JONATHAN’S COURAGEOUS FAITH

1 Samuel 14:1-52

Key Verse: 14:6

“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.’”

We meet Jonathan first in 1 Sam 13, where he and his father are at war with the Philistines:

Jonathan has 1000 men while Saul has double that amount, but it is Jonathan who attacks first (1

Sam 13:2-3). Today, in chapter 14, Jonathan and his armor bearer lead a brave attack on

the Philistines, ultimately leading Israel to victory over the far more powerful, numerous, and

technologically equipped Philistine army. We see the rising leadership of Jonathan while Saul revealed his poor leadership by making a foolish curse and ignoring the welling being of his soldiers. What was the source of Jonathan’s victory? There are two elements in Jonathan’s victory. First was his faith in God and second was his co-working with his armor bearer. May God bless us to have faith in God and to build working together relationships! I pray that God may raise up many young men and women of faith like Jonathan in our generation to reveal the glory of God.

PART 1 NOTHING CAN HINDER THE LORD FROM SAVING (1-23)

Most people, including children and non-Christians know the story of David and Goliath in chapter 17. People quote this story in sports and war games. But not many people know the victory of Jonathan in chapter 14 even though Jonathan’s faith was equal to David. Look at verse 1. “One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armor, "Come, let's go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side." There was a long hopeless standoff between Saul’s camp and the Philistines. Who broke this stalemate? It was Prince Jonathan. Jonathan knew that they were vastly outnumbered, and were greatly surpassed in military technology. Yet Jonathan is bold enough to go over to the Philistine camp just to see what the Lord might want to do. But Jonathan did not tell his father about his mission because he thought Saul would not let him go. In verse 17 Saul had no idea who had left his camp. Saul as a father had no communication with his son Jonathan. Father-son relationship is very close and sweet. These days many fathers have no communication with their sons due to their lack of understanding and high standard. But it is vital for fathers to communicate with their children. Fathers listen to their children with love and in return children respect their fathers. In this way they can build a strong bond and lasting relationship that will extend to the next world in the coming kingdom of God.

What was Saul doing while Jonathan initiated his attack? Look at verses 2-3. “Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.” Saul was sitting. What a contrast! The bold, brave, king is simply sitting under a tree while his son boldly goes over to the enemy camp. Saul is there, the priest with the ephod is there. He felt secure by holding the priest nearby. They sit back while Jonathan bravely trusts God.

Look at verses 4-5. “On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez, and the other Seneh. ⁵ One cliff stood to the north toward Micmash, the other to the south toward Geba.” Jonathan decided to climb the narrow path between two cliffs called Bozez and Seneh. Jonathan sees something that any military man would notice. He found a strategic position - a narrow path a few men could easily fight against a much larger number at this strategic place.

Now, Jonathan and his armor-bearer lead a brave attack on the Philistines, ultimately leading Israel to victory over the far more powerful, numerous, and technologically equipped Philistine army. What was Jonathan’s courageous strategy? His strategy was simple. Though the Israelites were outnumbered and outgunned by their enemies, Jonathan decided to stage a direct frontal attack. From a military standpoint, it was a suicidal mission. But from a spiritual standpoint, it was a bold strategy based on his faith in God Almighty. Look at 14:6, “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.’” Jonathan called the Philistines “those uncircumcised fellows.” God promised Israel’s victory over the uncircumcised. Israel people had won great victories against great odds before, as in the days of Gideon or Samson. God gave this land to Israel, not to the Philistines. God could do it! Why not now? Why not today? Why not through me? With God’s help, he would route the mighty Philistines just as David would later defeat the giant Goliath. How? Look at what he said, “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” NAS version says, “Nothing restrains the Lord!” Do we really believe it? We often feel that God is restrained in one way or another. In reality, the only thing that could be said to restrain God is our unbelief. Matthew 13:58, “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” God’s power is never restrained. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving. Only thing to hinder God from saving is our unbelief. God cannot act until we demonstrate our faith in him alone. God is the only source of salvation. God found one man of faith he can use to show his power. Jonathan is confident that the Lord will fight for Israel and that nothing can keep God from saving them. Jonathan knows that with God on his side nothing could hinder the Israelites from winning the victory. Later, nothing hindered Jesus from saving. Jesus saved us from the power of sin and death on the cross. Jesus did not come down from the cross and saved us.s

