1 Samuel 14:1-15
1 Now the day came that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come, and let’s cross over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree that is in Migron. And the people who were with him numbered about six hundred men;
3 and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the Lord at Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
4 Now between the gorges by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the Philistines’ garrison there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side; and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other, Seneh.
5 The one crag rose on the north opposite Michmash, and the other on the south opposite Geba.
6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come, and let’s cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men; perhaps the Lord will work for us, because the Lord is not limited to saving by many or by few!”
7 His armor bearer said to him, “Do everything that is in your heart; turn yourself to it, and here I am with you, as your heart desires.”
8 Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we are going to cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them.
9 If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you’; then we will stand in our place and not go up to them.
10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has handed them over to us; and this shall be the sign to us.”
11 When the two of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, the Philistines said, “Behold, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have kept themselves hidden.”
12 So the men of the garrison responded to Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, “Come up to us and we will inform you of something.” And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has handed them over to Israel.”
13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer behind him; and the men fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer put some to death after him.
14 Now that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer inflicted was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land.
15 And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even the garrison and the raiders trembled, and the earth quaked so that it became a great trembling.
Victory by Faith
Rough terrain
The battle was in a deadlock. Saul was leading about 600 soldiers, but he was uncertain about how to proceed. It was Jonathan who broke the stalemate. Jonathan, together only with his armor-bearer, devised a plan to cut through directly into the forefront of the Philistine forces. Since, the Philistines were a coastal people, unaccustomed to climbing steep cliffs, they never imagined that an enemy would climb up sheer rocks to launch an attack.
Jonathan’s faith
(1) Jonathan called the Philistines “these uncircumcised men.” Circumcision is the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. It was unthinkable for him that Israel, who are the covenant people, to be overwhelmed by an idol worshipping nation. (2) Jonathan said, “Perhaps the Lord will work for us, because the Lord is not limited to saving by many or by few!” He believed in the Lord’s power and offered himself for the Lord’s work. (3) Let’s also pay close attention to the faith of the armor-bearer. This servant responded in faith to the call of his master, Jonathan. (4) Jonathan decided that if the enemy called out to them, “Come up to us,” he would take it as a sign from the Lord and would attack. The enemy called out in exact way, so the two climbed the steep cliff using their hands and feet. Surely, the Philistines must have been astonished, witnessing the agility of Jonathan and his armor-bearer. On that day, Jonathan killed about 20 Philistines. As a result, the enemy camp trembled in fear, and it spread among all the Philistines. God’s hand was behind this battle and as so, there was a great earthquake. Some translations, such as the ESV, renders the last phrase of verse 15 as, “it became a very great panic.” However, it literally means “a trembling from God.” The NIV translation renders it as “a panic sent by God,” depicting that it was the Lord who brought fear and panic amongst the Philistines. The Lord, who handed victory to Jonathan, is alive and continues to hand victories to those who believe.
Today's prayer
O God of Israel, today, just like Jonathan, I commit myself wholly into Your hands. Please use me abundantly. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.