When we ignore God’s directives and operate out of our own prerogatives, we can expect a righteous reorientation. Saul experienced this in 1 Samuel chapter 13. Join us and learn how God handled Saul’s insubordination and the role the prophet Samuel played in setting him straight.
Sinn always has negative consequences because it affronts a holy God. We do not have to look far in the Scriptures to see this timeless truth. Who can forget the words of Eliphaz the Temanite to Job:
8 According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble harvest it. (Job 4)
Paul echoed these words in Galatians 6:7, “whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
Jeremiah’s words to the sinful people of his day are instructive:
19 Your own wickedness will correct you, and your apostasies will reprove you; Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God, and the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord God of hosts. (Jer. 2)
If anyone learned these words the hard way, it was King Saul. From what we learn from 1 Samuel 13:1-14, his flagrant insubordination against God’s clear and concise word through the prophet Samuel, met with swift negative consequences: God removed him and his dynasty from Israel, promising to give it to a worthy successor who would fear, listen to, and obey God instead of exerting his own selfish, sinful will.
First Samuel 13, verses 15 through 23, give us the logical consequences of God’s discipline of King Saul because of his willful disobedience. His sin led to what I would call three disadvantages.
Disadvantage #1: Loss of Support (1 Sam. 13:15-16)
15 Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 Now Saul and his son Jonathan and the people who were present with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin while the Philistines camped at Michmash.
Saul went from commanding 3,000 crack troops to a measly 600. Where did the other 2,400 go? They fled because of Saul’s tactical and spiritual incompetence in the face of the massive and well-armed enemy, the Philistines. Now, Saul and Jonathan relocated to the mountain town of Geba, located just across the gorge from the massive Philistine encampment north of them at Michmash. Outnumbered, outgunned, and out of fellowship with God, they became helpless before their enemy God had commanded them to defeat (1 Sam. 9:16). And so it is with sinful behavior. It just may cost you people in your life who could have helped you, but now your sin has left you isolated and exposed.
Disadvantage #2: Loss of Tactical Advantage (1 Sam. 15:16-17)
When a person fears God, God goes before them. When a person rebels against God, God removes His protection, leaving them helpless to halt the advancement of evil. Saul lived to see this from his tactical position in the mountainous region of Geba:
17 And the raiders came from the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18 and another company turned toward Beth-horon, and another company turned toward the border which overlooks the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
In other words, King Saul, who had formerly defeated the mighty Ammonite army with the help of God (1 Kings 11), had to helplessly watch as the Philistines sent out special ops teams on raiding parties to the north, west, and east. No telling what atrocities these godless troops inflicted on defenseless Israelites, but their King was powerless to stop it because of his prior flagrant insubordination to the Lord of angelic armies. The principle is as timeless as true: When you mock God’s Word, God will not use you to halt the encroachment of evil. The flipside is true, too. When you fear God and walk closely with Him, He will make you His chosen instrument for advancing holiness and righteousness. King Saul did not get the memo.
Disadvantage #3: Loss of Weaponry (1 Sam. 13:19-23)
The Israelites still used bronze, a soft metal, at this time, while the Philistines mastered iron-making. Where weaponry was concerned, the difference is akin to a bow and arrow as opposed to a M60, belt-fed, machine gun from the Vietnam era.
9 Now no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears. 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his hoe.
21 And the charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to fix the hoes. 22 So it came about on the day of battle that neither sword nor spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, but they were found with Saul and his son Jonathan. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash (1 Sam. 13).
Because the Israelites had to pay the Philistines to sharpen their farming tools, their enemy knew precisely what weaponry they did not possess. This made them sitting ducks for any military incursion. This is also why verse 23 is so alarming. With 30,000 chariots, cavalry, and well-armed infantry, the Philistines could head down the gorge near Michmash to attack any part of Israel with virtually no opposition. Watching enemy troops head to who-knows-where to do who-knows-what to your countrymen and women, must have been quite alarming and depressing to King Saul.
Had he only walked with and feared God and been subordinate instead of insubordinate, the great God who enabled Moses to take on the mighty and well-armed Egyptian army with a wooden staff would have gone before Him. But He did not this time.
