Warriors Arise: August 20, 2022
1 Samuel 18:1 (NKJV) Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
When I read this verse I am reminded of so many military stories I have heard and those represented in movies. I am sure movies can't even come close to portraying the bond between warriors. Jonathan had faced an entire garrison of Philistines with his armor bearer coming behind him and making sure everyone he killed was dead. When David came in with the head of the Philistine in hand I can image Jonathan thinking, "I like his style. This kid is something. My dad won't be able to contain him." Jonathan was at least 10-15 years older than David. He might have considered him like a kid brother. They were not the same age. Jonathan might have been the age of David's oldest brother. Where Daivd's older brother had rejected him, Jonathan saw the same passion to rid the land of the Philistines as himself.
1 Samuel 14:1-23 (NKJV) Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 2 And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men. 3 Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord's priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah. 6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.” 7 So his armor bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.” 8 Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. 10 But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.” 11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden.” 12 Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.”Jonathan said to his armorbearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” 13 And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them. 14 That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land.
15 And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling. 16 Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Now call the roll and see who has gone from us.” And when they had called the roll, surprisingly, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. 18 And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here” (for at that time the ark of God was with the children of Israel). 19 Now it happened, while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” 20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to the battle; and indeed every man's sword was against his neighbor, and there was very great confusion. 21 Moreover the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the surrounding country, they also joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle. 23 So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven.
Who knows, Jonathan maybe volunteered to fight the Philistine, but this time his father wouldn't let him out of his sight. Jonathan saw in David what was in him, a passion to rid the land of the Philistines and a desire to serve the Lord. They both were tired of the Philistines keeping them in hiding in the holes of the mountains and prisoners on the plans of the battlefield. When are you going to get tired of the enemy who has enticed your people, your family, your friends to live in bondage. In verse 21, we see there were Hebrews who had joined the Philistines, but when Jonathan and his armor bearer fought the Philistin garrison and began winning, the Hebrews turned from their alignment with the enemy and returned to their people, to fighting against the the enemy.
How many times have we surrendered to the enemy?
How many times have we joined the enemy?
We get tired of standing our ground.
We don't want to fight any more so we just surrender.
We forget who we are.
We forget Whose we are.
But when we see someone else engage in the battle against the enemy it awakens something within us. Jonathan awakened the Hebrews who had aligned themselves with the enemy when he and his armorbearer climbed the mountain and defeated the Philistines in their own garrison. David awakened something in the men of the army when he slayed the Philistines. Both of their actions compelled the army to awaken and fight for their freedom. This is what Jonathan liked about David. They both had a style of seeing their people free and the regaining the land God had given them.
Father, give me the strength, courage and wisdom to rise up and fight the enemy who is taking what You have given me. With You, like Jonathan and David, I am willing to face the enemy and take him down. I rebuke the devil for destroying my hopes and dreams. There are times when I am looking for someone else to lead the way, rally the troops and have a battle plan, but no one arises. I will listen, because in that moment You may be telling me that it is me. I want to be ready. I want to be available. I want to be trained. I want to listen and follow You. I will rise and stand. I will go forth and fight even if I am the only one. I trust those who are being held captive will awaken from their paralysis of fear and pursue the enemy. I pray those who are hiding in the mountains will come out and climb the mountain to join me in taking out the enemy and removing him from what You have give us. I will fight the enemy. I will not stand by and allow the enemy to take what You have given me, my family or my friends. You will empower me and given me skill to remove the enemy in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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