Faithful and Reckless with All of our Hope in God
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.” Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. 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. 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.” 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.” Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him. 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.
1 Samuel 14:6,8–10,12–13,15 Read More
This is one of those parts of the Bible that you wish would be made into a movie. Jonathan and his younger helper go through this rugged, deadly terrain to face off against about 20 trained soldiers. It’s a fool’s mission if the power of victory is in the hands of the fool.
Jonathan has something in this section that his dad, King Saul, lacked. Surrendered trust.
There is a fake trust that fills in the last little bit, in case God doesn’t totally cover it. This was what happened yesterday when Saul did 99% of what God commanded, thinking that it was just the doing of the activities through which God would save them.
There is another kind of trust that says, “I trust you God. You are my only hope.” It’s this closeness and the dependence on God that moves God to show off. Jonathan shows that he is in this state when he says “Maybe God will work for us. Nothing can stop Him from saving by many or by few.” Jonathan knows that God’s intervention is their only hope.
Without it, they will die somewhere at the hand of the Philistines.
With it, they will have victory over the Philistines everywhere.
His plan and his calling are resolute. He is going to be completely visible, and if the Philistines say “Come up to us,” that will be a sign that God is delivering Israel from the Philistines. If not, Jonathan and his armor carrier are toast. The difference between reckless and walking by faith is pretty fuzzy sometimes. That line is even fuzzy when you are in the middle of it! If you’ve ever been around people that were attempting something that would only work if God rescued, you might have felt recklessly faithful yourself.
Imagine the joy that comes the moment the Philistines shout down “Come up to us!” It must have been like the voice of God spoke. Picture the close up on Jonathan’s eyes grinning as he looks back at his armor bearer, the tears in the eyes of the armor bearer trying at one moment to hold back his fear and at the next his joy.
How about that climb up the rock? Was it one of “God’s gonna save me, so I can take my time, do what I want, and look at these bugs on my way up. Ouch, a sharp rock! I hate climbing.” HECK NO
With every grip on a rock and every pull up Jonathan was realizing that the living God, the commander of the angels of heaven, was with him. His joy, confidence, bravery, and strength would increase with every step as he considered the army around him that by the power of God would fall at his feet! When he topped that rock he could have killed those men with his bare hands and lion’s roar!
We are victors, brothers and sisters. We do not have to wonder if God will help us. We need to be bold and brave enough to do what we know He wants us to do. Love others with the power of Christ and the boldness of Jonathan climbing to a guaranteed and sure victory.
Salvation is already yours.
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