GRIEVING GOD

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over His people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.''

So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim — two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah. Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.”

So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.

Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt. He took Agag, king of the Amalekites, alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs —everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.

Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from Me and has not carried out My instructions.”

Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

1 Samuel 15:1-11

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As 1st Samuel, chapter 15 opens, we find Saul visited by the prophet Samuel…the one who anointed him (Saul) as Israel’s first king…the one who also brought messages to the king and others from God. The scriptures show us how Samuel indeed had another message from the Lord to share with Saul as he said:

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'”

And with that order in hand, Saul “summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim…two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah” before going to the “city of Amalek and (setting) an ambush in the ravine”. Before this took place, we read where Saul showed mercy to the Kenites because they had “showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt”.

And so the “Kenites moved away from the Amalekites” and as a result, were spared.

Then Saul and his men “attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt”. Everything went just as God commanded but then things went bad as Saul and his fighting forces decided to turn away from what God expected.

The scriptures tell us that Saul “took Agag, king of the Amalekites, alive” while killing all the rest of “his people…with the sword”. Additionally, they “spared…the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves, and lambs”, keeping “everything that was good” for themselves while totally destroying “everything that was despised and weak”.

Why did they fail to “destroy everything” as God demanded?

Because “they were unwilling”…or in other words, they were disobedient…more interested in fulfilling their own desires than God’s.

So what was the outcome of their defiance?

We read where their actions grieved the Lord. We know this through His own words as He said this to Samuel:

“I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from Me and has not carried out My instructions.”

In response to this, the scriptures tell us that Samuel was troubled, crying “out to the Lord all that night”.

All this got me wondering this:

How often have we been like Saul and his men?

Every single believer is called and purposed by the Lord to carry out His will and way with absolute compliance through clear instructions issued either through His Word or by way of the Holy Spirit. After that, the response is on us and there can be three potential outcomes:

1. We can carry out His wishes in absolute obedience.

2. We can completely turn away from what He calls us to do in absolute disobedience.

3. We can only partially carry out what He wants us to do, mostly because we think we’ve done enough if we are able to be somewhat successful. We are willing to settle for good enough as it is just that…good enough.

It isn’t. In fact, it’s almost as bad if not equally as bad as not conforming to His will at all.

For God demands and expects nothing but the total fulfillment of anything and everything He calls us to do. Nothing less than this is acceptable because God won’t be satisfied with just our second best. Rather, He always gives us His best and wants ours in return.

So what happens when we fail God?

Well, we saw in our passage today what happens. He grieves.

Indeed, it grieves our Lord...our Heavenly Father…when we let Him down, just as a wayward child grieves their father when they decide to do something wrong, contrary to what they were taught. Like those rebellious kids, we bring grief on God when we selfishly decide to do what we want instead of what He desires.   

The bottom line is that our choices have consequences that can be positive or negative. My prayer today is that we will increase our sensitivity toward carrying out the Lord’s calling without deviation, doing what He wants in the way He wants it done. Let’s commit ourselves to always please God, living our lives in a way that blesses and honors Him…in a way that glorifies Him and brings Him the fullest joy possible.

For when we do this, we can make sure we don’t grieve our Lord in any way.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

DEVOTED TO ONE ANOTHER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, "Cursed be any man who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!"

So none of the troops tasted food.

The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground. When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out, yet no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. Then one of the soldiers told him, "Your father bound the army under a strict oath, saying, 'Cursed be any man who eats food today!' That is why the men are faint."

Jonathan said, "My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey. How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?"

That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Micmash to Aijalon, they were exhausted. They pounced on the plunder and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood. Then someone said to Saul, "Look, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating meat that has blood in it."

"You have broken faith," he said. "Roll a large stone over here at once." Then he said, "Go out among the men and tell them, 'Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood still in it.'"

So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there. Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first time he had done this.

Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive."

"Do whatever seems best to you," they replied.

But the priest said, "Let us inquire of God here."

So Saul asked God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel's hand?"

But God did not answer him that day.

Saul therefore said, "Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today. As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if it lies with my son Jonathan, he must die."

But not one of the men said a word.

Saul then said to all the Israelites, "You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son will stand over here."