Who is the Lord? He is eternal God who created the heavens and the earth. (Gen 1:1) He is mighty God who parted the Red Sea to become dry ground. He is omniscience, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Our spiritual victory does not come from numbers or weapons but comes from faith in the living God. How can we win spiritual victory? In Mark 9:14-32, one father brought his son with an evil spirit to his disciples for healing. But his disciples failed to drive out the evil spirit from the boy and the father fell into unbelief. Jesus rebuked him by saying, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” (Mark 9:23b) The father repented his unbelief by saying, “immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.” All things are possible when we believe. Faith in God is our spiritual weapon. With faith in God, we can overcome mountain of unbelief and experience the power of the living God. Jesus said in Mark 11:23, "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” When we trust God, we can move a mountain into the sea.” This means that everything is possible when we believe in God’s power. We face many spiritual crisis in our nation due to the lack of faith. But faith in God will give us spiritual victory in our spiritual battle to raise up the next generation leaders like Jonathan. Do you have challenges in front of you? Depending on God will give you victory.

What does it mean by “by many or few”? What did it matter? Who cares about the odds or the numbers? The odds were already against Israel. Numbers did not restrain God, but unbelief could. Romans 8:31 says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Nobody can stand in our way when we trust the Lord. His motto was “God can win a great victory through even me.” He expected a great thing from God. Have you ever felt surrounded by the enemy or faced overwhelming odds? If you trust God fully, he will lead you to victory against all odds. At the same time, Jonathan was not overconfident about the battle. How did Jonathan carry out his plan? Jonathan carried out his plan very carefully. Jonathan shared his plan with the armor-bearer first. This was the most important step to win the victory. In modern day terms, the armor bearer is like a personal body guard to the president. Jonathan could have ignored him not as an important person. But he did not ignore the wisdom of his armor-bearer. He did not carry out his mission alone but he consulted with his armor-bearer. He sought after his coworker’s opinion and regarded his opinion and input to be very precious. Co-working begins when we simply ask. If we want to be a leader, it is important to ask other’s opinion though we have our own plan. In the past I did not communicate well with Abe Lee. I never won when I argued with him. So he became a lawyer. But as I grow older, God gave me wisdom to ask his opinion. Then our relationship got better and he was willing to serve God joyfully. Asking is win/win situation because it builds a strong friendship. Last March we formed a new team with students who shared 9 steps symposium. I asked them to suggest the name of the new team by email. I got more than ten suggestions like Gung Ho, Salt Shakers, Narrow Door, Living Water, and Truth seekers. Eventually Truth Seekers was chosen. Through this initial working together, team spirit was built and they are growing as new leaders. Team work is important in God’s work. Beautiful feet team presented a beautiful song last week. It was a fruit of their team work. God’s work cannot be done by one person; co-working is important in doing the work of God. How did the armor-bearer assist Jonathan? Look at verse 7. "Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you in heart and soul." Wow! The armor-bear gave Jonathan a full support. They were united in their hearts and soul for their common good. Impossible mission can be carried out if two people are agreed in heart and soul. These words from Jonathan’s armor bearer must have cheered Jonathan greatly. When we step out in faith, encouragement can make all the difference to boost our confidence. And discouragement can make all the difference to bring a negative energy. God was going to use Jonathan, but He wasn’t going to use Jonathan alone. Almost always, when God uses a man, he calls others around that man to support and help him. They are just as important in getting God’s work done as the man God uses. So, if you can’t be a Jonathan, then find a Jonathan - and attach yourself to him as like Jonathan’s armor bearer. Jesus promised that anything will be done if two people agree and pray together in Matthew18:19 "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” Finding one co-worker with heart and soul is a beginning of the great work of God. Without Barnabas’s support we cannot think about Apostle Paul. Behind great work of God there is always an armor-bearer who cheered the servant of God.

But Jonathan did not rush to his enemies. He knew that the battle belongs to the Lord. So they first prayed and sought God’s sign before action. Prayer is important before action. Prayer allowed them to depend on God not on their human strength. Absolute faith in the Lord, co-working spirit in heart and soul, and prayer bring success to God’s people. According to verses 9-10, if they say, “Wait there until we come to you,” then they will stay there and will not attack. But if they say, “Come to us,” then it would be a signal that the Lord would give the enemy into their hands. Which signal did they get? Look at verse 12b, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.” It was a signal to attack from the Lord. God gave them a green light to launch a frontal attack. Wasting no time, Jonathan and his companion climbed up to the outpost like the mountain climbers and began the slaughter. Although outnumbered about ten to one, Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in a brief time. In verses 15-22 Israel routs the Philistines. Look at verse 15. “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.” Here we see that God attacks the Philistines. Jonathan and his armor bearer demonstrated their confidence in God, worked together, and prayed together by seeking God’s signs. They did their parts and waited for God’s help. Indeed, God began to help them. Jonathan could use his faith and his sword and prayer support from his armor-bearer, and he did. But what Jonathan could not do - send a great earthquake to terrify the Philistines - God did. If we do our part, God will do his part. I thank God for our YDJ. They moved their beautiful feet to go campus fishing. God blessed five teams through their faith.

