Spiritual Collapse - When You Don't Delight In God's Will - 1 Samuel 14 Series

Introduction: Saul in Trouble

If you were here last week you remember that Saul is in deep trouble in Gibeah. He sent almost his whole army home, just keeping a standing force of 3000. And Jonathan attacks the Philistines. The Philistines respond with absolutely staggering force - thousands of chariots, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They are coming at Israel with chariots, and they have not allowed any blacksmiths in Israel so Israel does not even have swords or spears. With the exception of Saul and Jonathan they had to fight with wooden and stone weapons.

Then the Philistines start a campaign of terror - sending our raiding parties from Micmash in every direction (vv.17-18), to terrorize and demoralize the people – destroy their crops, steal things from them, ruin everything they could ruin, etc. And it worked. The Israelites realize Saul does not have a chance, and they just run and hide in caves and holes in the ground – some even left the country.

And the soldiers are scared too. Saul’s tiny little army starts to fall apart, and 80% of them defect. So now he is down to 600. The Philistine camp is at Micmash, which controls the roads from the north. So Saul is completely pinned down. He has the largest recorded Philistine army camped less than two miles away and all hope of assistance from the northern tribes is cut off.

Then the Philistines begin to tighten the noose.23 Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash. They are starting to make their move toward where Saul is. Guarding this pass was strategic, because it completely bottled Saul up. Now if Saul tries to go this way, as soon has his men started trying to climb up the steep cliffs to the pass the Philistines could pick them off like shooting fish in a barrel.

We are about to read about a big time battle between the Philistines and the Israelites. This whole chapter is about that battle. But the focus of the chapter is not primarily a military one. What this chapter shows us is what happens to a man who has been blessed by God, whose heart has been changed by God, who has been made into a new man, and who has been given the Holy Spirit and the promise of success by God - what happens to a man like that when his heart begins to cool toward God? What happens when a man comes to the point where he is very committed to God, but he doesn’t have a heart after God’s own heart? He is devoted to serving the Lord, but in his heart he does not really love the things God loves.

God hands Saul a victory

1 Sam.14:1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armor, "Come, let's go…

The armor bearer was probably an apprentice who not only carried weapons but also fought alongside the one he was carrying weapons for. (At least this one did)

Jonathan … said to the young man bearing his armor, "Come, let's go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side." But he did not tell his father.

Jonathan is going to go down into this deep canyon and climb up to where the Philistine garrison is. How are Jonathan and his armor bearer going to pull that off with that detachment of Philistine soldiers there?

The writer will just let you wonder about that for a minute. He lets the suspense build while he gives us a little side comment in verses two and three, where he explains to us that instead of consulting Samuel, Saul now has a priest from the rejected line of Eli with him. God’s Word came out of the mouth of Samuel, and Saul did not like it. And so he found someone else.

It is a really bad sign when a person hears someone proclaim the truth of God and their reaction is anything other than delight. When someone hears the words of God and says, “I do not need anyone telling me what to do!” and takes no delight in them, and rejects the human instrument through whom those words come – that comes from a heart that does not love the will of God.

Anyway, while Saul is busy seeking alternatives to God’s Word Jonathan is on the move with his armor bearer heading toward the Philistine outpost.

3 …No one was aware that Jonathan had left. 4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff … 5 One cliff stood to the north toward Micmash, the other to the south toward Geba.