This truth is still true: to effectively use the ultimate weapon in spiritual warfare, the Word of God (Eph. 6:17), you must fear the God of the Word and obey its teachings and commands. Insubordination to the Word leaves you weaponless in the fight against evil and sin. Subordination to God’s will and Word gives you a weapon that causes demonic foes and the wicked to flee. What will it be in your life? Disobedience or obedience?
As you consider this concept, let me add one more: Difficult times, which sometimes are caused by our carnal actions, are typically used by God as a catalyst to position us for more extraordinary things . . . if we will step out in faith. The God who remembers mercy in His wrath (2 LORD, I have heard the report about Thee and I fear. O LORD, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy; Hab. 3), the God who is the Good Shepherd never tires in wanting us to move onward and upward in faith, even when we’ve purposefully chosen to go downward. Couched differently, disadvantages brought about by disobedience can be used of God to give you a new opportunity to fear Him and to conquer evil courageously. What will you do when you see a new opportunity lining up?
While you are thinking about this, let us consider what King Saul’s son, Jonathan, did. Despite his father’s glaring and problematic character flaws and spiritually shallow nature, Jonathan rose to the complicated situation to do the unthinkable by leaning on the God his father tended to reject. We will follow Jonathan’s exemplary exploits as we move through the chronological section of the first fifteen verses of chapter 14.
The Proposition (1 Sam. 14:1-3)
Let’s get familiar with this exciting part of the story by first reading its opening lines:
1 Now the day came that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come and let us cross over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on yonder side.” But he did not tell his father. 2 And Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron. And the people who were with him were about six hundred men, 3 and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the LORD at Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. (1 Sam. 14)
Jonathan was everything his father wasn’t. He should have been the king, but that would never be because of his father’s gross insubordination toward God. This did not stop Jonathan from acting like a godly, fearless regal son. Nothing, or no one, should stop you either from moving out for God.
While his father chilled on the outskirts of Gibeah under a tasty and shady pomegranate tree, which was even further away from the Philistine troops in Micmash, Jonathan could no longer handle the cowardice and indecision. Like he had done before (1 Sam. 13:3), he made plans to take bold, definitive action bathed in faith in the living God to bring the battle to the enemy. And he didn’t tell his father. Why? He knew his father would not have approved because his insubordination to the living God compromised his faith. So he kept his out-of-the-box plan secret between himself and his trusted armor bearer.
The contrasts in these verses are jaw-dropping.
- The king is a coward. His son is courageous.
- The king is indecisive. His son is decisive.
- The king is fearful. His son is fearless.
- The king lacks faith. His son drips with faith.
- The king, who is doomed, surrounded himself with a priest from a priesthood doomed because of its historical insubordination to God. His son is buddies with a God-fearing armor bearer who has the courage of a thousand men.
- The king had a priest who had the coveted ephod, which was designed to help a priest connect with God . . . but only if he walked with God. His son had a man equipped with armor for battle with an enemy God had already told the Israelites to subdue. An ephod was not needed, but Saul, in his state of spiritual confusion, thought so.
- The king had a priest whose uncle was named Ichabod, meaning the “Glory has departed.” This uncle was the son of Phinehas of the wicked priestly duo called Hophni and Phinehas (1 Sam. 2:12-17). Saul should have been careful who he surrounded himself with, but he wasn’t because he wasn’t wise. Sin had obscured his thinking. His son, conversely, formed a godly duo with his unnamed armor bearer.
The contrasts between a godless king and a godly prince could not be starker. This leads us to a logical question: Is there a starkness about your life as you face down a sinful, godless enemy?
One military leader froze in fear in the middle of a national tragedy. Another military leader forged ahead in faith to take on the enemy in a bold, unthinkable fashion. Which person are you in the spiritual fray?
Verses 4 through 7 show us how a God-fearing, courageous saint behaves even when the situation is stacked against them by the forces of evil. I call this section . . .
