A Word in Season: By Many or by Few (2 Samuel 14:6)

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You might sometimes wish, if you're a Christian, that there were more of us. Or perhaps that we just had a bit more to offer in terms of our personal excellence and magnetism.

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Perhaps that we had a few more resources at our disposal. That we had a little bit more social cachet and that people took a bit more notice of us.

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You might want that generally. You might feel that that's the case when you're about a particular task.

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Perhaps you're involved in evangelising. Telling people about the good news of the

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Lord Jesus Christ. And you're out on the street or you're knocking on a door. And you just think, if only there were a few more of us.

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If only there were more gifted people. People with a better speech than I have. Or whatever else it may be.

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Maybe then someone would take notice of us. In 1 Samuel 14, the historian tells the story of Jonathan and his armour bearer.

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And the day they went up against a garrison of the Philistines. Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armour, in chapter 14 and verse 6.

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Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. And that's a general description for those who don't belong to the people of Israel.

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In this case, a designation of their enemies. It may be that the Lord will work for us.

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For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few. And as it happens, they went over and the

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Philistines challenged them. And Jonathan went up, rose to the challenge. And his armour bearer came with him.

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And Jonathan and his armour bearer, these two fairly young men, not particularly seasoned.

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They, one by one, took down these Philistines. Jonathan would knock them down and the armour bearer would finish them off.

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Jonathan's confidence is a wonderful example of how we too might serve

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God in our generation. We tend too often to think as the world thinks.

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We count up the numbers rather than weighing up the substance.

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But Jonathan knew that nothing held God back from saving by many or by few.

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Now, you may have some particular responsibilities or opportunities coming up as a part of a particular church.

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You may see wide vistas opening up before you, but you feel so limited in terms of the resources that are available.

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Perhaps there's an opportunity for you particularly to go out and serve God in some particular way.

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And it may be in evangelising or it might be some other duty. And you wish that there were more and that they were better.

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But nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few. We don't despise the many.

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We don't idolise the few. But we often see that God would take just the one or the two faithful individuals.

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Perhaps a small group of friends who covenant together to serve the Lord where they are and with what they have.

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And the Lord is pleased to use those men and women to do something that far outstrips what might appear to be possible given how few they are and the meagerness of their resources.

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And so we need to start looking with eyes of faith at some of the situations that face us and some of the challenges that lie before us.

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We need to stop judging with the eye of flesh and begin to think as Jonathan did when these

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Philistines were around them and against them. Let's go over.

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Let's get on with the work that God has given us to do. Let's rise up in faith and get about the task in hand.

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It may be that the Lord will work for us. That's not a careless shrug. There's a measure of expectation there.

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Why should God not make bare his mighty arm under these circumstances? For nothing holds

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God back from saving by many or by few. So if God chooses to use the many, we praise his name.

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But we know too that God is well able to use the few because the issue is not what we bring, but who

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God is and what God is pleased to do. So if you have some opportunity or some responsibility that lies before you as a

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Christian, go up now. Go and do that thing. Not complaining about your own lack of resource, but trusting in the

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God who is able to provide all that is needful. Nothing holds God back from saving, from working by many or by few.