The Bible showcases the valour of many fearless warriors. Jehu, the intimidating captain of Israel, was proverbial for the fury in which he drove his men into battle. Joab and his two brothers were similarly regarded for their dauntlessness in war. Yet among such fierce fighters as these, faith and goodness usually failed to balance the great strength and courage they possessed. A few among this bloody profession, however, managed to master the balance. And possibly the greatest of that small class of fearless and faithful warriors was Jonathan, the son of King Saul.
The first time we hear about Jonathan is when he, with 1000 men, ‘smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba’ (1 Samuel 13:3). In this brave action, only Jonathan was girded with a sword due to the arms restrictions imposed upon them by their Philistine oppressors.
Following this first victory, the Philistines gathered themselves together for all-out war, while Saul hid himself and his garrison far away from the front line under a pomegranate tree (1 Samuel 14:2). Although Jonathan had men under his command, he was not willing to highlight his father’s weakness, or act insubordinately by leading these men into battle. But unable to sit idle with his fearful father any longer, Jonathan quietly departed to confront the enemy with his personal armour bearer only.
The Philistines had taken up a fortified position upon the far side of a rocky gorge. On both sides of this gorge ‘there was a sharp rock..and the name of the one was Bozez [slippery], and the name of the other Seneh [thorny]’ (1 Samuel 14:4). It is generally understood that a defending force has a 3 to 1 advantage over an attacking force. Occupying high ground also provides a great advantage; it deprives the enemy of vision, makes his covering ground exhausting, and decreases the range and strength of his hand-held weapons. Besides this, Jonathan and his armourbearer were greatly outnumbered. Taking all these factors into account, an attack on this garrison would be strategic suicide.
But Jonathan’s faith was not confounded by the schools of military strategy. He simply ‘said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few’ (1 Samuel 14:6). In saying that ‘it may be that the LORD will work for us’, Jonathan demonstrated that he was not acting presumptuously. In humble faith, he understood that it was the Lord who had previously brought deliverance through his 1000 men, and the fact that they were only two men – up against a fortified garrison atop a rocky gorge – was irrelevant. But as true faith is not blind, Jonathan’s battle plan was not wholly devoid of strategy. He leveraged against his heathen enemies the one advantage he had: courage in the Lord.
Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them. If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them. But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.
1 Samuel 14:8-10
Instead of sneaking up on his adversaries, Jonathan decided to confront them directly, and even seek counsel from God through their response. He would allow them to choose the theatre of battle. If they clung to their advantage, and called for him to go up to them, Jonathan would not be discouraged. On the contrary, he would take it as a sign from God that the victory was his. And this sign was given immediately. Upon seeing Jonathan, ‘the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing’. Although this would be disappointing to most, this answer was the very sign Jonathan had asked the Lord to give. In full assurance of faith, ‘Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel’ (1 Samuel 14:12). Now all that was left for him to do was follow through and let the Lord work. Reasoning that no soldier in his right mind would attempt such an assault, the garrison failed to recognise the intent of the two men clambering up towards their position, and so sealed their fate:
And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him. And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow. 1 Samuel 14:13-14
We may not be called to take on an armed garrison, yet in our roles as sons and daughters, husbands and wives, parents and labourers, we will meet with difficulties that appear beyond our ability to overcome. Jonathan’s triumph against all odds demonstrates that a combination of adverse circumstances are no proof that we should draw back from something we have set out to achieve. In fact, Jonathan paid no attention to the disadvantages he saw before his eyes. He bravely stepped forward in faith in what he saw as God’s will for himself. After he made that first step, he listened hard for external tokens of God’s leading. So long as what we are doing is not contrary to any of God’s express commands, we may also hope to receive similar tokens of His leading in the challenges we face. As Jonathan’s sign from God came in the form of a scornful remark from an uncircumcised Philistine, the trained ear will hear the go-ahead from God through whatever mouthpiece the Lord chooses to use.
Christopher Sparks