Let’s begin by setting the scenario.
While Samuel was Judge over Israel, God kept the Philistines in check. However, after the Isrealites insisted on having a king, God lifted that restraint and the Philistine’s were a constant threat. One thing they targeted was the blacksmiths. Soon there wasn’t a single one in all of Israel. Steel was so precious that instead of weapons it was turned into plows, axes and hoes needed to grow food. 1 Samuel 13:22 tells us that there were only two swords in the entire kingdom. Saul had one and Jonathan had the other. Outnumbered and unarmed, the Israelite army quickly went from 3000 to 600. The Philistines pretty much had the scrawny Israelite army pinned. They were camped at Geba. The Philistine’s set up their massive camp across the a deep canyon, called a Wadi. According to historian the Philistine’s were camped atop of Wadi Suweinit.
King Saul wasn’t in camp, but according to 1 Samuel 14:2 “Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron.” Sitting under a pomegranate tree is an interesting place to be in the middle of a military conflict. What do you do when you add up your resources or look in the mirror and come up with NOT ENOUGH? Do you find your equivalent of a pomegranate tree and just sit? Because of the heavy fruit, the branches droop quite close to the ground. They would be a pretty good place to hide. Saul was stuck in the fear of NOT ENOUGH: not enough men, not enough weapons, not enough workable solutions, not enough of anything, especially faith!
Who wasn’t stuck was his son, Jonathan. “Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” (1 Sam. 14:6) While Saul hid in the shadow of NOT ENOUGH, Jonathan stood up and stepped out in faith. He knew as long as they were partnering with God, it didn’t matter how large an army or how many weapons they had at their disposal. “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” God is NEVER under-resourced or outnumbered. We are the ones who define impossible by what we can count and measure. From our perspective it is either TOO LITTLE or TOO MUCH. God is never restricted by either.
How much assurance did Jonathan have going into this? None! But he knew his God. He wanted to be with Him and doing what God was doing. This is wonderfully apparent in the Hebrew words translated “perhaps the Lord will act”: ulay YHWH asah.
ulay = perhaps, suppose, what if.
YHWH = God, the Lord
asah = is working or will work (perform an activity with a distinct purpose in mind)
What if God is working? Do we want to miss out on it? Let’s go see what God is doing. Maybe He is waiting for us!
Partnering with God is choosing that I will not do whatever I am doing without God. It is choosing to involve God. Partnership is also getting involved in what He is doing – seeking it out, joining Him where He is actively at work. If we are not careful, partnership can easily get out of balance where we only involve Him in what we are doing. When we seek to partner with God in what God is doing, there is a unique and wonderful experience of grace and glory.
What was Jonathan’s armor bearer’s response to this crazy, illogical, extremely risky suggestion to climb over and up this dangerous rock face into enemy territory and see what God was doing? “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.” (1 Samuel 14:7) He was willing to partner with Jonathan’s partnership with God. This easily could have been a suicide mission, but he had faith in God and in Jonathan.
Why did Jonathan bring along this young and unarmed armor bearer? He had enough faith to face the Philistines without the full army. He was also wise enough not to do it alone.
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Ecclesiastes 4:9,10
What difference does the support of at least one other person make when you step out in faith? Do you have someone who you can ask to go with you? What “qualifications” does this support need to have? Jonathan’s companion was young and most likely inexperienced, so not much to offer there. He had no armor to carry, so no resources to offer. But he was there for Jonathan “heart and soul!” He was wholeheartedly committed to partnership. He offered his all.
Here was Jonathan’s plan: Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them. “If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand in our place and 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 hands; and this shall be the sign to us.” (1 Samuel 14:8-10)
Sounds like a suicidal game of “Wack-a-Mole!” Over the edge of faith they went, leaving behind the secure zone of predictability where the enemy had them in check – going nowhere, doing nothing, and into the chasm of commitment where they waited on the edge of obedience ready to challenge the enemy or retreat at God’s slightest command.
What does waiting on the edge of obedience mean to you? Psalms 123:2 speaks of a servant watching with readiness the hands of his/her master for the slightest indication to come, go or do, and respond immediately. “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until He is gracious to us.”
I love the way Habakkuk expressed his readiness. “I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved.” (Habakkuk 2:1) A rampart led up to the watchtower or down into the battle. He was watching with earnest expectations for clear direction, and was ready to “go when you know.” That was Jonathan. Jonathan offered two very probable responses by the enemy. He was willing to go forward or go back, whichever the Lord confirmed. Through whom did Jonathan expect God to reveal His will? The enemy! The problem! The challenge! God is not limited to whom or what He can and will use. If we think it has to be “religious” or spiritual or extraordinary, we can miss His revelation or confirmation.
When both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, the Philistines said, “Behold, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” So the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, “Come up to us and we will tell you something.” And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hands of Israel.” Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer behind him; and they fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer put some to death after him. That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land. (1 Samuel 14:11-14)
They climbed up the cliff of confirmation “on his hands and feet.” Not exactly a warrior position, but a humble one that God transformed into victory. The greatest victories come when we enter the battle on our hands and knees. Jonathan stepped into battle. The enemy started to fall. Soon his armor bearer had a weapon as well. One of my favorite statements of faith is Philippians 4:19 – “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” There are times when what we need is not provided until we step out in faith. Then it falls at our feet. We need to pick it up and start swinging.
Then panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.(1 Samuel 14:15NIV)
Don’t you just love how the Lord was obviously involved? A spirit of panic spread throughout the camp and beyond, which was intensified by an earthquake. The earthquake not only got the Philistine’s attention, but also the Israelites. The lookouts reported to Saul that the Philistines were running all over the place like chickens with their heads cut off.
Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. So the Lord rescued Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven. (1 Samuel 14:20-23)
When we step out in faith, it gets others attention. Some who are stuck in faithlessness are encouraged to join the battle and share the victory. Those who are hiding in fear find the courage to show up. Faith-defectors realize the winning side is the one they foolishly left behind and reenlist.
Partnering with God is risky, but it is also contagious. Is it ok that others benefit from your partnering? You take the risk – You step out in faith – Others get blessed. Why did Jonathan step out in faith in the first place? Why do you?
