An Invitation

When Samuel was getting older the people told him his sons were unfit to lead the nation so they wanted him to appoint for them a king “like the surrounding nations.” So God told Samuel, “Anoint [Saul] leader over my people Israel; he will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked upon my people, for their cry has reached me” (9:16). The Philistines were controlling Israel at the time so Saul was God’s leader to deliver them, just like He had done with the judges.

In 13:3 we find Saul’s son Jonathan, not Saul, taking the initiative against the Philistines by attacking an outpost. This action provoked the Philistine army against the Israelites so they mustered the troops to go squash the uprising. Now all this freaked out most of the Israelite army who split to find a safe hole to hide in. Then comes the story where Saul disobeyed the Lord by offering the sacrifice Samuel was suppose to offer. Samuel finally shows up and says, “It’s better to obey than to sacrifice,” and as a result Saul is rejected as king of Israel and promised to be replaced by “a man after God’s own heart” (13:14). This is where we come to our text:

“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 14:1-14, NIV

The situation wasn’t looking too good for Israel because, first of all, they were horribly outnumbered. The Philistines were said to have 3,000 chariots, 6,000 charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore (13:5). Saul had about 600 guys with him. Not odds that inspire much confidence. Not only that, but the Philistines had gotten rid of all the blacksmiths so Israel couldn’t make weapons for an army. In fact, they even made the Israelites come to Philistine blacksmiths to sharpen their plow blades and axes for use on the farm. So the Israelites were armed only with pitchforks, axes, and other dull farm tools. Saul and Jonathan had the only two swords in the whole army!

So when we come on the scene we find Saul hanging out with his guys under a pomegranate tree. One of those guys was from the rejected priestly line (2:30) and had an ephod. Two things are curious about this. First of all, Saul brings a rejected priest with him. They list the genealogy to include Ahijah’s uncle Ichabod. Ichabod means “no glory.” This reminds us that Saul’s glory is gone. He’s ruling the kingdom on borrowed time since he was just rejected as king. Secondly the ephod was used to determine the will of God. (Ex. 28; 1 Sam. 23:9-12; 30:7-8) It’s curious that they mention that specifically because God was already pretty clear on what He wanted Saul to do. Remember He said that Saul was going to deliver Israel from the Philistines (9:16). Saul is unwilling to step up to the calling God had given him. God invited him to be a part of something big, but here we find him sitting around under a tree waiting to hear from God. Jonathan, on the other hand, was tired of waiting around, so he sneaks off with his armor bearer to pick a fight, again (13:3).

Jonathan is the character in the greater story that reveals Saul for who he really is. Jonathan is the man that Saul should have been. Back in chapter 13, Jonathan does what Saul should have done in provoking the Philistines. Here it happens again. While Saul is sitting under a tree, Jonathan leads Israel to victory over the Philistines. Let’s take a look at Jonathan’s invitation to his armor bearer that so differentiates him from his father.

Jonathan could have commanded his armor bearer to join him, but instead he offers him an invitation, an invitation to be a part of something so much bigger than himself. God had invited Saul to be the hero, but he failed miserably. That leaves room for his son to take his place. As Jonathan steps up to assume the role he invites his armor bearer along with him. He says, “I’m going to fight for the Lord and I want you to be a part of it.” He’s inviting him to be a part of something so much bigger than himself, to accomplish things so much greater than he could on his own.

I love how brash Jonathan can be. He calls the Philistines “those uncircumcised fellows.” That reminds me of a young shepherd boy who put a giant in his place by calling him an “uncircumcised Philistine” (17:26). Jonathan knows his place among God’s people. He’s a child of the Almighty. And he knows the place of his enemies, outsiders. He knows the Lord is on his side and not theirs. What Jonathan doesn’t know is the outcome of the battle.

When Jonathan invites his armor bearer to join him, he says, “Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf.” Perhaps! He doesn’t know what the Lord’s going to do, but he’s going to step out and give God the opportunity to use him. He knows that if he’s sitting under a pomegranate tree like his dad then nothing’s ever going to get accomplished. So he says “Enough of this waiting. I’m going to go do something.” It reminds me of the scene in Lord of the Rings where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are trapped with the people of Rohan in the castle of Helms Deep with thousands of Orcs beating down the door. Rather than sit back and wait to be killed off Aragorn says to King Theoden, “Ride out with me!” Jonathan says to his armor bearer, “Let’s go take on these uncircumcised Philistines. Maybe the Lord will work on our behalf.”

