Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 14:1–14
14 One day Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come on, let’s go over to where the Philistines have their outpost.” But Jonathan did not tell his father what he was doing.
2 Meanwhile, Saul and his 600 men were camped on the outskirts of Gibeah, around the pomegranate tree at Migron. 3 Among Saul’s men was Ahijah the priest, who was wearing the ephod, the priestly vest. Ahijah was the son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord who had served at Shiloh.
No one realized that Jonathan had left the Israelite camp. 4 To reach the Philistine outpost, Jonathan had to go down between two rocky cliffs that were called Bozez and Seneh. 5 The cliff on the north was in front of Micmash, and the one on the south was in front of Geba. 6 “Let’s go across to the outpost of those pagans,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer. “Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!”
7 “Do what you think is best,” the armor bearer replied. “I’m with you completely, whatever you decide.”
8 “All right, then,” Jonathan told him. “We will cross over and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Stay where you are or we’ll kill you,’ then we will stop and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come on up and fight,’ then we will go up. That will be the Lord’s sign that he will help us defeat them.”
11 When the Philistines saw them coming, they shouted, “Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of their holes!” 12 Then the men from the outpost shouted to Jonathan, “Come on up here, and we’ll teach you a lesson!”
“Come on, climb right behind me,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “for the Lord will help us defeat them!”
13 So they climbed up using both hands and feet, and the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer killed those who came behind them. 14 They killed some twenty men in all, and their bodies were scattered over about half an acre.
14 One day Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come on, let’s go over to where the Philistines have their outpost.” But Jonathan did not tell his father what he was doing.
2 Meanwhile, Saul and his 600 men were camped on the outskirts of Gibeah, around the pomegranate tree at Migron. 3 Among Saul’s men was Ahijah the priest, who was wearing the ephod, the priestly vest. Ahijah was the son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord who had served at Shiloh.
No one realized that Jonathan had left the Israelite camp. 4 To reach the Philistine outpost, Jonathan had to go down between two rocky cliffs that were called Bozez and Seneh. 5 The cliff on the north was in front of Micmash, and the one on the south was in front of Geba. 6 “Let’s go across to the outpost of those pagans,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer. “Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!”
7 “Do what you think is best,” the armor bearer replied. “I’m with you completely, whatever you decide.”
8 “All right, then,” Jonathan told him. “We will cross over and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Stay where you are or we’ll kill you,’ then we will stop and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come on up and fight,’ then we will go up. That will be the Lord’s sign that he will help us defeat them.”
11 When the Philistines saw them coming, they shouted, “Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of their holes!” 12 Then the men from the outpost shouted to Jonathan, “Come on up here, and we’ll teach you a lesson!”
“Come on, climb right behind me,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “for the Lord will help us defeat them!”
13 So they climbed up using both hands and feet, and the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer killed those who came behind them. 14 They killed some twenty men in all, and their bodies were scattered over about half an acre.
Commentary:
6–10. Jonathan’s motivation now becomes plain. He regards the Philistines as incompatible with Israel because they are uncircumcised, whereas Israel was committed by circumcision to the living God (Gen. 17:1–8). Since the time of Abraham there had been numerous examples of God’s saving power, and Jonathan was convinced that the significant factor had always been the power of God and not the size of the army. It followed that, if the Lord God was with the two of them, he could give them victory, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few. Such an appreciation of Israel’s Lord contrasted with his father’s indecision (v. 2). The fact that his armour-bearer was of one mind with Jonathan indicates that Israel still had a core of true believers. The RSV makes sense of the Hebrew text here in verse 7 by correcting from the LXX, as the margin indicates; the NIV accepts this, and translates idiomatically, ‘Do all that you have in mind … Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.’
Jonathan was not foolhardy, however, but allowed for the possibility of a mistake on his part. The way the Philistines responded to their approach would be taken as a sign from the Lord: a challenge to Come up would indicate potential victory.
Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 115–16.
Jonathan was not foolhardy, however, but allowed for the possibility of a mistake on his part. The way the Philistines responded to their approach would be taken as a sign from the Lord: a challenge to Come up would indicate potential victory.
Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 115–16.
Questions:
Two men stood at the edge of a Philistine outpost. Below them was a steep climb. Ahead of them were enemy soldiers. Israel was badly outnumbered, and Jonathan had brought only his armor bearer, but Jonathan wasn't measuring the situation by what he had. He said to his armor bearer, “Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!”.
Perhaps... Jonathan wasn't claiming to know exactly what God would do. He was acknowledging that the Lord could give them victory, even when everything they could see suggested otherwise. Jonathan's confidence rested in God's ability, not his own.
How often do we find ourselves measuring whether we have enough to offer? Am I experienced enough to lead? Do I know enough about the Bible to have that conversation? Am I good at talking to people? What if I don't know what to say? We think about our limitations and assume that someone else would be better for the job. But Jonathan reminds us that God's work has never depended on human impressiveness. Throughout Scripture, God uses people who don't look like the obvious choice. The victory in this passage showed that the Lord could accomplish what an army of fearful men couldn't. Jonathan took action, but God was the one who brought the victory.
That doesn't mean every bold idea we have is from God or that every risk will turn out the way we hope! Jonathan wasn't trying to prove how brave he was. He believed God was able to act, and he was willing to move forward without making himself the center of the story. There's a difference between taking a risk to prove something about ourselves and taking action because we trust God more than we trust our limitations.
Following Jesus means we don't have to be the most gifted person in the room, have the perfect words, or know exactly how everything will work out before we can be useful. You might be the person who reaches out to someone who's lonely, invites a friend to church, serves in an area where you feel inexperienced, or speaks honestly about what Jesus has done in your life. You don't have to be extraordinary for God to work through you. You can be honest about what you lack and still be willing to serve.
Perhaps... Jonathan wasn't claiming to know exactly what God would do. He was acknowledging that the Lord could give them victory, even when everything they could see suggested otherwise. Jonathan's confidence rested in God's ability, not his own.
How often do we find ourselves measuring whether we have enough to offer? Am I experienced enough to lead? Do I know enough about the Bible to have that conversation? Am I good at talking to people? What if I don't know what to say? We think about our limitations and assume that someone else would be better for the job. But Jonathan reminds us that God's work has never depended on human impressiveness. Throughout Scripture, God uses people who don't look like the obvious choice. The victory in this passage showed that the Lord could accomplish what an army of fearful men couldn't. Jonathan took action, but God was the one who brought the victory.
That doesn't mean every bold idea we have is from God or that every risk will turn out the way we hope! Jonathan wasn't trying to prove how brave he was. He believed God was able to act, and he was willing to move forward without making himself the center of the story. There's a difference between taking a risk to prove something about ourselves and taking action because we trust God more than we trust our limitations.
Following Jesus means we don't have to be the most gifted person in the room, have the perfect words, or know exactly how everything will work out before we can be useful. You might be the person who reaches out to someone who's lonely, invites a friend to church, serves in an area where you feel inexperienced, or speaks honestly about what Jesus has done in your life. You don't have to be extraordinary for God to work through you. You can be honest about what you lack and still be willing to serve.
- Think about an opportunity to help someone, serve, or speak about Jesus that you've passed up because you didn't feel qualified. What did you tell yourself you lacked? Looking back, was that a real limitation or did you expect yourself to be more capable before you were willing to begin?
- Jonathan trusted that God could win with many or few. Where do you tend to measure the value of what you do by how much recognition it gets, how successful it is, or how impressive you appear? How would it change the way you serve if the goal were for God to receive the credit rather than for you to prove yourself?
- What ability, opportunity, or resource do you already have that could be used to serve someone else, even if it feels insignificant to you? Instead of waiting until you feel more gifted or experienced, identify one way you can put it to use this week.
Prayer Topics:
- Confess the ways you've underestimated what God can do through you because you've focused on your limitations.
- Thank God that His work doesn't depend on your ability to impress others or achieve visible success.
- Ask God to show you ordinary opportunities to serve that you may have overlooked.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you serve humbly, trust God's power, and give Him the credit for what He accomplishes
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
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