1 Samuel 14 is one of the great commando raids of history, when God used Jonathan in a venture that ended up routing the whole Philistine army threatening Israel. And reading it we wonder: What marks someone God uses like that?
But is it irrelevant? If our own country isn’t at war? But the old testament uses physical themes to teach us about spiritual things. Thus in the OT physical blessing comes as we obey God; in the new testament era we don’t expect following Jesus to make us rich (see eg 2 Cor 6), but what the OT says about how physical blessing comes helps us to understand spiritual blessing. Likewise the way God’s power is displayed against Israel’s physical enemies isn’t meant to teach us about physical holy war; indeed we’re called to love those who act as our enemies. But it helps us grasp the spiritual war we’re engaged in; and in that, Jonathan is really used by God. How?
The Philistines were technologically way ahead of Israel (13:19-22). And Jonathan was probably just a teenager, or at most student age. He doesn’t tell his dad Saul what he’s going to do. (Because spiritually Saul has fallen away? More likely because his son’s a teenager; these days he’d just borrow the car without saying.) So what marks out this young guy? The first thing is adventurous vision flowing from solid faith. He doesn’t know what God will do (`Perhaps`, v6); this isn’t a name-it-and-claim-it situation. Faith here isn’t knowing what God will do, it’s believing what God can do. (Compare Matthew 8:2.) But it’s also about going for God’s best, getting as much heaven on earth as possible: God can do great things, let’s go for it! Jonathan doesn’t know what God will do, but he knows it can be big, he dreams big dreams and wants as much of God’s power on earth as possible. So here’s the lesson for us: let’s think creatively, in faith, and then dream big dreams of what God can do!
Then the second thing that marks this man is comradeship (v7). Jonathan shares his thoughts with his comrade: it’s always good to check our vision, get someone else’s angle as to whether it’s of God. So then, if we want to do exploits for God we’ll need likeminded comrades to pray and dream with – people who sometimes will cool us down and help us be realistic, and who at other times will stir up the fire in us rather than letting it die down. Jesus sent His disciples out on mission two by two. Seek someone else who can catch the vision God seems to have given you, someone with whom you can share your hopes and plans.
The third thing: faith is where it starts, but what specifically does God want? Jonathan looks for a marker in the situation to show if God is opening the way (v10). Actually the sign he looks for isn’t exactly an open door, it’s a challenge from the Philistines to assault them openly, climbing up to attack them on their hands and knees! And so the fourth thing is courage (v13). `Face the fear and do it anyway`: Jonathan must surely know he might die doing this (and at the end of 1 Samuel he does). There are risks involved in exploits for God; I’ve been reading the amazing 19th century Brethren missionary Stanley Arnot, and am struck how many of his colleagues died soon after reaching Africa, as they knew they might when they set out. But our lives are safely in the hands of God, and this sort of faith-based courage makes an impact. It’s vital to pray for!
The fifth thing is freedom from ego; it’s the Lord’s power he’s depending on, not his own (vv6,10,12). We’ll see this again later in chapter 20 as he gives over the leadership to David. There’s no craving here for personal power and status; his ego is surrendered to God’s will when God raises up an even better leader. It’s like John the Baptist in John 3:30: Jesus `must become greater; I must become less.` If we want to do exploits for God we need to pray for that servant heart…
And with all that, God comes through, just as Jonathan had believed (v6). What he and his comrade achieve isn’t enormous (v14) – this is a huge enemy army with 3000 chariots – but as they step out in faith, God starts to do much bigger things (v15)! God will honour our steps forward in faith, and break through more widely as we move forward; faith spreads (vv20-23)! And then Saul wants to know who’s the cause of all this (v17), and yes, sure enough it’s that kid, the one who started this whole wretched war (13:3). (Parents: pray for teenagers like that! Make time to do something serious and risky for God and take your teens with you (an OM summer team?) Are you concerned about youth culture? Then get them a vision for evangelism!)
So what is there here for our prayer? Exploits for God: what will be written over our lives? It’s hard to express faith unless somehow it’s risky. This is a great thing about being on an evangelism team, where we do something riskier than usual. But there’s a piece of God’s Kingdom’s frontier reserved for each of us & us only, somewhere where God has nobody but us; and we’re called to dream big dreams, each year finding it and going for it. Someone who’s never heard of Jesus or is resistant: show them love, and God can open the chance to share with them. God is calling many of us to spend a bit of our lives – just 4 years maybe? – somewhere abroad where His church is small. But for others that may not be His will; so what part of the frontier here has God given us? My mum was a godly woman, but no one taught her to think strategically like that – where’s my next frontier, the next person I can love and share my faith with? And so in a way her godliness was wasted. Where is your next frontier?- a neighbour, a workmate? Let’s dream big dreams, like Jonathan (v6)! – our Muslim friends? our gay friends? Let’s pray to find our part of the frontier; tell someone else we’re praying that, believe God, v6, and go for it!
Lord God, make us Jonathans, people of faith, of big dreams, who stir each other up and see impact and mountains moved and give the glory to You. Help us pray to find our piece of the frontier, and to stick with it, by Your power, and see Your kingdom grow. Amen!
