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The Lord Saved Israel that Day, 1 Sam. 13:15-14:23
P. Dixon 08/03/08
The story before us today is how the Lord saved Israel from the Philistines using two men of faith. As we recall the Philistines had recently mounted such a terrifying armada against Israel that it terrified the people so much that they had hidden themselves caves, rocks, holes, tombs, and cisterns. Some even fled across the Jordan. In this context Saul had become impatient with the situation and disobeyed God by disobeying Samuel’s instructions to wait for him to come and tell him what to do. So, in his attempt to get the blessing from God Saul offered the sacrifices himself, and God subsequently told him his kingdom was being taken away from him, because of his disobedience.
And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18 another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
A. The setting for the salvation of the Lord: the hopeless situation of Israel: the odds against Israel, 13:15-23.
Things were getting pretty desperate, so Saul numbered his men. The Philistines then divided themselves into three camps.
19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” 20 But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle, 21 and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads. 22 So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
To make things worse, the Philistines had a monopoly on the blacksmith market, much like the Middle East has a market on the oil industry today. Only they could sharpen metal such as plowshares, axes, sickles, swords and spears. And, the cost to have them do it was prohibitive. Subsequently, only two Israelites had a spear or a sword, Saul and Jonathan.
14:1 One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave at Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men, 3 including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4 Within the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.
B. The raising up of two men of faith: Jonathan and his armor bearer, 14:1-
1. Faith acts wisely, 14:1-5.
It is in this context that God raises up two men of faith, Jonathan and his armor-bearer. The first thing we need to see here is that faith acts wisely. Jonathan decided it was time to stake out the enemy and to take his armor-bearer. But, he does so without telling his father. Just why he did not consult his father is never said. It might have been because Jonathan no longer trusted his father. Remember, earlier in the chapter when Jonathan had defeated the garrison of the Philistines at Geba it was his father who took credit for it (3-4). Another reason might be he knew the kingdom was no longer promised to his father Saul because of his disobedience. Whatever were the reasons it is evident here that Jonathan acted wisely in not telling his father.
6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried 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 can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.”
2. Faith is not presumptive (it may be that the Lord will work for us - he may not); it rests upon the will of God, 6. It may be that God will heal; maybe not. It may be that God will deliver me from death; maybe not. It may be that God will do this or that; He may not. In the final analysis faith always rests upon God’s sovereign good pleasure. It would be wrong to prescribe to Him that He must do this or that, just as it is wrong for the unregenerate to prescribe to God that he must not allow suffering in the world, particularly the suffering of what men consider the innocent.
3. Faith believes God is able to do, and will do whatever he desires, whether he has the support of the many or of the few, 6. Biblical faith believes in the omnipotence of God. He is all powerful and able to do all things.
But, notice what else Jonathan says, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few. God’s power is irresistible. If God wants to do something, there is no person, no power that can resist his hand. This is the doctrine of irresistible power which parallels and leads to the doctrine of irresistible grace. It is one of the precious beliefs of the reformed faith and it is the basis of great joy and hope. For, as Paul would say, if God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31). He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Rom 8:32).
7 And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.”
4. Faith is strengthened by the support of another of like-mindedness, 7.
a. If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven, Mt 18:19. While this verse is given as assurance for the church that faithfully practices church discipline, its principle is broader, for it speaks about the strength and power two or more have when they ask God for something in line with his commandments and purposes. I believe this may be the key to Jonathan’s confidence in God. There are certain clues in the passage, such as his calling the Philistines “the uncircumcised,” v. 6. This surely reflects his thinking that Israel was his covenant people and all his promises to them surely come to bear. Besides, a simple recollection of history surely reminded Jonathan of God’s faithfulness in delivering Israel so many times in the past. Jonathan and his armor bearer were united on this.
b. Do all that is your heart to do. Do as you wish; Behold I am with you heart and soul, 7. Aren’t you thankful for encouragers? I really am. This armor bearer of Jonathan’s says two things to him. He knew his heart and was in full agreement and support of it. Both apparently had hearts after God. In this they were united. So, he encourages him to do whatever he thinks is right. But, he also wants him to know he is not alone; he is with him heart and soul.
