A Man of Faith: 1 Samuel 14:1-15
We can do amazing things when our heart is open to the Lord and willing to hear His voice. When we wait upon the Lord, we acknowledge His presence and His power. When we listen for God’s voice, we understand it is His power and His wisdom making all things possible.
Before getting to Jonathan’s victory, notice who was among Saul’s camp. Saul had a priest among his soldiers. One of the grandsons of Eli was with him. Remember Saul, who believed his hand was forced to make the sacrifice? He didn’t even consult a member of the priestly line! The line of Eli may have been abandoned, but Saul could have still consulted to determine the right thing to do rather than impulsively act and force his own understanding. Fortunately, Saul’s impulsiveness sets up this story of Jonathan.
While Saul is impulsive and emotional, Jonathan is faithful. Jonathan knows the Philistines already have the advantage in numbers. If they are allowed to pick the time and place for battle, the Hebrew people will surely lose. Therefore, he sets out with his armor-bearer to see what the Lord can do with him. Unlike Saul, he doesn’t set his mind to a course of action and then doggedly pursue it. Jonathan sets himself along a path and waits for God to guide him.
Jonathan gives God openings. The first opening comes through seeking trusted counsel. Jonathan tells his plan to his armor-bearer. In doing so, he gives God the opportunity to speak through his armor-bearer. The armor-bearer agrees that the course of action is worth attempting. Jonathan receives reassuring counsel, so he continues with the plan.
Jonathan plans to reveal himself to the Philistine camp. There is little threat here. What garrison would fear a man and his armor-bearer who clearly make their presence known instead of leveraging the surprise factor? For all the Philistines know, he could be a deserter they could use as a spy. Once more, Jonathan gives God an opening. Jonathan waits to see how the Philistines respond. If they invite him in, he will be confident God has gone before him.
Jonathan beats the Philistines. Jonathan fought the melee, driving the warriors to the ground. When the armored warriors struggled to get back up, they were easy pickings for the armor-bearer to find a gap in their armor and dispatch them. Since God fought for them, Jonathan and the armor-bearer were not overwhelmed by the superior numbers. God even sent an earthquake to help spread panic in the camp and convince the Philistines to flee.
In Jonathan, we find the opposite of Saul. Jonathan trusts God. Jonathan opens himself to listening to God speak through events and others. Jonathan doesn’t respond impulsively, he seeks for ways to give God an opening. We can do amazing things when our heart is open to the Lord and willing to hear His voice.
