Christian Devotional – August 18, 2020

Always Second – #4

Even with all the news that we read about in the last chapter, Jonathan continues to give his very best. Today, we see as Jonathan experiences and amazing victory. Read 1 Samuel 14:1-15.

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 the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 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, 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. 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. The one crag rose on the north opposite Michmash, and the other on the south opposite Geba. 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.” 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.” Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them. If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you’; then we will stand in our place and not go up to them. 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.” 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.” So the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, “Come up to us and we will tell you something.” And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hands of Israel.” 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. That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land. 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 Samuel 14:1‭-‬15 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/1sa.14.1-15.NASB

Jonathan goes out by himself with his armor bearer to see what the situation looked like. While he was out there, he had the opportunity to trust God and allow God to him use him to experience a victory over several of the Philistines. They won a victory… with only the two of them.

This is such a great example of how God will continue to use and work in people, even if they’re not in the leadership role or position that we traditionally think of. God uses everyone who is willing to trust him and to lean on him. We see Jonathan looking to trust God and asking if God will be on their side and to allow him to be able to do God’s will.

Are we trusting God in the things that we do today? Are we seeking him in our day-to-day experiences and looking for him to do mighty and awesome things the way Jonathan was looking for God to do? What would it look like if God moved in our lives today? Would we be ready for it?