But what did Saul do. Look at verses 18-19. “Saul said to Ahijah, ’Bring the ark of God.’ (At that time it was with the Israelites.) While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, ‘Withdraw your hand.’” Saul knew that the enemy was melting and Jonathan was doing all these brave battle. Why did he ask the priest to bring the ark of God? Saul is probably trying to depend on God and seek his will. Then suddenly, he tells the priest “Withdraw your hand.” This means, “Stop seeking and answer from God with the Urim and Thummin,” which were held in a pouch in the priest’s breastplate. What are the Urim and Thummin? It came from Exodus 28:30. “Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron's heart whenever he enters the presence of the LORD. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.” The Urim and Thummim was God’s way of answering His people. Urim (אורים) means “light” and Thummim (תמים) probably means darkness/truth.” Urim, white stone means no for an answer, and Thummim black stone means yes. It was used as a tool to inquire the Lord’s decision. Only the priest could use the Urim and Thummin, which were designed to give only yes or no answers. This means that Saul wanted to inquire the Lord’s decision, then he ordered the priest to withdraw his hand from two stones. He interrupted the work of the priest to rush to the battle. He wanted to take this opportunity to rout the Philistines and stopped to inquire of the Lord’s decision though he still had time. His decision revealed what was in his mind. He was filled with human thinking to get the credit for the victory. Saul noticed the victory and marched into the battle. God sent panic among the Philistines, and they killed each other in panic. It was God who was fighting for them. Then some deserters and hiding people came out and joined Saul’s army. They said, “Wow! Our country is winning.” Then they switched the side. Israel was unified again. Those who were hiding came out from their caves and joined the victory march. In this way, the Lord rescued Israel that day through Jonathan’s faith. (23a) His victory was a turning point in the war with the Philistines. His courage and faith were comparable with those of David. What can we learn from Jonathan about how to fight spiritual battles in our time? Whether it is few or many, faith in God and unity in heart and soul are key factors for the spiritual victory. Jesus raised 12 disciples to conquer the world. When they were united in their hearts in prayer and depended on the Holy Spirit, they won the spiritual victory and changed the world history. In Acts 2 the first Jerusalem church was born with three thousands born again Christians. (Acts 2:41) I pray that God may raise many young men and women of faith like Jonathan through our prayers.

PART II JONATHAN EATS HONEY (24-48)

It was true that nothing hindered the Lord from saving because Jonathan, in his bold trust in the Lord, had just struck a mighty blow against the Philistines. God had totally routed and confused the Philistine army. Now it was the job of the army of Israel, under King Saul, to finish the job by striking down the fleeing Philistine army. But something hindered the work of the Lord. It was Saul’s unbelief. And on this day of battle against the Philistines, Saul declared a curse. Look at verse 24. “Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying ‘Cursed be any man who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!’ So none of the troops tasted food.” This oath was based on his selfish personal vengeance not for the sake of Israel. He put his personal ambition before God. Saul made an oath without thinking through the implications. He abused his authority in this. What was the result of his rash oath? His men were too tired to fight (31) and they were so hungry, they ate meat that still contained blood (32) and Saul almost killed his own son Jonathan (39). Jonathan unknowingly breaks the oath and is told of his offense. (27-28) Why did Jonathan have different idea about his father’s oath? Look at verses 29-30. “Jonathan said, "My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey. How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?" There was honey on the ground. This was provision from God! It was yummy. The Israeli army was hot on the pursuit of the fleeing Philistines. They were all tired and hungry. They needed energy to continue the pursuit and finish the battle. And here is honey on the ground and Jonathan ate and gained strength. Jonathan had compassion for the soldiers and thought about God more than anything else. Now Saul was willing to kill Jonathan who brought victory because of his oath. The people rescued Jonathan from execution. (45)

In conclusion, God saved the people of Israel through courageous faith of Jonathan. We learned that God is using people who trust in him. We need three things to win our spiritual battle today. We need to have faith that nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few, build a co-working relationship with our heart and soul, and prayer by seeking God’s sign. Only unbelief hinders the work of salvation. I pray that God may give us courageous faith to initiate our feet to rescue many young students from the power of sin and Satan and God will bless us to save many students through our 1:1 Bible studies. Let’s read the key verse 6.