I Samuel 13:14 - I Samuel 14

“The Faith Equation” • 10.16.07 • Autonomy, Authority & The Man Of God, Session ^#6

Intro.

- God has proclaimed through Samuel, that Saul’s Kingdom would die with Saul.

- Between the pronouncement and the carrying out of that verdict, a great deal of time would elapse.

- Saul would continue to lead, and though he was a rejected King, God’s faithfulness to fight for the people of Israel would continue.

- At the end of chapter 13, we see the effect of the Philistine occupation on Israel. The army of Israel, numbered at a paltry 600 men, was weaponless, except for the royal family.

- The Philistines owned the technology and did not share it with the majority of Israel.

• I Samuel 13:22 : “So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.”

- Coming to chapter 14, we see Saul and the army assembled at Migron, sitting. Unbeknownst to Saul, Jonathan has decided to make a move against the Philistine garrison.

• I Samuel 14:1 : “Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.’ But he did not tell his father.”

- Jonathan’s heart is seen in 14:6

• I Samuel 14:6 : “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.’”

- Jonathan then proposes a sign that might accompany God’s approval over this notion.

• I Samuel 14:8-10 : “Then Jonathan said, ‘Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.’”

- As you read, you will find God meeting Jonathan in this moment, which ends in a complete rout of this garrison.

- This action by Jonathan causes a large stir in the hearts of the Philistines.

• I Samuel 14:16 : “Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there.”

- Verses 18 through the end of the chapter detail the victory for us. But the bottom line is the most important

• I Samuel 14:23 : “So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven.”

- As we look at this section, we see a microcosm of how God meets us where our faith is.

I. The Faith Requirement (13:15-22)

II. The Faith Response (14:1,2)

III. The Faith Result (14:16-23)

Text

I. The Faith Requirement (13:15-22)

- Let’s look at some key stats in these verses.

- First, verse 15 tells us that Israel had 600 men ready to fight. 2,400 had deserted and gone into hiding.

- Second, verses 16 and 17 reveal to us that the Philistine had the Israelites surrounded with a large advantage in the numbers department.

- Third, the people that were with Saul were without armament!

- To recap, the Hebrews had no men, no position and no weapons, which of course means that they had no chance humanly speaking!

- It’s an impossible situation with no conceivable, good end in sight!

- Like the Hebrews, the truly difficult or impossible circumstance is the stage upon which our faith either proves genuine or faint under the pressure.

- Make no mistake: Each one of us will experience tests which prove our faith.

- And each test will include some or all of these variables.

- You will feel lonely, without the comfort of human support.

- You will feel that your enemy will have all the power to control the situation.

- You will feel that you lack the tools to go out and fight!

- These tests are inevitable, and they all focus on your faith!

• James 1:2,3 : “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”

- James is writing the people of God who had been scattered because of persecution throughout the world.

- They likely wondered, “Why is God allowing this? I thought that He loved us!”

- James says, “Hey guys” and then goes right to their main question!

- Guys, count it all joy! Add it up! Put 2 & 2 together and see that God is using these inevitable, difficulties to produce something precious in your life!

- Peter, writing to the Dispersion, the same people that James is addressing, adds this:

• I Peter 1:3-7 : “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,”

- Genuine faith sees victory where there can only be defeat. Genuine faith sees God’s hand in the impossible.

- There is a prophet in the Bible who looked to God and said, “Why is there so much violence and injustice in the world? And what are you going to do about it?”

- God answered, “I am raising up a vicious group of raiders who will be used by me to correct my people.”

- Habakkuk stood back and saw that the people that he loved, his people, would soon be decimated by this relentless enemy. How would they survive and how would God keep His promise?

- God answers Habakkuk in

• Habakkuk 2:2-4 : “Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.”

- You can’t see naturally, how God is going to reach your loved one who has walked away from the faith.

- You can’t see any circumstance that could possibly right your marriage.

- There are no possible resources available that could deal with your financial crisis!

- Behold, the just shall live by faith!