"Do what seems best to you," the men replied.

Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, "Give me the right answer."

And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared.

Saul said, "Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son."

And Jonathan was taken.

Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done."

So Jonathan told him, "I merely tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now must I die?"

Saul said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan."

But the men said to Saul, "Should Jonathan die—he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God's help."

So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.

Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and they withdrew to their own land. After Saul had assumed rule over Israel, he fought against their enemies on every side: Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment on them. He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of those who had plundered them.

Saul's sons were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki-Shua. The name of his older daughter was Merab, and that of the younger was Michal. His wife's name was Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of Saul's army was Abner, son of Ner, and Ner was Saul's uncle. Saul's father Kish and Abner's father Ner were sons of Abiel.

All the days of Saul, there was bitter war with the Philistines, and whenever Saul saw a mighty or brave man, he took him into his service.

1 Samuel 14:24-52

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It had been quite a day for Saul, his son Jonathan, and the Israelite army.

Jonathan and his armor bearer had single-handedly defeated a Philistine outpost and Saul and his men had great success in their own attack on the Philistines after God aided them by shaking the ground and throwing the Philistine soldiers into confusion.

With these accomplishments in hand, you wouldn’t think there would be anything that could have spoiled things for the Israelites…but there was. For despite all the favorable events of the day, there were two others that counter-balanced those events and brought Israel into a negative light before God.

The first matter involved Saul’s imposed fast on his army. Scripture tells us that “Saul had bound the people under an oath” telling them that any man who ate before evening would be cursed. As a result, the scriptures tell us that “none of the troops tasted food” and because of it “were in distress”.

Now, there wasn’t anything wrong with Saul’s intent on the surface. It was common practice to fast during times that required focus and a reliance on God…and Saul wanted his men’s attention to be on defeating the Philistines, not food.  And the demand wasn’t unreasonable since it was only for the day and the men would be able to eat in the evening.

But there were two problems with Saul’s demand.

First, his men were not devoted enough to keep it and, second, not everyone received his order because you’ll recall that Saul’s son, Jonathan, and his armor bearer were off fighting and defeating the Philistine outpost during the first part of the day.

And so as the “entire army entered the woods” and saw “honey on the ground”, they refused to eat it “because they feared the oath” but Jonathan, unaware of his father’s command, “reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb” before eating it. We read where “his eyes brightened” after tasting the honey which had given him energy…something the rest of Saul’s army lacked.

Well, the scriptures tell us that one of the soldiers said the following to Jonathan:

"Your father bound the army under a strict oath, saying, 'Cursed be any man who eats food today!' That is why the men are faint."

Quickly replying, Jonathan, in a display of disrespect for his father, admonished him in front of the soldiers saying:

“My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey. How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?"

Unknowingly consuming the honey in violation of his father’s oath couldn’t be held against Jonathan because he didn’t know. But to undermine his father in front of his fighting men was wrong and sinful…even though Jonathan’s show of support and sympathy for the army would benefit him in the end.

As stated prior, there was another problem with Saul’s demand because his men lacked the strength and conviction to uphold it. We know because the scriptures tell us the Israelites, who were exhausted after striking down “the Philistines from Micmash to Aijalon”, chose to pounce “on the plunder from the Philistine victory. They took the “sheep, cattle, and calves” and “butchered them on the ground”, eating the meat while the blood was still in it, a sin against God’s law. You’ll remember that the Lord saw that the life of a living creature was in its blood and demanded that all blood be drained from any meat before it was eaten (Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:13-14, 19:26, Deuteronomy 12:23).

Well, we read where this sinful behavior was brought to Saul’s attention and he took immediate action, calling all his men together and rebuking them saying:

"You have broken faith…Roll a large stone over here at once...(and) go out among the men and tell them, 'Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood still in it.'"

So everyone listened to Saul and brought an ox that night, slaughtering the animal there. “Then Saul built an altar to the Lord…the first time he had done this”…and by his actions, he showed a willingness to make things right with God and seek pardon for the sins of his army through offering a sacrifice. After this, Saul thought things were worked out so that he and his fighting forces could go back into battle with the Philistines and so he said to his men:

“Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive."

