Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
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 this 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 took control of all blacksmithing and charged an exorbitant price for “sharpening plowshares and mattocks…forks and axes and for repointing goads”. 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. Jonathan put his to use as Chapter 14 opens.
For we read where Jonathan “said to the young man bearing his armor, ‘Come, let's go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.’ " And so he went but didn’t tell Saul who was “staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron” with “six hundred men”.
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, Jonathan makes 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." And 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 another important matter with his accomplice.
For Jonathan further 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."
And so the stage was set. Jonathan and his armor bearer “showed themselves to the Philistine outpost” and got the Philistine’s attention. We read where a challenge is issued as the Philistines “shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, ‘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 the armor bearer who taught the lessons on this day.
For Jonathan took action after the Philistine challenge telling his armor bearer to “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel." And so they climbed up and the “Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him”. The results were devastating for the Philistines for in the first attack, “some twenty men in an area of about half an acre” were killed. Truly, the Lord had handed the Philistines into their hands.
So what does this teach us? The key comes in Jonathan’s words about the Lord in Chapter 14, verse 6, as he says, “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. They could have faced certain death at the hands of a more superior opponent, and yet, they went forth boldly and in confidence because they had something the Philistines didn’t. They had the Lord on their side…a Lord who can’t be hindered from saving.
Indeed, we serve a Lord who can’t be hindered…period. He and He alone is a Lord who cannot be hindered from saving. He and He alone is a Lord who cannot be hindered from protecting. He and He alone is a Lord who cannot be hindered from blessing. And He and He alone is a Lord who cannot be hindered from loving.
We could go on and on but let’s just sum it up by saying, We serve a Lord who cannot be hindered from doing anything that he wants to do. He is unstoppable because He is God and no one or nothing is at His level.
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.
Paul believed that he could do all things through the Lord because nothing can hinder His strength from helping us through any and all circumstances. (Philippians 4:13) And the Lord delivered Paul time and time again as he labored for the gospel.
And we should never doubt or lose faith in the Lord’s ability to do anything in our lives as well. For God’s word assures us that nothing can hinder Him…nothing. In Him, all things are possible (Luke 1:37). Thanks be to God for that. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
http://www.faithhopeandlove.info/
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment