1 Samuel 14:1-23 - The LORD Delivers by Even a Few

1 Samuel 14:1-23

Jonathan Defeats the Philistines

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. 2 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. 3 Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’s priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.

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.”

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.”

8 Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 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. 10 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.”

11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden.” 12 Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.”

Jonathan said to his armorbearer, “Come up after me, for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” 13 And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them. 14 That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land.

15 And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling. 16 Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Now call the roll and see who has gone from us.” And when they had called the roll, surprisingly, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. 18 And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here” (for at that time the ark of God was with the children of Israel). 19 Now it happened, while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” 20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to the battle; and indeed every man’s sword was against his neighbor, and there was very great confusion. 21 Moreover the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the surrounding country, they also joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle. 23 So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven.

Jonathan the son of Saul was brave because he trusted God to strengthen him for victory in His wisdom and work in those trusting and stepping forward to engage the enemy where he sits.  Jonathan took his armorbearer and went to spy out the camp of the Philistines’ garrison outpost in Michmash and spoke these words by faith, “it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few.”  He trusted God to work through the two of them to save his people by their actions of entering into the fray with the ungodly enemy.  It is not matter that they were seemingly hopelessly outnumbered; Jonathan had faith as he knew God’s plan of promise for deliverance of His people and so these two valiant men trusted the enemy had already been delivered into the hand of Israel and initially killed twenty on the way into the camp of the Philistines.  Great godly fear fell on the ungodly as they trembled with the seismic unsettling of the ground beneath their feet in the camp, a shaking that was felt all around.  The army there began to run away in fear of the LORD and His mighty hand that shook them from toe to head, from the uncertain ground they stood on to the uncertainty in their minds of their standing before Him and His people as exemplified by Jonathan and his one man.  Saul counted his own men and discovered that his son and thw man were not among them.  He consulted God’s Ark of Testimony through the priest and saw that as the priest drew near the Ark, the rumbling in the enemy camp grew louder and went dimmer as he drew back from this place where God met them.  They then joined in the battle with Jonathan and observed how the Philistine enemy were killing themselves in the mass confusion and overwhelming fear of their shaking by God and had stopped their assault on the city of Beth Aven.  Other Hebrews in the surrounding area joined in with those of Saul to pursue he enemy they had been hiding from in fear as the tables of fear were turned against those opposing the LORD and His chosen ones.  The battle had been turned around and Israel pursued their enemy.  We learn here that the LORD can deliver with one or two faithful men who set their faces as a hardened flint (Isaiah 50:7) by faith to deliver their people, just as we who are in Christ set our faith and feet firmly planted (Ephesians 6:13, 2 Corinthians 3:4-5) in the gospel truth that sets men’s hearts trembling in the face of eternal judgment with the promise of release from fear (Hebrews 2:14, 15, 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 John 4:18)  and hope of an unshakable kingdom (Isaiah 54:10, Hebrews 12:27, 28) in Him.  We are called to stand firm in the battle for souls of men and women as we wield the word of God to set them free at last from fear (John 8:31-32)  and trembling in the war (Revelation 12:17) for their souls.  Remember that the Lord delivers them by a few or even just one such as you or I.