The Pivot (1 Sam. 14:4-7)
Between Geba, where Jonathan stood, and Michmash, where the Philistine troops were encamped, was a tight gorge with rocky cliffs that shot vertically from the gorge floor. This is what the text describes for us:
4 And between the passes by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp crag on the one side, and a sharp crag on the other side, and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.5 The one crag rose on the north opposite Michmash, and the other on the south opposite Geba.
Topography matters in military situations. With a cliff to their southern flank, the Philistines enjoyed a modicum of protection. I can hear the thinking from the commanding officer when they set up their defenses: “Let’s set up our tents near that steep drop off because no Israelite is crazy enough to attempt to attack us from that difficult direction.” He should have thought a little more about that conclusion.
Obstacles are opportunities to the person of faith and courage. Jonathan surveyed the jagged rock face on the southern flank of the Philistine base called Bozez, which in Hebrew means “shining” because of its exposure to the sun’s hot rays. He surmised this would be the last place the crack Philistine troops, armed with iron weapons, would ever think an enemy would exploit. How ingenious. How gusty.
After sizing up the best strategic approach to attack his well-entrenched enemy, Jonathan had a conversation with the teen who carried his armor:
6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few.” (1 Sam. 14)
Ah, now you see why I labeled this section “The Pivot.” In a split second we pivot from frozen fear to fired-up faith, from cowardice to courage, and from defeat to victory. And to think it all started with one man who believed in God . . . despite how he was raised. From Israel’s history, Jonathan knew that God could defeat any foe whether He worked through a massive army of soldiers committed to him or a few people of inexorable faith.
- Ehud, a descendant from Jonathan’s tribe of Benjamin, killed Eglon, the king of Moab, with a hidden dagger when he came to give the leader tribute money (Jud. 3:15-30). After this courageous action toward a vile king, Israel’s soldiers routed the entire Moabite army.
- Shamgar used an oxgoad to take out six hundred Philistine soldiers (Jud. 3:31).
- Gideon’s small army of 100 men defeated the mighty Midianites with some trumpets, clay jars, and torches (Josh. 7).
Knowing salvation stories like these, Jonathan knew God would go before him.
How did his armor bearer respond to his crazy plan? Read on and you will see:
7 And his armor bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart; turn yourself, and here I am with you according to your desire.” (1 Sam. 14)
Translated, “I am with you no matter what.” Wow. One man’s bold faith became the bold faith of another, which is how it goes. This makes you ask yourself a key question: What formidable foe am I facing right now, and am I facing that foe with faith embedded in the living God? If so, a follow up question is in order: What saint is being challenged by my bold faith? The story’s import here shouldn’t be missed: When you step out in creative, courageous faith to deal with evil, you will never be alone. Your actions will inspire others. So start climbing.
Once Jonathan knew his unnamed armor bearer shared his faith, he crystallized his strategy for victory. I label this next informative section . . .
The Plan (1 Sam. 14:8-10)
The plan was quite simple:
8 Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you’; then we will stand in our place and not go up to them.10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the LORD has given them into our hands; and this shall be the sign to us.” (1 Sam. 14)
Jonathan already knew God called Israel to subdue the Philistines. He didn’t know if this particular situation was one God would bless or not; hence, he proposed a simple plan that would reveal God’s will. Take note of this the next time you are about to climb a vertical rock face to engage your version of the Philistines. Your plan does not, necessarily, have to be intricate. Sometimes a pared-down, less complicated plan is the wiser course of action. So, ask God for wisdom to know whether you should climb or not and what you should say and do as you climb.
We know what Jonathan and his armor bearer did. They ascended the rock face without any modern-day climbing gear. They only had one sword and shield and a whole boatload of faith and determination to secure a victory for God and their beleaguered people. Their actions resulted in what we can label . . .
The Penetration (1 Sam. 14:11-14)
Watch what happened when they got near the top of the cliff and attracted the attention of a few Philistine sentries:
11 And when both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, the Philistines said, “Behold, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” 12 So the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, “Come up to us and we will tell you something.”
The Philistines, armed with the best weapons money could buy, mocked the rag-tag Israelite army of two commandos with little body armor to speak of, one sword, and perhaps one shield. After mocking the two cliff climbers, they invited them to come on up to the top of the mountain. Their pride got the best of them. I guess a verse like Proverbs 16:18 hadn’t been translated into their language: “18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.”
