Perhaps the Lord Will Act

Perhaps the Lord Will Act This morning, I want to share with you one of my favorite stories from the Old Testament. This means we have to go back in time about 3,000 years. The story takes place during the time of Saul, the first king of Israel. Before Saul, Israel was ruled by judges, but the people wanted to be like the nations that surrounded them. So they rejected God s leadership and asked him to give them a king. He warned them that a king would demand the best for himself. A king would take their sons and daughters to serve him. He would take the best fields and vineyards for himself. He would take a tenth of their grain and flocks. But the people still asked for a king, and God gave them Saul. Be careful what you wish for. Saul looked like a king. If Saul had been an actor, he would have played the role of a king. He was as handsome as anyone in the land, and he stood a head taller than anyone else. He looked like a king, but he lacked character. Saul was disobedient, fearful, a weak leader. Saul, however, is not the central figure in this story. I describe him only to contrast him with his son Jonathan, who is the main human character. So here s the scene as it s described in 1 Samuel chapters 13 and 14. Israel is at war with its number 1 enemy, the Philistine army. The Philistines have a large force occupying Israelite territory. The text says the Philistines have 3,000 chariots, with two men on each chariot. In addition, their foot soldiers are as numerous as the sand on the seashore. In other words, too many to count. Saul s army, on the other hand, started this campaign with 3,000 soldiers. But when they saw the Philistines assembling, more than 2,000 Israelites ran away. Some found caves or pits to hide in. Some went over and joined the Philistines. Some ran all the way home. Only 600 remain. Saul is also at a great technological disadvantage. The Philistines have countless iron swords as well as iron chariot wheels. But they also removed all of the blacksmiths from the land of Israel. There is no one left in Israel 1

who knows how to make weapons, so only Saul and Jonathan have a sword or spear. So Israel is greatly outnumbered in both men and weapons, but there is one more major disadvantage. This photo shows the setting of this story in 1 Samuel. In present-day Palestine, it s called Wadi es-suweinit. Saul and his 600 men are off in some rocky terrain to the right. The Philistine army is around to the left, and there is a group of 20 Philistine soldiers overlooking this pass. The only way out for Saul s army is through this pass, but the 20 Philistines would see them coming, alert the rest of their army, and it wouldn t end well for Israel. This is the situation at the beginning of 1 Samuel chapter 14. Saul and his army are outnumbered, trapped, and paralyzed by fear. But then Jonathan, the son of the king, has an idea. He tells his young armor-bearer, Let s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side. But he doesn t tell his father where he is going, and no one knows that they have left. Jonathan says to his armor-bearer, Let s go over to those uncircumcised men. Now this isn t just an insult. It is an insult, but it s more than that. Jonathan is putting into words the reason for his actions. The nation of Israel is God s special possession. He told them, You will be my people, and I will be your God. When Israel succeeds, God receives glory. When Israel fails, it makes God look bad. And circumcision is the sign of this covenant relationship between God and his people. So when Jonathan refers to those uncircumcised men, he is pointing out the difference between his nation and the Philistines. His people have a relationship with the One True God, while the Philistines worship Dagon, the fish-god. In Jonathan s way of thinking, it isn t right that worshipers of a fish-god should oppress worshipers of the Creator of the universe. 2

So Jonathan tells his armor-bearer, Let s go over to those fish-god worshipers who have no right to be in our land. Then he adds this: Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few. 1 Samuel 14:6 (NIV) Don t be fooled by this word perhaps. This is not a statement of doubt, but a statement of faith. Jonathan knows what God is capable of whether by many or by few. God is able to win a victory here only God is able to secure a victory but Jonathan isn t sure that this is God s will for this time. He is saying, I know the Lord is able. I think this impulse to act is from him. But I m not 100 percent certain. Jonathan s first confirmation comes from his armor-bearer, who responds with an amazing statement: Do all that you have in mind. I m with you heart and soul. My focus this morning is not on the armor-bearer, but I can t let this moment pass without comment. We don t know this young man s name, but he is every bit as courageous as his master. You might say that because he has no weapons of his own, he s even more courageous than Jonathan. He knows there are only two possible outcomes: Either God will intervene, or he and Jonathan will die on that rock. Either certain death, or a great victory for the glory of God. But the Lord uses this young man s courage and loyalty to encourage Jonathan in his course of action. Pretty remarkable. Jonathan then describes a test that the Lord has placed in his heart. He says, Let s show ourselves to the Philistines. If they say, Stay where you are, we will stay. But if they say, Come up here, that s our sign that God is with us. And that s what happens. The Philistines see them below and taunt them. Look, the Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in. And then the fateful command: Come up here, and we ll teach you a lesson. This is all Jonathan needs to hear. It is the final sign of confirmation. the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel. 1 Samuel 14:12 (NIV) 3