Wives, you need to feel that way about your husbands. Encourage him to do whatever he thinks is right and tell him you are with him all the way, 100%. Oh how church leaders need to hear this from the people they pastor. Elders, do what you think is right; we are behind you in whatever you decide.
8 Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.” 11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” 12 And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.” 13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land. 15 And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.
5. Faith and signs.
Was this a presumptive act of Jonathan, or was it an act of faith? And, if it was an act of faith, what can we learn from it? To answer the question, let us consider two things: what we do not know and what we do know.
What we don’t know is whether God appeared to Jonathan in private ahead of time and discussed this with him, as He did when Gideon twice asked him for signs and God graciously gave him signs twice that He would indeed save Israel by the hand of Gideon (Jdgs. 6:36-40). Perhaps, this is background story is understood here. But, the text is silent here regarding such an encounter between Jonathan and the Lord. Or, it may be that God came to Jonathan and told him to ask him for sign. Remember, God came to Solomon early on and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?“ And, Solomon wisely asked for wisdom. But, scripture does not say so; hence, we do not know. The silence of Scripture is always important and we must observe so.
What we do know are three things. First, this is descriptive, not prescriptive literature. There is a big difference. Scripture describes sinful behavior, but that does not mean we should do the same. On the other hand, when scripture commands or forbids something, then it addresses moral oughtness, what should be done or should not be done. It is important to note here that the asking for signs is neither commanded here, nor forbidden. It is simply described. Furthermore, Jonathan’s actions are neither condemned, nor applauded. Rather, what is applauded is his act of faith. Let’s not confuse the two. Therefore, we should take caution about seeking to do the same.
Secondly, testing God and sign seeking are normally associated with evil and a lack of faith in Scripture. Mt 12:38-40 says, Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Even in the case of Gideon who asked God for signs, it was not to his credit, but to God’s graciousness. God had already told Gideon he would save Israel through Gideon, but Gideon’s faith was weak.
Thirdly, neither David (1 Sam 17), nor Christ ever sought a sign from heaven (Mt. 6:36-46); rather, their guide was God the Father’s revelation to them and they believed it and acted upon it. David’s heart for God, his love and devotion, translated into a faith that heard and obeyed. In both cases they faced severe threats and pending death, but in both cases they submitted themselves unto the hands of a gracious and loving Father.
Applications:
1. We must be careful about drawing moral oughtnesses from scripture that scripture itself does not affirm. Many have gone astray in this area to their own demise. If the sign is of God, fine. But, if the sign is not of God, and faith is associated with the sign, then its negative consequences can be very debilitating to one’s faith. For example, believing it is necessarily God’s will to heal or to save someone may not always issue in that result. While it may have been right for Jonathan to act on the sign he imposed, we have no mandate to do so today.
2. If we do make such conditional statements, then we are obligated to honor them.
3. Scripture is our guide and sufficiency, 2 Tim 3:16. God has revealed himself to us and his Word is all we need, as illustrated by the lives of the saints, particularly by David and Christ Himself.
16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude was dispersing here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Count and see who has gone from us.” And when they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there. 18 So Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God went at that time with the people of Israel. 19 Now while Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the camp of the Philistines increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” 20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle. And behold, every Philistine's sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion. 21 Now the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines before that time and who had gone up with them into the camp, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Likewise, when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too followed hard after them in the battle. 23 So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.
C. The Lord Saved Israel that day, 14:23.
Verse 23 is the key verse: So the Lord saved Israel that day. This is the story of how God saved Israel in the day that Jonathan and his armor-bearer rose up and together killed 20 of the enemy at the rocky crag of Michmash, with the following earthquake, confusion and route of the Philistines. This was the Lord’s victory. While He uses man, his faith, prayers, and fightings, it is ultimately God’s victory, for victory always comes from Him and for Him, and to His glory.
As we come to the Lord’s Table this morning we are reminded of the faithfulness of our Lord and Savior who for the joy set before him endured the cross despising the shame. He was our leader in the great battle against sin, Satan, and death. Like Jonathan He gained the victory through faith. But, not like Jonathan, Christ died in the battle. Yet, He rose from the dead victorius and because He lives we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. To God be the glory now and evermore. Amen.
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