Faithless Father and Faith-Filled Son

1 Samuel 14:1-23

Welcome! Today we continue our series on Samuel and Saul, coming to Chapter 14. I want to back up for a minute to Chapter 10. It was here that Samuel anointed Saul, telling him many detailed things about what would happen to him that day – two men would meet him at Rachel’s tomb, a very specific location, and tell him that the donkeys he had set out to look for were found, and his father is asking about him. Then at the great tree of Tabor, another very specific location, three men would meet him, one with three goats, one with three loaves of bread, and one with wine. They would greet him and offer him two loaves of bread. Then he will go to Gibeah and prophesy along with a procession of prophets that met him. All of these things happened exactly as Samuel explained! This should have given Saul great faith in God, in His care for him, His attention on him, and His power and sovereignty. But when the lots were chosen and Saul was selected as king, he was out hiding among the stuff. Despite these very real and otherwise completely unexplainable examples of God’s power, Saul did not rise to his position that God had given him. Back to that moment of anointing – Samuel gave Saul one additional promise:

Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.” – I Sam. 10:8

There is no specific mention that this was fulfilled at the time before Saul’s being chosen by lot later in I Samuel 10, so this one prophecy/command of Samuel was not fulfilled. (All the others it says were fulfilled “that day”; there is no way this could be fulfilled in a day, because it required by its very nature seven days of waiting.)

Did Saul forget about this prophecy? No. We know he didn’t. Jump to Chapter 13, and the army is split in two, with 2000 men with Saul at Mikmash, and 1000 with his son Jonathan at Gibeah. Jonathan led his men to attack a Philistine outpost and the Philistines planned to retaliate. Saul summoned additional men; he called them to join him at none other than Gilgal. It would seem that Jonathan’s and his men also went to Gilgal. One would hope there would be another giant gathering of hundreds of thousands of men, similar to early in Saul’s reign. But not so this time. When Saul’s scouts revealed that Philistines had assembled a huge army, there was panic. The Israelite men who had come mostly scattered, hid, and fled. Saul hunkered down with his remaining men at Gilgal, terrified. He remembered Samuel’s prophecy/command and waited the seven days. But then, that last day, Saul chose to wait no more. He decided to do things his own way, performing a burnt offering himself.

As soon as he was done, Samuel arrived, and when he asked Saul what he had done, Saul gave excuses:

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” – I Sam. 13:11b-12

“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” – I Sam. 13:13-14

What happened next after this terrible and heartbreaking judgment? Samuel left. Saul had chosen to do things his own way, and now he had to do things truly on his own.

What about Saul? There is no sign of repentance. Despite this public declaration that Saul’s foolishness would lead to his demise, Saul kept on leading almost as if nothing had happened.

Militarily, what happened? There was basically a situation in which the Philistines had free reign to do what they want; the small number of remaining troops stayed with Saul, hiding, apparently going from place to place so as to not be discovered. The Philistines apparently did not descend on Israel to destroy the people, but instead broke into three groups to keep them under their grip.

This brings us to today’s passage:

One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, 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. – I Sam. 14:1-3

Let’s start here by talking about Saul. He has only about 600 men left. He has a priest, wearing an ephod, the priestly garment. This is fascinating (and tragic). Samuel has told him that because he didn’t obey the Lord, his kingdom will not endure. Samuel has also left him. Saul, on the one hand refusing to repent, and on the other still understanding that God is powerful and will determine whether they stand or fall, continues to do things his own way. He hasn’t learned a thing from his failure to wait. So he has picked someone in the priestly line of Eli, and commanded him to be his personal priest. There’s no sign of a plan; really, there’s no sign of leadership at all from Saul. He’s hiding out with his men.

Contrast this with Jonathan. He decides to go check out the Philistine outpost. At this point his intention is not clear – perhaps it is to scout out the enemy. He asks his armor-bearer to come with him. What is an armor bearer? It is someone who takes extra equipment and who also may, in battle, kind of do a mop-up operation, making sure that those who have been injured by their leader do not/cannot rise to attack him from behind.

Why did Jonathan not tell his father? We don’t know, but it may be because he thought he wouldn’t approve. Now in general, this is not a behavior we should emulate. Jonathan was an adult at this time, but still we would expect him to obey Saul, if not as father, then at least as king. There’s a lot we don’t know here. But I have wondered if Saul blamed Jonathan’s heroics for their current situation – after all, it was Jonathan’s earlier attack (successful though it was) that lead to the current amassing of so many Philistine soldiers, and this in turn (in Saul’s mind) led to Saul’s condemnation by Samuel (and the Lord).

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. One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba. – I Sam. 14:4-5

The word Bozez is Hebrew for “slippery,” and the word Senek is Hebrew for “sharp.” The picture shows our best guess of the location. These are not an easy climb, especially with weapons and other gear! 

Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.” – I Sam. 14:6-7

If you take home one thing with you today, I would encourage you to reflect on both Jonathan’s and the armor-bearer’s words. Despite his father’s failings, Jonathan knew that God still desired the good of Israel, to bless those who trusted in Him. Jonathan knew the need was great – Israel was completely demoralized and hopelessly outnumbered. He knew something had to be done – and Jonathan was willing to put his own life on the line if God would use him. And Jonathan had great faith – he knew they were only two, and the idea of two against hundreds or thousands was insane on human terms. But he knew that the power of God was such that two could defeat thousands if that was the Lord’s will. The armor-bearer was given a choice – it is clear from his answer that he could have said no. But he chose to follow Jonathan. He too shared this faith in God. Notice the armor-bearer is described as “young.” It is probable that he was only a teenager. But even a teenager (or someone younger than a teenager) can have great faith.

Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 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.” – I Sam. 14:8-10

This was a kind of fleece – in general, I don’t think we should depend on fleeces for our actions. But in this case they were really putting their lives on the line for God. They needed some way to know that this wasn’t just a mad idea of their own but instead a plan that God would support with His power. This also required faith. They were trusting God to speak to them through the situation, either giving them the go-ahead or stopping them based on how God would orchestrate the circumstance. They were quite literally putting their lives into His hands.

By the way, in an important way this fleece was different from Gideon’s famous fleece. God had already told Gideon what He would do, but Gideon doubted. Gideon used the fleece because of his doubts. Jonathan here has no word of the Lord to guide him – this is a much bolder and more faith-filled action.

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.” The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.” So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.” – I Sam. 14:11-12

This was neither the first nor the last time the Philistines made fun of the Israelites, revealing their deep hatred of them. But in so doing, the fleece was confirmed, and Jonathan and his armor-bearer went forward.

Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre. – I Sam. 14:13-14

So God did indeed grant success, astonishing success, to Jonathan and his armor-bearer. Despite not having the element of surprise, and despite being outnumbered 20 to 2, they were completely victorious thanks to God.

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. – I Sam. 14:15

The passage doesn’t fully explain what is happening here – but one possibility is that after Jonathan and his armor-bearer slew those 20 men, they escaped and either hid or simply went elsewhere, and other Philistines came across the results and assumed that there were traitors among their own people. In any case, on top of any confusion that was there, there was an earthquake, which unsettled the people far more, leading to full-scale panic. God was about to multiply this tiny victory into something unimaginable.

Saul’s lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. 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 armor-bearer who were not there. – I Sam. 14:16-17

There are leaders, there are bosses, whose actions just seem to always be misguided, inappropriate, the wrong action at the wrong time. I get that feeling very strongly here. Saul’s lookouts are seeing widespread pandemonium among the Philistine army. This is the time to attack! But instead, Saul wastes time learning who has gone? Why? Is Saul mad that someone has taken up an attack without his permission?

Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (At that time it was with the Israelites.) 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.” – I Sam. 14:18-19

This is even stranger. It seems Saul wanted to use the priest to ask via the urim and thummim, the stones that we think were held in a pouch in the priest’s breastplate, whether God would give them victory or not if they attacked. I wonder if Saul really even wanted to know the answer. As the noise and confusion increased and increased, it began to become clear to Saul that, judging on human terms, he should just go and attack. This is becoming classic Saul – making decisions for himself without relying on God.

By the way, if you think I am condemning Saul for both consulting the priest and for not waiting to hear the answer, you are right. If his desire for hearing from God were genuine, he would have waited for the answer. 

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. 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. 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. So on that day the Lord saved Israel, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven. – I Sam. 14:20-23

Everyone joins in – Saul who had so little faith and his men, the Hebrews who had deserted to the other side, those who had hidden away in Ephraim, all now came, now that it was obvious this was a rout, and joined in the pursuit. It is of course much easier to join a fight when you are clearly on the winning side.

But rather than focus on the weakness of Saul, I want to go back to Jonathan.

“Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”- I Sam. 14:6

I find these words not only inspiring but also a challenge to trust God and try something. Perhaps the Lord will act through me. Perhaps the Lord will act through you. I recently saw the movie Dunkirk, which I think can be best described as an art film about war; in my opinion, it did not very well capture the sense of this verse, although believers in England had to be thinking something along these lines. 

For those who don’t know or don’t remember the story of Dunkirk in World War II, it was 1940, and France had just fallen to the Germans. Huge numbers of British but also French and Belgian troops were cut off and surrounded by the Germans. There were over 300,000 British troops trapped on the Dunkirk beach. To rescue the people, the British sent all the boats they could find in order to get them off Dunkirk and back to England.  A national day of prayer was called in England, and over 800 ships of all shapes and sizes got into the effort. Many of the smaller ships were run by civilian crews, typically the owners of the ships. Miraculously, and there is no other word to describe it, at the height of the operation the seas were as calm as glass, and the small ships were able to come right up to shore to pick up men. The beaches of Dunkirk were normally extremely rough, and if it had been typical conditions, very few men could have been picked up. Churchill himself only thought they might be able to get about 30,000 men, but they ended up rescuing nearly 340,000 men over a period of about a week.

What would it be like to be a civilian crew on this mission? Coming into the theater of war without so much as a gun, or even if you had a gun, knowing that it was absolutely no match for a submarine or a plane or a German warship? “Come, let’s go over there. Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” Those who went in faith had the kind of faith that Jonathan and his armor-bearer had.

What about you? The Christian life is meant to be one where we say, “Come, let’s try it! Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf.”  Engage the enemy!

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” – Eph. 6:12

How do we engage the enemy? By reaching out with love and the gospel to those who haven’t put their faith in Christ. I encourage you to take a bold step of faith this week and “go up the cliff” and engage those who need saving. Like those rescuers in Dunkirk, you are part of a much larger operation. If you are not sure what practical steps to take, perhaps we can talk about this in our sharing time.