Now this would usually be lunacy, but Jonathan’s is not a vain hope because of what he knows of his God. Jonathan’s next statement tells us how he can commit to such a crazy battle. “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” What a statement! He’s saying, “Remember God’s on our side! These are uncircumcised Philistines. We’re God’s people! So what are we doing sitting around when God’s promised us victory? If my dad’s not going to attack then I will. And nothing can stop God from winning the battle, not the fact that we have one sword, not the fact that there’s two of us and too many of them to count, nothing! That’s the God I serve and He’s way more powerful than any army they put out! So let’s go!” How can you say no to that?

His armor bearer’s response is equally as inspiring. He says, “Do all that is in your heart. I’m with you heart and soul.” Some Bible’s translate it as, ‘Do all that you have in mind,’ but the real word there is ‘heart.’ I think that’s important because it speaks to Jonathan’s passion, his love. ‘Do all that you have in mind,’ could simply mean, ‘Whatever you concoct in your head, let’s do it.’ But ‘heart’ includes desire. He’s saying, “I know how much you love your God. So follow your heart. Follow your passion. Follow your love. And I’m behind you with all my heart.” It’s a heart thing. It’s so much more than an intellectual assent. It’s about a passion that Jonathan has that moves him to action. How encouraging is it to have a friend that shares that passion.

So they come up with a ridiculously stupid plan to give up their only advantage, the element of surprise, and show themselves to the Philistines. If the Philistines tell them to wait there then they would. If they said to come up then they knew the Lord had given them the victory. God showed up and they started a rout of the entire Philistine army. They were faithful to God, and God proved Himself faithful to them.

So how does this come home to us today? Well first of all, maybe you’re sitting under the tree because you’re waiting to hear God tell you to move. But maybe you haven’t heard Him because He’s already told you and you’re just not willing to respond. Maybe things like ‘loving your enemies’ or ‘submitting to your authorities’ just don’t appeal to you so you’re waiting to hear something you’re a little more comfortable with before you step out in faith. Maybe ‘Go make disciples’ is a little too scary so you’re waiting for a better offer. This is about something so much bigger than your personal comfort. This is about changing the world. Maybe it’s about time you stop sitting around under the pomegranate tree and take some initiative. God will accomplish His work with or without you, but He wants you. He wants you to be a part of something big? Look who became the hero; it was Jonathan, not Saul. It should’ve been Saul, but he missed it. Like I recently told my volleyball team, you can have all the potential in the world but it doesn’t do any good if it stays potential. Maybe you need to just get off your butt and start doing what God’s already told you to do.

Or perhaps you are on the move, you’re fighting the battle, and you’re getting tired. Maybe it feels like you’re the only one fighting the good fight, that it’s just you against a whole army. Remember the cheesy cliché: One plus God is still a majority. Even if you feel like you’re all alone doing God’s work, be encouraged because nothing can hinder God from saving, whether with many or with few. You may think, ‘Man, if I’m the only one God’s got working on this than He’s out of luck.’ Jonathan and his armor bearer killed 20 guys in the space of half an acre, with only one sword! Recognize God’s place in your circumstances. Let God assume His rightful place as Sovereign Lord. You be faithful, because our God is faithful.

Or maybe you are on the move and there’s someone you need to invite along for the ride. Who is it that you could invite to join you in being a part of what God’s doing? Jonathan brought his armor bearer along for the battle of a lifetime and he got to see God show up in a big way. Is there somebody you see and think, “Man, I wish God would get a hold of their life.” Did you ever consider that as God calling you to extend an invitation, the same invitation He extended to you? What is it that you’re doing and who can you invite along?

God’s offering you an invitation to be a part of something so much bigger than yourself. So what’d you say? Do you want to do something as meaningless as sell sugar water for the rest of your life or do you want to follow Him and change the world? The choice is yours; just don’t say you weren’t invited.