Now, it was a common practice to attack at night where the element of surprise would usually give the attackers a benefit and we read where Saul’s men were ready to follow him but the priest intervened and injected a dose of spiritual wisdom telling Saul that they should inquire of God about the matter first. And so the scriptures tell us that Saul asked God:

“Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel's hand?"

God didn’t reply one way or another. He remained silent and so Saul automatically sensed something was wrong, feeling that someone within his army had sinned, leading the Lord to withhold His answer.

And so we read where he summoned all the “leaders of the army” and told them they needed to “find out what sin (had) been committed”. And using words that would come back to haunt him, Saul said this:

“As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if it lies with my son Jonathan, he must die."

These words from Israel’s king struck deep into the hearts of his soldiers who knew that it had indeed been Jonathan had eaten in violation of Saul’s oath but they remained silent about it.

So would Saul find out who was responsible for bringing God’s disfavor on Israel?

We read where he (Saul) decided to cast lots, first having all the Israelites stand separate from him and Jonathan. And as Saul asks God in prayer to give him the answer, the lots are cast and the entire army is cleared of any wrongdoing, leaving the guilty party to be either Saul or Jonathan. The final casting pointed to Jonathan as the one who was in the wrong.

Immediately, we see Saul ask Jonathan about what he had done and his son replied:

“I merely tasted a little honey with the end of my staff” before asking, “And now must I die?"

To Jonathan, it just didn’t seem right or just that he would have to perish when he wasn’t aware that the oath had been given before he ate the honey.

Well, Saul had to be torn in what to do but, in the end, he felt his loyalty to God and the oath taken was more important than pardoning his son and so he proclaimed the following:

“May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan."

It’s important to note here that Saul never consults God as to how the matter should have been handled. Rather, he takes things into his own hands. Granted, God didn’t answer him the last time he sought guidance but that didn’t mean God wouldn’t answer him under the present circumstances. We’ve seen how the Lord displayed Himself as a righteous, just God over and over again in the scriptures and surely He would have granted clemency to Jonathan had He only been consulted. But Saul never turned to Him…and as we’ll see, the call for proper justice had to come from a different place.

For we read where Saul’s men defiantly say to their leader and king:

“Should Jonathan die — he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God's help."

Jonathan and his armor bearer had defeated the Philistine outpost because they turned to God who brought them the victory. And because he carried out God’s plan and desire, the Lord in turn rescued Jonathan as Saul’s soldiers intervened for him and prevented his death.

You know, I can’t help but think God had a hand in the words spoken by Saul’s men. For their selfless compassion for Jonathan ended up sparing his life while ensuring proper justice was carried out. In the end translation, they weren’t afraid to speak up and ensure the right thing happened, even if it meant challenging their king.

With this, I wonder if we would be as bold as Saul’s men to speak up against injustice when we see it in our world today. Are we as compassionate and caring…as selfless and loving ourselves?

I believe we would be if we only remained obedient to God’s holy Word. For Paul wrote some very important words for us in his letter to the Romans, words included in a series of exhortations for the Christian church which serve as a primer for us as we seek to discern how to handle matters when the need arises to stand up for others. Here’s what he said:

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:9-10

In our scripture passage for today, we see where Saul’s men were sincere in their love for Jonathan and showed it in their willingness to speak up in his defense. They clung to what was good and right…for Jonathan deserved pardon and received it. Through their actions, Jonathan had to sense the wonderful devotion and brotherly love the soldiers felt for him as well as their self sacrificing willingness to place Jonathan above themselves.

O, what a better world we would have to live in today if all people would embody these principles…to love sincerely…to hate what is evil and cling to good…to be devoted to one another in love…and to honor others above themselves.

Come to think of it, Jesus was all of this and more. It’s why Christian believers admire and respect Him…why they love and desire Him…and why they follow and seek to be like Him. It’s also why they are called to make disciples of Him, teaching all to obey what He commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). 

Indeed, Jesus wasn't willing to allow anyone to die in their sins and so He willingly followed the desire of God, His Father, and gave up His life on the cross of Calvary. His sacrifice atoned for the sin of anyone who would believe in Him (John 3:16) and through His shed blood, He purchased the pardon of every single one of His disciples.  

