To Encourage You

1 Samuel 14:6 “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.’”

Have you ever looked around you and thought that things just seem to be going haywire? Just look at our world at this very moment. We live in a society where a virus recently caused so much uncertainty. So many in every corner of society just didn’t know what to do about it when Covid struck. Then there is all the violence in the cities across America. There’s political strife that’s at a fever pitch everywhere we look. So we look to the church for some hope of solace. But what do we find there? We see clergy and other spiritual leaders caught up in sexual immorality, false teaching, and ungodly trends that seem to be leading the church to be more like rather than unlike the world that hates Christ. So many moving parts, so much chaos, so much confusion when you really think about it. What’s the believer to do?

Well, as always, we turn to the Scriptures, for it is in the pages of God’s Word that we find that God’s “divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). And how does He do this? He gives us accounts in His ancient words that can be plucked out and set down, wonderfully, to speak to us in this modern world.

One such account is in the actions of Jonathan, Saul’s son, recorded in part for us in the words above from 1 Samuel 14. It was a time of utter chaos in Israel. The Philistines were harassing Israel, sending raiding parties throughout the land. These enemies of God’s people had all the advantages in might and armaments. As a result, the Israelites were terrified, hiding in the hills. On top of this, their king, Saul, had just been rejected by God because of his flagrant impiety and disobedience. It was a dark time with enemies without and fear and turmoil within. But then there was Jonathan. Here was a godly son of a wicked father. Here was one with godly courage while so many others quaked in fear. Here was one who recognized that one with God is a majority, no matter how things might appear. And here was one who chose to step out in faith and obedience to God’s leading, with a heart to leave the fallout to God. And so he did, and so God acted. As Jonathan and his armor bearer stepped out to confront a garrison of the Philistines, he followed the Lord’s leading one small step at a time. He didn’t know what God would do, but it didn’t matter to him. He trusted the providence of God, for He knew His Lord was sovereign over all. And what happened? God gave him a great victory. Things that could never have been imagined fell into place. Jonathan’s actions of obedience and trust were a catalyst that led to a cascade of events that were all under the control of the power of God.

First, Jonathan and his armor bearer were given divine strength to gain victory over twenty men. This touched off a panic within the entire Philistine army.  In their confusion, they began to fight against themselves. Then there was an earthquake which brought even more panic and confusion into the Philistine camp. Next, the Israelites who had earlier defected to the Philistines were suddenly emboldened to end their treason and turn again to fight for Israel rather than against them. Finally, the rest of the Israelites rose up from their hiding places and joined in the fight. And “so the Lord saved Israel that day” (1 Samuel 14:23).

What a lesson for us in our day and age, regardless of the chaos that seems to fill our world. As Jonathan did, so we should do. Hasn’t our Lord told us to “Trust in (him) with all (our) heart, and (to) not lean on (our) own understanding.” Hasn’t he told us to “acknowledge him” in all our ways with the promise that if we do “he will make straight (our) paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6)? Hasn’t he told us, “to make the best use of our time,” i.e., time that he has given us to serve him in spite of the fact that, today just as in Jonathan’s day, “the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16)?  And isn’t it just as true today as it was in Jonathan’s time that “the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9)?

May God give us a heart, regardless of the disfunction and chaos that might surround us, to say with Joshua, another of God’s Old Testament saints, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).