Jonathan: Brave or Trusting?

1 Samuel 14:1-23

1 One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave at Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men,

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

4 Within the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

5 The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.

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.”

7 And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.”

8 Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them.

9 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.

10 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.”

11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.”

12 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.”

13 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.

14And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre of land.

15 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.

16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude was dispersing here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Count and see who has gone from us.” And when they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.

18 So Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God went at that time with the people of Israel.

19 Now while Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the camp of the Philistines increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”

20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle. And behold, every Philistine’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.

21 Now the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines before that time and who had gone up with them into the camp, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

22 Likewise, when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too followed hard after them in the battle.

23 So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.

In today’s story about the life of Saul, we are introduced at length to his son, Jonathan. We met him briefly in chapter 13 as the leader of a garrison. But we got few details about him there. Now, a story emerges that shows us who he truly is and while his father will leave something to be desired in terms of character, Jonathan shines as an example of a life that trusts in God and accepting of His path.

The first word that comes to mind as we read this story is ‘brave.’ Jonathan is brave and willing to take a risk because his bravery is fueled by a trust in God to guide his footsteps and protect him. While his father sits in ease (as his country faces invasion by the Philistines) underneath a canopy of pomegranate trees (a sign of wealth and power) Jonathan risks his life in order to defeat the enemy. Jonathan appears to be fearless as he executes this test of God’s will for the battle ahead. What we find in Jonathan is a man of faith who clearly knows how to walk with God and abide by His will. His bravery is based on trust in a faithful God and serves to show us how we can do the same.

Here is yet another obscure story of God’s faithfulness to His people. This probably isn’t one of the stories you pull out of your grab bag of Bible history to prove the strength of God. But here it is – another example of the truth that God is able to take care of all of our battles and struggles. We just need to let him. Jonathan put himself right there in front of the Philistines waiting for God to do the rest, and He did. There must be stories in your own life where God pulled through for you. What are they? Rehearsing them and remembering them is always a good practice. They serve to remind us of His faithful strength to handle our every need. Most of us won’t face an actual battlefield struggle today; but there are situations in every life that can be turned over to God. Watching Him handle our difficult situations can be a truly faith building experience. But if you are constantly handling your own problems, or even sitting under the pomegranate tree, you will never see what He can do for you. Our biggest struggle is with our own sinfulness, and He already handled that for us in Jesus death and resurrection. The rest of your life will be a breeze compared to that!