Epic encounter!
1 Samuel 14:6”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."
Today we have a beautiful lesson from the Bible portion that we have taken for meditation, where Jonathan said: ‘the Lord will work for us.’ Amen. If today you wonder, ‘how would I solve this problem’ or ‘from where would I get assistance’ or ‘ whom do I have for help’ or ‘can I do this on my own’; let me take you to a wonderful portion in the Bible that would certainly lift your spirit. I was charged when I read this, I’m sure the energy and power would permeate into this devotion! Cheer up!
Jonathan was the son of the first king of Israel and Judah and that was Saul who lost his anointing because of his disobedience. While Saul sat under the pomegranate tree and had tea with 600 men shivering with him, wondering how do they tackle the brutal enemies encamped across them, Jonathan said: “Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison.” Ah, that’s the spirit! Hearts that are right with God does not fear! But even the flutter of leaves would scare the unrighteous and those who live on ‘I can do it’ attitude. Trust comes not by flexing the muscles (be it 6 pac or more) but by bending the knees to depend on God. Anybody listening? When church is ignored, when Bible and prayer are shelved, then we can never stand against the pressure of this competitive world. With God you can accomplish anything and everything! Say Amen. Apostle Paul roared: Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
When Jonathan arises for God, he is not left alone but God stirs the heart of his assistant who said: ’I’ll come with you.’ When we obey and follow His instructions whole-heartedly be sure to be provided for the task and also guided by Him immaculately. You are the apple of His eye! When I struggled with lack of local language and also with no experience in the education field, God provided everything and helped me take up the task of opening an educational institution to help the poor through the ‘Free School’ project along with my family in a new city.
There is a treasure trough of information and lesson that we can gather from this Bible portion and I am excited to preach it to you, read on….it would not bore you. Next, Jonathan does not blindly scurry like many of us to the enemy camp but says, ’I will wait for a word from God(verse 10)if the enemy says, ’Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us. ‘ You want to know what happened, the first words from the mouth of enemy was , ‘come’, having heard from God, Jonathan alongside his assistant charges into the enemy camp. God was on his side! That was enough!
Friend, behind every task, the motive should be good. Jonathan said: “..for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.” Did you get that? He did not say, “I will show the world what stuff I’m made up of and defeat the enemies”, like many brag today. Young man! What is the motive behind your aspiration to serve the Lord? Many today want to flaunt their skills in the pulpit rather than focusing on the salvation of the lost.
Though the path was very rough and steep with sharp rocks, Jonathan was not going to give up at any cost, he scaled the rocks on his hands and knees and showed himself to the enemies not at night but at day light. Phew! What a man! We need such ‘Jonathans’ today in our churches to save the lost.
Rare are these individuals that hold the unique combination of exceptional talent, courage and commitment! When Jonathan thus entered the enemy camp, at the first shot, 20 men fell dead by Jonathan and the Bible says that his assistant was not disposing the corpses but “ his armour bearer slew after him.” Riveting! A man filled with God has nothing to fear! Do you have a challenging job or a church to face, may be a transfer or a tough boss who threatens you everyday – be cool, there is nothing to fear, you have the Mighty God with you! He would provide everything needed to accomplish the job!
