Slices
Prepare
‘You are Lord of my days and nights; my waking and sleeping; my comings and goings. In this moment, I give to you the day that’s ahead and the one that has passed. Be in them both, I pray.’
Bible passage
Jonathan attacks the Philistines
23 Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Michmash. 14 1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armour-bearer, ‘Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.’ But he did not tell his father.
2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, 3 among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh. 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; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. 5 One cliff stood to the north towards Michmash, the other to the south towards Geba.
6 Jonathan said to his young armour-bearer, ‘Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.’
7 ‘Do all that you have in mind,’ his armour-bearer said. ‘Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.’
8 Jonathan said, ‘Come on, then; we will cross over towards them and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, “Wait there until we come to you,” we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, “Come up to us,” we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.’
11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. ‘Look!’ said the Philistines. ‘The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.’ 12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armour-bearer, ‘Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.’
So Jonathan said to his armour-bearer, ‘Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.’
13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armour-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armour-bearer followed and killed behind him. 14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armour-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.
Israel routs the Philistines
15 Then panic struck the whole army – those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties – and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.
16 Saul’s lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. 17 Then Saul said to the men who were with him, ‘Muster the forces and see who has left us.’ When they did, it was Jonathan and his armour-bearer who were not there.
18 Saul said to Ahijah, ‘Bring the ark of God.’ (At that time it was with the Israelites.) 19 While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, ‘Withdraw your hand.’
20 Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. 21 Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. 23 So on that day the Lord saved Israel, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.
Explore
Saul is surrounded by people who are better than him. His character flaws are exposed by the luminous qualities of those around him. Samuel’s passion for God’s name shows up Saul’s pragmatism and in this reading, we are introduced to his son, Jonathan.
The setting is one of military confinement; the Philistines are about to overwhelm an inadequately resourced Israelite army at Michmash. David and his men cower in the shadows. But Jonathan sees an opportunity in the area’s topography, which is full of deep gorges, gullies and steep cliffs. By means of stealth, these two young men take the enemy by surprise. Their actions spawn panic in the ranks and Saul is able to capitalise and win the battle.
Jonathan’s reasoning is faith-filled: if God is with us then nothing can stop us (v 6). These words, indeed Jonathan’s actions here, seem to prefigure an even younger man who will defeat a Philistine giant on Saul’s behalf (1 Samuel 17) and who will feature heavily in Saul’s life. Jonathan’s bravery serves to highlight Saul’s absence at a crucial moment.
Respond
‘Lord, restore my confidence in your power and word. May I know something of Jonathan’s valiant faith who believed you were with him and launched out in faith.’
Deeper Bible study
‘When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.’1 Make this your prayer.
Is being impulsive always a bad thing? Jonathan is even more impulsive than his father, but here it’s different. Jonathan knew what God’s will was as regards the Philistines; and if the enemy was to be defeated, someone needed to take the initiative. He saw that Saul was dithering, spending time counting his army and sitting under a tree instead of getting on with the job,2 and he also realised that if the Philistines were to be dealt with it needed to be in small doses – one outpost after another. So he got on with it, avoiding the need to ask permission! Jonathan’s confidence was in the Lord; climbing a hill on hands and feet was risky, as the Philistines at the top could easily have seen them and dispatched them, but they made it. When Saul saw the resulting commotion, instead of promptly taking advantage of the Philistine confusion, he stayed under his tree, asked the priest to perform some ritual and ordered a full parade of his soldiers to work out who was not there!
Evans’ title for this section of her commentary reads: ‘One small act of obedience + a great God = dramatic results.’3 It’s worth pondering that in our own contexts. In our day-to-day encounters with a fallen world, God uses each of us in small ways to bring in his kingdom – but each step needs our obedience to God. Evans points out that Jonathan’s actions were inspired by a conviction of God’s power to save Israel: if he didn’t try, he would never know what might have happened through him.4
Sometimes it’s easy to procrastinate, as Saul did, making pious excuses (in his case, consulting the priest to seek guidance), but when God has already given us his blueprint for mission, we must get on with it!
Are you putting off taking some action in response to what you know God is asking of you?
1 Ps 56:3 2 1 Sam 13:15; 14:2 3 Mary Evans, The Message of Samuel, IVP, 2004, p92 4 Evans, 2004, p91
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Isaiah 25,26; Psalm 104
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for fresh ideas and opportunities for outreach as Local Mission Partner Ministry of Sport based in Nottingham prepares for their delayed launch next year. Pray for fresh connections with churches and renewed enthusiasm for events and initiatives that gather people to hear the gospel through the medium of sport.