II. The Faith Response (14:1,2)

• I Samuel 14:1,2 : “Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.’ But he did not tell his father. And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men.”

- Notice with me, these two men.

- Both have battle experience. Both are presently undefeeated. Both have weaponry. Both are faced with the exact same scenario and the exact same intel regarding what is facing them.

- Both men are aware of God’s actions on behalf of their people in their not-to-distant past.

- But that is where the similarities end.

- Jonathan has one faithful encourager. Saul has 600 men, the priesthood, all sitting and co-miserating!

- Jonathan sees the circumstances and is mobilized. Saul sees the circumstances and is paralyzed.

- One man says, “Let’s go and see what God does!” The other man says, “Let’s sit and see what we can figure out!”

- Finally, one man gets results and the other gets to watch from the sidelines!

- Jonathan shows a valiant heart of faith. His mindset, which we read in verse 6 is so attractive.

- I want to get moving and see what God might do!

- Jonathan was a risk taker in one sense, but he understood some very basic things.

- First, it was God’s agenda from the very beginning of Israel’s entry into Canaan that the Israelites would possess the land from the indigenous, idolatrous inhabitants!

• Deuteronomy 11:22-25 : “For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do--to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him-- then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand against you; the Lord your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has said to you.”

- Jonathan is entering into and partnering in God’s agenda.

- Second, Jonathan understands that this was God’s battle! Notice the phrase in verse 6: Nothing restrains the Lord from saving with many or a few!

- Jonathan might have to raise a sword at or run toward or fight with the Philistine garrison, but God was going to deliver! God was going to fight for them!

- Third, and I think that this is an exceptional point, Jonathan had a faith encourager with him!

- He had an armor bearer with an eye towards things of God!

• I Samuel 14:7 : “So his armorbearer said to him, ‘Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.’”

- Jonathan knew that God wanted to do something so he partnered with Him.

- Jonathan knew that the circumstances would pale in comparison to the presence of God.

- And in case there was any doubt, Jonathan had a man with him that would push for faith in the Lord!

- You all remember the story when Jesus came walking on water toward the struggling disciples.

- Peter saw the Lord and told Him to call him out to Him.

- Between the boat and the Lord raged a sea of water.

- Peter took a step and then another. Then he realized what was happening around him.

• Matthew 14:30,31 : “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’”

- Peter, like Saul, sunk when he looked at the circumstances. In the meantime, Jonathan soared!

- Saul said, “How can I win?” Jonathan said, “How can I lose!?”

III. The Faith Result (14:16-23)

- Let’s look at the highlights of these verses.

- In verse 16, the Bible records that the multitude was melting away.

- In verse 20, Saul’s group went out to battle only to find that the Philistines were fighting amongst themselves!

- In verse 21 and 22, the Hiding Hebrews came out and joined the fight.

- What is the result of our faith, placed rightly in Christ?

- The enemies don’t know how to respond and are scattered, while the people of God are encouraged to take up the fight themselves!

- God knew how He was going to win the day. The Philistines were going to beat themselves!

- God had used this technique before on several occassions.

- In Judges 7:22, Gideon’s men blew some trumpets and broke some vases, while Midian skewered themselves!

- Elisha brought down a company of the Syrians with a blindness from the Lord in II Kings 6.

- Ammon and Moab came against the people of Judah and their king Jehoshaphat, but when the people rose to sing and praise the Lord, the Lord set an ambush among the people and they fell in II Chronicles 20!

- In other places God used hornets and other natural disasters and phenomena.

- Here, one man’s faith is the catalyst.

- God co-ordinated His activity with that of Jonathan to bring about this thorough rout.

Conclusion

- Today, you can either sit or start moving towards what the Lord is calling you to do!

- We can never be sure of what is going to happen, but that is the requirement isn’t it? The just, you and I, shall live by faith!

- I pray that our response will be more like Jonathan’s after today.

- Not just so we can see our enemy, Satan, vanquished, or just so we might see our brothers and sisters in the faith, encouraged. But simply so that we might see the Lord’s victory on our behalf! That is worth walking toward don’t you think!?