So Jonathan and the armor-bearer scale the cliff and kill all 20 Philistines in the lookout garrison. And then God sends panic and confusion throughout the entire Philistine army. The Philistines begin killing each other, and the survivors run away. Verse 23 says, So on that day the Lord saved Israel. This story has much to teach us about faith, courage, families, leadership, and many other topics. But I want to highlight just two points relating to God s dealings with his people. The first is this: God is always looking for worthy partners. Second Chronicles 16:9 says, The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. The all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present Lord of the universe does not need our help. But in his sovereignty, he has given his people some work to do. Only God can save, but our part is to proclaim the good news that all of the world can have peace with him through the sinless life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Only God can heal, but our part is to lay hands on the sick, anoint with oil, and call out to the healer in a prayer of faith. Only God can throw panic into the heart of the Philistine army, but our part is to start climbing up the face of the cliff. God does not need our help, but he wants us to work with him. And many times, working with him means taking the first steps of faith. The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What an incredible promise. The eyes of the Lord search the earth and focus on Saul, this man who looks like a king. But the eyes of the Lord are not fooled by outward appearances. They can see Saul s heart. And what they find is a heart fully 4

committed not to the Lord, but to Saul. You can see that this is true as you read the preceding and following chapters in 1 Samuel. This is a man of pride, jealousy, rage. And so the eyes of the Lord search elsewhere and come upon Jonathan. This narrative in 1 Samuel 13 and 14 gives a glimpse into Jonathan s character. But as we read in the following chapters, we can confirm what we already suspect. This is a man of integrity, loyalty, honor. This is a man who cares deeply about the reputation and purposes of his Lord. This is a man whose heart is fully committed to God. So this leads me to a question: When the eyes of the Lord look upon me, what do they see? Do they see a heart fully committed to him? Or do they see a heart fully committed to Mike? Am I more concerned with God s reputation or mine? God is always looking for worthy partners. May we be found worthy by the eyes of the Lord. The second brief point I want to pull out of Jonathan s story is this: God sometimes announces his plan with a whisper. I have prayed many times that God would make himself obvious in his direction in my life. Where should I go to university? Should I accept this job offer? Should I move my family seven hours away? Or seven time zones away? Sometimes, God chooses to speak in a burning bush, as he did with Moses. Ezekiel (43:2) writes that the voice of the Lord was like the roar of rushing waters. But these are rare events. A more common scenario is found in 1 Kings 19:12: And after the fire came a gentle whisper. Elijah heard the voice of the Lord as a gentle whisper. 5

In one of my Bibles, the story of Jonathan and his armor-bearer is called Jonathan s Daring Plan. That s the title the editors have inserted above the text: Jonathan s Daring Plan. But I don t think that s accurate. I don t believe this was Jonathan s plan. I believe that God planted this idea into Jonathan s mind and heart. One scholar refers to this moment as a divine impulse. God places in our heart a desire to act. It s a whisper that you can t hear with your ears. A gentle nudge you can t feel. God is able to speak in the thunder, but he usually speaks to us in whispers. And as we grow closer to him, we are better able to hear those whispers. In John 10:27, Jesus says, My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I believe God chooses to speak in whispers because he wants us always to move closer to him. If someone shouts at me, I can hear even if I m far away. But if the same person whispers, I cannot hear unless I m very close. God wants us close enough to hear the whispers. As we close today, I wonder what kinds of daring plans God wants to do through us. I wonder what God is whispering to each one of us. Prayer 6