Introduction
When the historical period recorded in the book of 1 Samuel begins, we find Israel emerging from the period of judges as a fractured nation. Each tribe is fending for itself and every person is doing what is right in his own eyes. Out of that chaos, God raised up Samuel as the last judge. Through him, God gave Israel significant military victories over her enemies.
On the heels of great victory, Israel decided that she needed a king like the other nations in the place of God. The people of God decided that God was no longer a good enough king for them. So, God gave them Saul. Saul showed some promise in the beginning of his reign, but it soon became clear that he was indeed a king like the kings of the other nations.
Saul proved to be an impulsive and unfaithful king, so God removed his blessing from him and promised another king, the one of his choosing, to rule over Israel. That is where we find Saul: a debunked king without hope or word from the Lord, just waiting, as it were, for the other shoe of God's judgment to drop.
Saul is not the only featured protagonist (or should we say antagonist?) in chapter 14. The whole chapter presents a contrast between Saul, who was anointed by God to lead his people and who is doing nothing more than sitting under a tree, and Jonathan, the son who will never sit on the throne of Israel.
I. A Contrast between Saul and Jonathan throughout the Chapter.
A. Jonathan faces the enemy while Saul sits under a tree, 1-2.
B. Jonathan associates himself with a faithful man while Saul surrounds himself with those who have been cursed by God.
1. Jonathan's armor bearer was a faithful man, 6-7.
2. Notice how the Holy Spirit makes sure that we can connect the men with whom Saul surrounded himself and the curse that God proclaimed on Eli's family, 3 (remember: Ichabod = no glory).
C. Jonathan realized that with the Lord on his side, he had all he needed to fight the enemy, while Saul with 600 men set under the tree, 1-2.
D. Jonathan trusts in the guidance of the Lord while Saul takes rash oaths, 8-10, 24.
E. The people respected Jonathan and tolerated Saul, 44-45.
F. What we see here is that Jonathan, who would never be king, acts like a true king, while Saul the rightful king acts like he is not the king.
II. A Parallel between Jonathan and Gideon.
A. Jonathan uses a variation of Gideon's fleece, 8-10.
B. Jonathan faces a much superior military power with a much smaller army (one man), 1 (remember Gideon's 300).
C. Jonathan has supernatural victory, 15, 23
Jg. 7:19-22 – So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!" And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set every man's sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.
III. The Battle Itself.
A. Jonathan comes up with what it seems to be an insane plan – certainly not the approach that any good military leader would have chosen.
1. The attack will consist of two men who between the two of them will have one spear and one sword, 13:22.
2. They would approach the Philistine garrison from the most impossible side, 4-5 (which would provide the most unexpected attack as well).
3. The strategy was to walk up in plain sight toward the enemy, 8-10.
4. In order to reach the enemy, they would have to crawl on hands and knees all the while the enemies could see all they were doing, 13a.
5. The strategy was simple: I'll hit them first and you finish them up, 13b.
"So much for the setting. Our writer has been rather brisk: Here is the plan (which is secret); here are the leaders (who are rejected); here is the place (which is impossible)." Ralph Dale Davis
B. The Lord gives Israel victory through Jonathan, 23.
1. At first, Jonathan and his armor bearer killed 20 men who were part of the Philistine's advanced garrison, 14.
2. The, the Lord brought great confusion to the Philistine main army, 15.
3. When Saul and the rest of the Israelite army noticed the confusion, they decided to join in, 20.
4. On top of that, Israelites who had defected to the Philistines turned on them and starting attacking them as well, 21.
5. To finish it off, the Israelites who had run away and hid in caves were all of sudden filled with courage and joined the battle, 22.
C. All of that because a follower of Yahweh dared to believe that God was indeed faithful to his people and true to his promises, 6.
1. Notice how Jonathan refers to the Philistines: "uncircumcised Philistines."
2. Jonathan knew that these men were not part of God's people.
3. God hadn't promised them anything while God had promised Jonathan everything.
4. Why should he and Israel cower before the Philistines when they (Israel and Jonathan) bore in their body the very mark of God's faithfulness?
IV. What We See in Jonathan Is the Imagination That Faith Produces, 6.
"Clear conviction about God ('for nothing can keep Yahweh from saving') produces great expectation of God ('perhaps Yahweh will act for us') and recognizes God's 'normal' manner of working ('by many or by few,' i.e., through his servants)." Ralph Dale Davis
A. You see, Jonathan is not trusting in his "daring" scheme, but in God to give deliverance.
B. "It may be" are great words that provide the framework for Christian action.
1. How will we know if God is going to work through us unless we set out to act?
2. We find the equivalent thought in Dan. 3:16-18.
Dan. 3:16-18 – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
C. Faith in Christ frees us.
Jn. 8:28-32 – Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
D. Faith in Christ frees us to dare acting in ways that rely on his grace.
E. Faith in Christ frees us to use our imagination to find ways to serve him and expand his kingdom in ways that are creative and powerful, Heb. 11.
1. Abel, 4.
2. Enoch, 5-6.
3. Noah, 7.
4. Abraham, 8-10, 17-19.
5. Sarah, 11-12
6. Faith empowered them to live looking forward to heaven and heaven's God.
7. Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, 20-22.
8. Moses, 23-28.
9. Israel, 29-30.
10. Rahab, 31.
11. All others who by faith were able to creatively suffer for the glory of God, 32-38.
12. They were able to do all that because they were convinced that Jesus was better than anything else this life had to offer, 39-40.
F. We have the same faith, 12:1-2.
Conclusion
Jonathan teaches us that faith in Christ frees us to use our imagination to creatively serve the Lord. How are you going to use your God given imagination to serve the Lord?
http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-imagination-of-faith-1-sam-141-23.html
Put the internet to work for you.
| |
| Recommended for you |