The pride of the Philistines, which was founded upon their superior position and weaponry, set them up for defeat and they never saw that coming, did they? Prideful Philistines never do. They think they are untouchable. They believe no one can take them down. They think they will always be the top dog. They should stop and humble themselves, but typically they don’t. Their fall is always shocking, unexpected, and fast.
Realizing God had just spoken, Jonathan challenged his armor bearer to join him in the impending victory.
And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me, for the LORD has given them into the hands of Israel.”
His statement sounds like something Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller, the most decorated U.S. Marine would say. When six Chinese divisions (60,000 men) surrounded the Marines at Chosin Reservoir in the winter of 1950, he stated, “All right, they’re on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us . . . they can’t get away this time.”[1] Jonathan was Chesty on this bold, courageous military move against a superior force.
13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer behind him; and they fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer put some to death after him. 14 And that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land. (1 Sam. 14)
Two men armed with one sword between them took out twenty men armed to the teeth. How did this happen? God was with them. God empowered them. God was with them like He was with Samson when he took on 1,000 Philistines armed only with the jawbone of a skeletized donkey (1 Sam. 5-6). What the Lord said to Abraham and Sarah is true when He promised them a chosen child in their old age: “Is anything too difficult for the LORD” (Gen. 18:14)? The answer is “No.” Perhaps Jonathan had this text in mind as he engaged the enemy. Or maybe he recalled this one:
“You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you” (Lev. 26:7–8, NKJV; see Deut. 28:7).
Whatever the case, Jonathan seized the victory against insurmountable odds because he had faith in God and God’s Word.
Faith doesn’t make excuses:
- The cliffs are too steep
- It’s challenging to fight uphill while hanging on for dear life.
- We only have one sword between us while our enemy has many.
- We are outnumbered.
- We might lose a hand-hold and fall to our deaths.
Faith, on the other hand, sees the impossible and gears up for the fight because it knows that God rewards and empowers people of faith who engage evil. Remember the Corrie Ten Boom story? Her Christian family bravely hid Jews from the Nazis during WWII. Looking back at what they did later in life, she, in Jonathan fashion, remarked: Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Wow. What a woman. What a spiritual warrior who fought against the sordid, sadistic sin of anti-Semitism.
In light of this, I must ask: What spiritual garrison of Philistines are you prepared to take on for God? There are plenty of them in our wicked, compromised world, so I think it is time to start climbing by faith with the weapon called the Word of God.
What resulted from Jonathan’s courageous action with his fearless armor bearer? Verse 15 serves as the climax of the story:
The Perplexity (1 Sam. 14:15)
That is a phrase which best expresses the mood in the Philistine camp after this small, seemingly insignificant rout:
15 And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even the garrison and the raiders trembled, and the earth quaked so that it became a great trembling. (1 Sam. 14)
The mighty and massive Philistine army trembled in fear because of the actions of just two men sold out to the living God. You might need to read that again, especially if you feel outnumbered and outgunned in your Philistine experience. God sent a fear into their bones because two men of faith and courage did something to thwart evil.
God also showed His approval by sending a localized earthquake. Wouldn’t you have loved to have experienced this? Right after the two brave Israelite soldiers took down twenty of their enemies, the rest of the soldiers heard a boom off in the distance, and then a rumble, as rocks started cracking under their feet. They all fell like dominos in a few seconds, their horses began running wild, and their steel chariots flipped because God sent a 7.0 earthquake to get their attention. No wonder they trembled. Evil always trembles in the face of people faith. And sometimes God moves the earth to let His people know He has their back.
At the end of the day, what does this powerful passage teach us? It reminds us of this one, unchanging truth:
Faith in God’s power leads to empowerment to achieve the unachievable where evil is concerned (1 Sam. 14:1-15)
You know, now, what your Philistine garrison is. You know where it is. Now, it’s time to start climbing and anticipate the victory that God will give you as you use His Word to combat sin and wickedness.
[1] Iain C. Martin, editor, The Greatest U.S. Marine Corps Stories Ever Told (Guildford: The Lyons Press, 2007), 177.
