Text: 1 Samuel 14:1-46
“It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.” —1 Samuel 14:6
There comes a time when one must pick a fight…
The Philistines were bullying the Israelites on every side. Victory over the oppressors seemed impossible. Israel was vastly outnumbered and greatly surpassed in military resources, and they were losing the battle. Leadership was paralyzed as their king and priest were sitting idly under a pomegranate tree with no strategy for a counterattack.
One man refused to cower to the complacency of his time. He wasn’t going down without a fight. This man, Jonathan, was the king’s son. Understanding that fear and faith are both contagious, he chose the latter. He decided to pick a fight with the enemy rather than sit back and DO NOTHING.
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.” 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.” (1 Samuel 14:6–7 ESV)
While Saul was preoccupied with numbers (1 Samuel 13:11, 15), Jonathan knew that numbers were no match for the power of God—for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few. So, he and his armor bearer stepped out in bold faith and went up and initiated a fight with some of the Philistines. After they quickly struck down twenty of them, the entire Philistine army was thrown into a “very great panic.” The tables were turned on the enemy. Saul and his men came out from under that tree and joined the battle. Others who had “hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim,” they too followed hard into the battle.
The Philistine army was defeated, and Israel triumphed because one man and his armor bearer had the audacity to trust God rather than just succumb to being demoralized. Their grit had sparked a full-blown revolution, not because Jonathan was so special, but because he had great faith in God. It wasn’t “I can win a great victory with God’s help.” It was “God can win a great victory through even me.” Later in the chapter the people said of Jonathan, “for he has worked with God this day.”
Isn’t that precisely what God is looking for in us? Not that we would have everything figured out, but that we would work with him by giving Him our trust? That we would be willing to step out in faith, even when things look impossible? Our job is not to “win” the battle, but to “work with GOD,” as He has already orchestrated a plan to defeat the enemy. Our job is to believe. His job is to come through. And He always has and always will.
Where does your faith need to pick a fight today? Maybe it’s with depression, fear, or anxiety. Those enemies need to hear your battle cry. Perhaps you need to confront some form of complacency, idolatry, or spiritual idleness in your life. A particular sin might need to be served notice that you are going to “work with God” as Christ delivers a triumphant blow to its dominion in your life. Maybe God is calling you to pick a fight with “unforgiveness,” and be reconciled with someone. Whatever the enemy looks like right now, may the battle find you trusting in God’s power over your own ability.
PRAYER
“Heavenly Father, you are worthy of my praise. Victory is never dependent on my own strength, but your power alone. I want to work with you in faith. I want to trust you in the battle. I want to know the presence of Christ’s sufficiency in every trial I face. Help me to step out boldly with a faith that says, ‘nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.’ In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- In what recent circumstances have you felt overwhelmed?
- Why is it often easier to do nothing when the enemy seems to be winning?
- What does this passage of Scripture reveal about God? Us?
- In what ways might Jonathan be a prefigure of Jesus in this chapter?
- How might God be calling you to step out in faith and confront the enemy right now?
