Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore 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 restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few."
--1 Samuel 14:6 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on May 13, 2013 of Psalm 89:46-52; Mark 13; 1 Samuel 13-14:35.
Saul had reigned for two years as king over Israel, and the people still suffered at the hands of the Philistines. Saul established an army of 3000 men, mostly unarmed for the Philistine overseers would not allow the people to have their own blacksmiths. Saul led 2000 of the men and gave 1000 over to the command of his son Jonathan. For reasons not given in the scripture, Jonathan led his forces against the Philistine garrison in Geba. As would be expected, this stirred up a hornet's nest on both sides. The Philistines, in their anger, amassed their forces in three locations in preparation to attack and punish Israel. The people, for their part, feared the coming retribution and took to the hills and hid anywhere they could. As the anticipated onslaught neared, the only true weapons of war on Israel's side were in the possession of Saul and Jonathan.
Again Jonathan took matters into his own hands. Perhaps he was a little impetuous, as we could surmise from his earlier foray against the enemy. Maybe he remembered how Gideon and his 300 men faced off against and defeated a mighty army. Definitely he trusted in God, for he knew if the Lord willed it, any odds could be overcome. So he set off with only one other man at his side, his young armor bearer, and set in motion the events that would end up routing a better armed and superior force. All because he trusted in God, believed in His unlimited, unrestrained power that could bring about victory whether many men fought for the cause or a few or even just one or two. Jonathan believed in and trusted the Lord, and interestingly, his young armor bearer believed in and trusted him (please see verse 7).
How many times, I wonder, have we faced an issue and thought there's no way we can prevail, where the odds are just too overwhelming, where we doubt anyone else even cares? After all, what can one person do about global hunger, or the lack of clean drinking water in much of the world, or the horrors caused by land mines and improvised explosive devices left by defending armies, or the number of children left orphaned by war? Problems on a grand scale can indeed be daunting. But what about those on a smaller, more local scale? What about the widow down the street struggling to survive? What about the conflict threatening to split the local church? What about the gangs of youth moving into town spreading violence and destruction? What about the TV show that makes a mockery of the Christian faith? Can we find the courage of Jonathan to lead the attack? Can we dig up the loyalty of his armor bearer to follow and support and serve and help another as together we stand up to the issue? Even if we are few in number, God can use us to fight for His cause as He secures the victory. He's only waiting for us to make the first move. Nothing restrains the Lord. Amen.
Mighty God, forgive us when we fail to trust in Your strength and power. Forgive us when we hide in fear and confusion rather than press the battle forward. Help us, please Father, to be more like Jonathan in trusting You to win the war and secure the victory. Even if we act a little impulsively, we know that if it is within Your will our actions will be successful. In the strong name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Again Jonathan took matters into his own hands. Perhaps he was a little impetuous, as we could surmise from his earlier foray against the enemy. Maybe he remembered how Gideon and his 300 men faced off against and defeated a mighty army. Definitely he trusted in God, for he knew if the Lord willed it, any odds could be overcome. So he set off with only one other man at his side, his young armor bearer, and set in motion the events that would end up routing a better armed and superior force. All because he trusted in God, believed in His unlimited, unrestrained power that could bring about victory whether many men fought for the cause or a few or even just one or two. Jonathan believed in and trusted the Lord, and interestingly, his young armor bearer believed in and trusted him (please see verse 7).
How many times, I wonder, have we faced an issue and thought there's no way we can prevail, where the odds are just too overwhelming, where we doubt anyone else even cares? After all, what can one person do about global hunger, or the lack of clean drinking water in much of the world, or the horrors caused by land mines and improvised explosive devices left by defending armies, or the number of children left orphaned by war? Problems on a grand scale can indeed be daunting. But what about those on a smaller, more local scale? What about the widow down the street struggling to survive? What about the conflict threatening to split the local church? What about the gangs of youth moving into town spreading violence and destruction? What about the TV show that makes a mockery of the Christian faith? Can we find the courage of Jonathan to lead the attack? Can we dig up the loyalty of his armor bearer to follow and support and serve and help another as together we stand up to the issue? Even if we are few in number, God can use us to fight for His cause as He secures the victory. He's only waiting for us to make the first move. Nothing restrains the Lord. Amen.
Mighty God, forgive us when we fail to trust in Your strength and power. Forgive us when we hide in fear and confusion rather than press the battle forward. Help us, please Father, to be more like Jonathan in trusting You to win the war and secure the victory. Even if we act a little impulsively, we know that if it is within Your will our actions will be successful. In the strong name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
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