"Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf"

This day in the life of Jonathan is so cool for showing what it's like to walk in faith, and what it might look like when God shows up.

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.

A normal day, a normal guy (ok, he was the son of the king--wait a minute, that's what we are!) and his assistant armor-bearer.

Actually, it wasn't like every other day, because the Philistines were across the valley, threatening to attack. It was a stand-off. Wait, it's like that every day now, too, isn't it?

And what was the mighty leader of the army (Saul, Jonathan's father) doing?

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.

My gosh, nothing's changed. Saul, the mighty leader-king, was sitting, taking no action. He was paralyzed. Motionless. Doing anything but leading.

Now let's consider Jonathan's idea. Would anyone have recommended to Jonathan (the king's son) that he should head over to the enemy camp, with a guy trained only to carry a shield? Was it wise? Was it well thought out? Was it a good war strategy?

No one was aware that Jonathan had left.

Evidently he didn't consult the generals in the planning room. He had his radio turned off. Didn't wait for orders. He was going it alone. No one knew, and certainly no one would have advised him to go. The advice would have been exactly the opposite. Saul would have forbidden him.

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."

Are you kidding me? Heading over to the enemy camp, no air cover, two versus hundreds, and the best you can tell me is, "perhaps"? What's up with that?

And the armor bearer must have been nuts:

"Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."

I can't think of any line from any movie or book that tugs at me more than this tiny dialogue between Jonathan and his companion.

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."

Ha. Let's go show ourselves to them, and if they taunt us and tell us to come up to their camp, we will know God is in it. Do you get what he's saying? If things look bad, if it gets worse as we walk ahead, if things start looking grim, then we'll know God is in it.

What gives? Aren't things supposed to look brighter along the path to paradise? Shouldn't we get what God has made us desire? Doesn't He make the path clear and smooth?

You gotta see mythically to look beyond what you can see to what could be.

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!"

You knew that was coming, didn't you? You suppose they recognized the prince?

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.

You didn't expect that, did you?

Then panic struck the whole army--those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties--and the ground shook.

It was a panic sent by God.

God didn't send lightning and strike half of the enemy dead before Jonathan and the armor bearer went on up that hill. He didn't blind them, break their legs, trip them, or in any way make them less the warriors they were when they woke up that morning.

Jonathan and his heart-mate were simply filled with confidence that this was God's battle, and they fought like wolverines. Lips snarled, swords slashing, back-to-back. Don't you want to live just one day like this one, sometime during your life?

And guess what. God didn't show His own might until Jonathan took his action. Until he had gone past the point of no return. Jonathan climbed and killed, then God came in and finished up the job.

So sweet.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Saul's lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. Then Saul said to the men who were with him, "Muster the forces and see who has left us." When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there.

(Isn't it like a faithless leader, when there's a commotion, to look around and see who's not standing at attention, who's not sitting in their pew this morning?)

Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God." (At that time it was with the Israelites.)

Was Saul looking for a sign from God? Whatever he was up to, he didn't have time. Because--

While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand."

Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle.

Heh. How fascinating. Even men with no faith will follow when a man with faith steps out. I don't think this is an endictment of Saul--it's more of a picture of how God fills some with faith and courage (Jonathan), and they advance. Others He prepares to follow.

And when they follow they see the most amazing things--

They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

When a man of faith takes action, even the traitors come back. Gotta love that. Welcome back, Prodigals.

When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit.

Even those hiding in shame come out into the light, when a man of God moves into action.

So the LORD rescued Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.

Wow, a single day in the life of Jonathan. Yet it speaks volumes about our own lives.

Reminds me of the song of Deborah and Barak, when they sang together:

When the princes in Israel take the lead,
when the people willingly offer themselves—
praise the LORD!

Men of faith, rise up.