1 Samuel 14:1-23

1 Samuel 14:1-23

Due to Saul’s disobedience in 1 Samuel 13, Israel was no longer guaranteed victory over the Philistines. God had given them clear instructions by promising them victory and protection if they followed His commands. Saul, however, decided to take things into his own hands, and as a result of his disobedience, God removed that protection. But then there was Saul’s son, Jonathan, and he exhibited a great deal of faith. While his father, Saul, sat under the pomegranate tree assured of defeat, Jonathan decided to actually fight the Philistines. Along with his armor bearer, Jonathan put the Philistines to the test.


His armor bearer assured him that he was willing to go into battle, but he wondered if they should be fighting against the Philistines. Think about it, it was just the two of them. They were up against tremendous odds. So Jonathan said that if they asked them to come on up, then he would take that to be a sign from God that they should go to battle, knowing that they would win. On the other hand, if the Philistines did not acknowledge their presence, then they would turn around and go back. So when the Philistines called out to Jonathan and his armor bearer, they both went into battle with confidence, assured of a victory.

Within their very first strike, 20 Philistines died, and this caused the rest of that group to flee from their sight. All the activity on the battle field drew Saul and the rest of the Israelites up to the battle. Once they realized that Jonathan and his armor bearer were gone, they decided to go see what they were up to. When they arrived on the field, they joined the battle and aided Jonathan in obtaining a victory for Israel. Now while this did not rid Israel of all the Philistines that had infiltrated the land, it was one of many victories that they needed.

After the events of 1 Samuel 13, one might wonder why God allowed Israel to have victory that day. Had He not just told Saul that they would lose the battle due to his disobedience? The simple answer to this question is yes, which might then cause one to wonder if God lied in this instance. The answer to this question is no. While Israel was destined to eventually lose out to the Philistines, that battle was well into the future. In the end, Saul would fail Israel and the Philistines would be victorious. However, this battle was not led by Saul. While he did end up joining the fight and helped Israel gain victory over the Philistines for the time being, they did not win because of Saul’s efforts. Israel won the battle because of Jonathan’s faith and Jonathan’s obedience. Jonathan was the one who knew that even with 2 men, God could bring about victory. Jonathan knew that if God led Him into that battle, He would also give Jonathan the tools he needed to win. Jonathan was further convinced that they could win when he struck down 20 Philistines with one blow. He did not need the help of his father and his fellow countrymen. But his faith inspired them and gave them a reason to put their faith in God once again. God gave Israel victory that day because of Jonathan that day, and he became a great example for the nation of Israel.

Jonathan can also be a great example to us today. We may not think that we can do anything great for God. We may say that we are just an ordinary person who has no way of making a big difference in this world for the kingdom of God. Other than the fact that Jonathan was the son of a king, he did not have great status in his day either. He was probably constantly overshadowed by his father’s status in the nation. Plus, knowing that the kingdom would be given to someone else after his father’s death, Jonathan did not have a promising future either. But he did not let the lack of fame and prestige get in his way. He knew that despite what others thought or said about him, he was called to trust God, and his faith in God led to a great victory that day. That is all that we are called to as well. We do not have to acquire great fame in this world to make a difference for God. We can make a difference just by living for Him in our daily lives, allowing Him to work through us.

Matt