Yes, this world can be a better place to live in…but won’t get to that place unless more people choose to turn their heart, mind, and soul over to Jesus…the One who is the Savior, Redeemer, and Friend of all who place their trust in Him…the One who was first devoted to us so that we might know how to be devoted to one another.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A LORD WHO RESCUES

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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.

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.

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."

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 the Lord rescued Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.

1 Samuel 14:15-23

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At the start of 1 Samuel, chapter 14, we saw where Saul’s son, Jonathan, and his armor bearer defeated a Philistine outpost. After their victory, we saw where the Philistine army was thrown into disarray, struck by a panic that the scriptures tell us was “sent by God”. We read that as the “ground shook”, the whole Philistine army…“those in the camp and field…in the outposts and raiding parties”…were seen by Saul’s lookouts as “melting away in all directions”.

Receiving this news, we find Israel’s king muster his forces and when he did, he learned that Jonathan and his armor bearer were missing before commanding the priest Ahijah to bring out “the ark of God”.

Meanwhile, the “tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more”…so much more that Saul assembled all his men and went to battle where they “found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords”. The scriptures tell us that Saul and his men were joined by the “Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp” as well as “all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim”. The end result was that the “Philistines were on the run” as the “Lord rescued Israel that day”.

Note the important of those last five words for we’re told that the “Lord rescued Israel”.

Not Saul.

Not Jonathan.

Not any other Israelite.

God and God alone was responsible for the rescuing. He did it then and He still does today, something every believer should keep in mind as they face the difficulties life can bring. Indeed, we serve a loving, mighty Lord who brings us deliverance and so much more. Consider these scripture passages:

1. The Lord provides support and saves us because we are His delight.

He (the Lord) reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me. Psalm 18:16-19

In so many circumstances, we find that we lack the ability to rescue ourselves, desperately in need of someone who can intervene and intercede...someone who can provide encouragement when we’re in distress…someone who can snatch us away from danger and move us to a safer place…someone who loves and cares for us so much that they desire for us to be saved.

We always can count on the Lord providing all this and more. There is never a time when He is not with us as He is only a prayer away from taking action and bringing a sure help we can’t find anywhere else.

2. The Lord avenges us, subdues our enemies, and exalts us over our foes.

He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me. Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O Lord; I will sing praises to Your name. Psalm 18:47-49

In life, we will face adversaries but we need never worry about them because we serve a God who rescues and avenges us, exalting us above our foes. He is the One who exacts perfect judgment and justice so we need not take matters into our hands. All we need to do is commit our concerns to Him and we can be assured He will protect and lift us up.

The Apostle Paul posed this question in his letter to the Romans:

“If God is with us who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Thankfully, the answer will always be “no one” and this truth is what allows all believers today to praise the Lord among the nations and sing praises to His name, just David did.

3. The Lord hears our cries, saves us from distress, and heals us with His word.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men. Psalm 107:19-21

How many times have you found yourself in need while living this thing called life?

Hopefully, the number matches the number of times we have turned to the Lord for help, the God who is our refuge and ever present help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1).

It should be an incredible comfort for every believer to know that God is the only One who is always there for us…every day and every night…24/7...365 days a year. And because of this fact, we know that He is ever ready to hear our cries for help, come to us in our times of trouble, and bring us encouragement, healing, and strength through His holy Word…a Word that commands us to not be afraid because He is with us (Isaiah 41:10).

4. Ultimately, the Lord rescues all of us through His Son.

For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

When it comes to talking about our God who rescues, we have to talk about His Son Jesus for salvation and the ultimate rescue from Hell comes from no other place.

God so loved the world, not wanting anyone to perish in their sin and suffer the everlasting torment and suffering of Hell, provided a way to be delivered. All anyone has to do is to simply believe in His Son as Savior and they will be saved, gaining the guarantee of eternal life in Heaven (John 3:16, Romans 10:9). Indeed, God, through Jesus, provided the chance for rescue from darkness and offered redemption in return. He made the way so we could be delivered from our sins and gain the certainty of entering His Kingdom one day to share life forever with Him and His Son.

As you read this, my prayer today is that you already know you’ve been rescued from Hell through your belief in God’s Son, Jesus.

If not, I urge you today to change your eternal destiny, exchanging Hell for Heaven. Come to Jesus and gain eternal life today. It’s a decision you will never regret.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A LORD WHO WON'T BE HINDERED

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Micmash. Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual, another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboim facing the desert.

Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!" So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles sharpened. The price was two thirds of a shekel for sharpening plowshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.

So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash. One day Jonathan, son of Saul, 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.

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.

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 Micmash, the other to the south toward Geba.

Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. 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."

Jonathan said, "Come, then; we will cross over toward the men 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."

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." 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.

1 Samuel 13:16-23, 14:1-14

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As chapter 13 of 1st Samuel ends, we find the Israelites at a disadvantage because the Philistines had taken control of all blacksmithing services, charging exorbitant prices for “sharpening plowshares and mattocks…forks and axes and…repointing goads”. And so Israel, “on the day of the battle”, was left with “not a soldier…(having) a sword or spear in his hand”. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had a suitable weapon and as we see in the opening verses of chapter 14, Jonathan, Saul’s son, puts his weapon to use.

For we read where he (Jonathan) said to the young man bearing his armor:

“Come, let's go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side."

The armor bearer agreed to go but neither told anyone what they were doing or where they were going. This left the king Saul unaware as he stayed “on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron” with “six hundred men”.

Well, as Jonathan and his armor bearer traveled to the Philistine outpost, they came to a pass they needed to cross that had a cliff on each side, “one…(standing) to the north toward Micmash, the other to the south toward Geba”. At the pass, we find Jonathan make an important statement to his armor bearer saying:

“Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few."

To which the armor bearer replied:

“Do all that you have in mind…Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."

And with that, they prepared to cross over but not before Jonathan shared his strategy with his accomplice:

“Come, then; we will cross over toward the men 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."

And so the stage was set.

Jonathan and his armor bearer “showed themselves to the Philistine outpost” and got the attention of the soldiers there who issued the following challenge:

“Come up to us and we'll teach you a lesson."

The Philistines soon found out they had it wrong. For it was Jonathan and his armor bearer who would be teaching lessons on this day. The scriptures tell us that Jonathan responded to the Philistine request by telling his armor bearer to “climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel."

And that’s what happened.

For we read where Jonathan and his armor bearer climbed up and attacked as the “Philistines fell before” them both. The end result was devastating for the Philistines for in the attack “some twenty men in an area of about half an acre” were killed. Truly, God had handed the Philistines into the hands of the two Israelites.

So what’s our takeaway from all this today?

The answer comes within Jonathan’s words about the Lord in verse 6, as he says this:

“Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few."

Jonathan knew that he and the armor bearer would be outnumbered by the Philistines at the outpost and both could have faced certain death at the hands of a more superior opponent, and yet, they went forth boldly in faith and confidence because they knew they had something the Philistines didn’t. They had the God on their side…a Lord who can’t be hindered from saving when it’s His will to do so.

Indeed, we serve a Lord today who still can’t be hindered.

He can’t be hindered from providing.

He can’t be hindered from protecting.

He can’t be hindered from blessing.

He can’t be hindered from administering justice and discipline.

He can’t be hindered from loving.

And as we’re reminded in this passage, He can’t be hindered from saving.

The bottom line is that our God, the same God of ancient Israel, cannot be hindered from doing anything that he wants to do. He is unstoppable because He is God, absolutely sovereign and omnipotent…with no rival.

Jonathan believed that he could do anything as long as the Lord was with him because the Lord cannot be hindered from saving. And the Lord delivered, honoring his faith.

Later in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul also understood and knew the Lord he served, sharing that he could do all things through the strength of the Lord, the One who can empower believers so they might not be hindered by the difficulties of life (Philippians 4:13). Go back and read about Paul’s missionary ministry and you’ll see why he could write those words for he was delivered by the Lord time and time again as he labored for the cause of the Gospel.

Friends, let us never doubt or lose faith in the Lord’s ability to do anything in our lives as well, no matter the circumstances. For the scriptures assure us that nothing can hinder our Lord and this means that all things are possible in and through Him (Luke 1:37).

Thanks be to God for the hope and peace that comes within that truth.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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