1Sa 14:6-7 LITV
(6) And Jonathan said to the young man bearing his weapons, Come, we shall cross over to the fort of these uncircumcised ones. It may be Jehovah will work for us, for there is no hindrance to Jehovah, to save by many or by few.
(7) And his armorbearer said to him, Do all that is in your heart; turn yourself. Behold, I am with you according to your heart.
1Sa 14:23 LITV
(23) And Jehovah saved Israel that day. And the battle passed over to Beth-aven.
Between verse 6 and verse 23, amazing and miraculous things happened. Check out this story! Notice, though, that the Lord saved Israel in one day because of a chain of events that started by one man of faith who pressed against the enemy. Jonathan, the king's son and (supposedly) heir to the throne lived a life of risk because he knew that God could save 'by many or by few'. Wow! God loves those who tackle the miraculous. If our walk doesn't require faith, we live a powerless life. Jonathan's walk was 'ridiculous'! But what was Israel saved from? Exactly what happened because of one man's faith? To answer that, we go one chapter back and take an objective view of the enemy that had formed against Israel:
1Sa 13:5 LITV
(5) And the Philistines gathered to fight with Israel, with thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the lip of the sea for multitude. And they came up and pitched in Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
Formidable, yes, to the human eye. To God, however, the overwhelming odds against us don't amount to much. The rule Jonathan lived by was one that Samuel presented his father, Saul, just a few years prior. It was this:
1Sa 10:7 LITV
(7) And it will be, when these signs come to you, do for yourself what your hand finds, for God is with you.
We who are called according to God's purpose have an anointing to serve and to be ministers of God. If we are attached to the 'body', then we MUST have an anointing, because Christ means 'anointed one', and HE is the HEAD. All the oil (anointing) poured upon the head must flow down - therefore the body is anointed always. The question I hear is... anointed to do what? The answer is:
Do as your hand shall find; for God is with you.
Showing posts with label Jonathan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jonathan. Show all posts
Friday, July 09, 2010
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Attack In Faith
1Sa 13:2-5 JPS
(2) And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmas and in the mount of Beth- el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeath-benjamin; and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.
(3) And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the horn throughout all the land, saying: 'Let the Hebrews hear.'
(4) And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also had made himself odious with the Philistines. And the people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.
(5) And the Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude; and they came up, and pitched in Michmas, eastward of Beth-aven.
Pressing into the Kingdom of God is a job for 'violent' men and women (Matt 11:12). What we find when we become active in 'pressing' is that we upset the powers of the enemy. We become targets. Saul and Jonathan learned this the hard way, as they became 'odious with the Philistines'. Jonathan was a man of faith that 'pressed' by faith. As a result, Jonathan was victorious in his battles, but really ticked off the enemy! Saul never proved to be much of a man of faith. He relied more upon numbers and the backing of his people and his prophet, Samuel. This reliance upon flesh never panned out for Saul. Rather, it cost him absolutely everything.
We can know that in these days, we are to be acting more like Jonathan. Attack in faith and expect victory. Also expect the enemy to gather against us, but realize no enemy can overcome the people of God, for no weapon formed against us shall prosper.
(2) And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmas and in the mount of Beth- el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeath-benjamin; and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.
(3) And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the horn throughout all the land, saying: 'Let the Hebrews hear.'
(4) And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also had made himself odious with the Philistines. And the people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.
(5) And the Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude; and they came up, and pitched in Michmas, eastward of Beth-aven.
Pressing into the Kingdom of God is a job for 'violent' men and women (Matt 11:12). What we find when we become active in 'pressing' is that we upset the powers of the enemy. We become targets. Saul and Jonathan learned this the hard way, as they became 'odious with the Philistines'. Jonathan was a man of faith that 'pressed' by faith. As a result, Jonathan was victorious in his battles, but really ticked off the enemy! Saul never proved to be much of a man of faith. He relied more upon numbers and the backing of his people and his prophet, Samuel. This reliance upon flesh never panned out for Saul. Rather, it cost him absolutely everything.
We can know that in these days, we are to be acting more like Jonathan. Attack in faith and expect victory. Also expect the enemy to gather against us, but realize no enemy can overcome the people of God, for no weapon formed against us shall prosper.
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