote:

That God will, some way or other, direct the steps of those that acknowledge him in all their ways, and seek unto him for direction, with full purpose of heart to follow it. Sometimes we find most comfort in that which is least our own doing, and into which we have been led by the unexpected, but well observed, turns of Providence.[6]

In the sprite of Jonathan and David’s separation Krystal and I must now say farewell to Chapel in the Hills; before such time as we’d hoped.

I don’t fully understand the plan, but I trust the planner.

[1] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 406. [2] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 406. [3] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 406. [4] Ibid., 5. [5] Max Hastings, The Korean War (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987). [6] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 406.