By Many or by Few (1 Samuel 14:1-15)

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Okay, we're going to go ahead and get started if you would find a seat and we'll get started here in a minute.

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I want to welcome you all to Kootenai Community Church, Sunday School. And this morning we will be in 1

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Samuel, chapter 14 will be my text from 1 through 6.

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However, I have to do a bit of an overview because many of you weren't here when

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I taught Samuel last week, or last time

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I should say. So before we go to the Word, I'd like to just dedicate this time to the

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Lord in prayer. Father, we just thank you this morning for your grace each day.

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We thank you for your Word and we thank you for your Holy Spirit that illuminates your

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Word. We pray this morning, Father, as we go through this text that you would grant us understanding and clarity and the grace to be able to apply the truths from this

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Old Testament. Even if it's a historical narrative, we have much truth to learn.

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May we be able to apply these truths to our lives by your grace. We just ask this in the precious name of our

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Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, our last study ended in chapter 13, so I'm just going to give a little bit of an overview because it brings us in the context of chapter 14.

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And without that context, it's going to be a little bit difficult to understand what has transpired.

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As we go through chapter 12, we see that King Saul had just been victorious over the

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Ammonites. He had taken on King Nahash and his army and defeated them.

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Then the Israelites were told to gather in Gilgal to offer sacrifices and peace offerings before the

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Lord. Samuel first addressed the people and gave almost an apologetic.

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He had served them faithfully, he had served the Lord faithfully, and yet they had demanded a king like all other nations.

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So when Samuel took that before the Lord, says they asked for a king, give them a king.

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So we have King Saul, the first king of Israel.

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Now he is over Israel and they are having battle after battle.

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Right now, after the Ammonites, we have the Philistines that have attacked them.

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So as we go through, we find in chapter 13, the king is choosing for himself 3 ,000 men.

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And he also assigned 2 ,000 to himself and 1 ,000 to his son

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Jonathan, who was appointed as a commander over the

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Israelites. So as we think of that, we understand that they received word that the

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Philistines were now gathering 30 ,000 chariots and 6 ,000 horsemen. Well as we look at the

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Syriac and the Arabic on that, that doesn't line up.

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Apparently there was a scribal error in the transposing of these events and it was actually only, they think, 3 ,000 and possibly down to 1 ,000.

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They show 6 ,000 horsemen, so they knew that these were war chariots, so they wouldn't have more than 6 ,000.

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But they think it's more likely they only had 3 ,000 chariots. However, the

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Israelites have taken all the blacksmiths away from, have lost their blacksmiths.

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They were taken away by the Philistines. So the Philistines have swords, spears that are all ready in the battle.

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They fight. They have those weapons. The Israelites, they're left with making weapons out of farm implements.

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That's all they had. So as we continue on in chapter 13, verses 6 and 7, we find that when the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, well that word strait has the, conveys distress or in limited sources.

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This is referring to, it's used mostly for a military term. So they were in distress because they had limited resources to fight their enemy.

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They didn't have proper weapons, had no shields, and they were undermanned.

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Then the people themselves hid themselves in caves and thickets and cliffs, in cellars and pits.

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Also, some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad, of Gilead.

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So some of them now have, Peter can we bring that up? So they're now going from Gibeah to Michmash and what

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Saul has done, he has retreated.

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So he was still in Gilgal. However, some of the men had deserted.

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They crossed the Jordan, they left. Some of them were hiding in caves, cisterns, wherever they could find.

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They went up to the mountains, but they hid. They deserted their king.

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Saul was told to go to Gilgal and wait for Samuel. This is after the defeat of the

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Ammonites. When he did so, he was supposed to wait there seven days.

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So he went there, he waited, but not the complete seven days. He was impatient, he was losing men, and when

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Samuel did not show up, what Saul did is call for an offering.

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So we know that he was fearful, he was desperate, and now he was seeking the

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Lord to answer prayers for their victory.

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Yes, Rick? Yeah, it's not shown on this map.

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Up above Gibeah, I believe, is that? Where's David?

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David, is that above Gibeah? Okay, I believe it's above Gibeah.

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This map, I couldn't get one that showed that, but I couldn't get one that showed

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Gibeah either, which is another area that we want to consider. Okay, a little bit above Jerusalem.

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So it would be between Jerusalem and Gibeah, correct? Okay. Thank you,

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Ben. So King Saul, we don't know if he offered the burnt offering on his own, or whether or not he had a priest offer that, because we know that in chapter 14,

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Ahijah, the high priest, was with Saul. He was the son of Ahitab, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the

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Lord at Shiloh, and he was wearing an ephod. It's possible that the priest were offering the burnt offering, since they were there with Saul.

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So we don't know if Saul himself did it, or the priest. However, he did not wait for Samuel.

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The seven days were not over. So immediately after Saul had offered the burnt offering,

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Samuel shows up, and he says, what have you done? So we find that in chapter 13, and we'll look at it.

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Chapter 13, verse 8, beginning with verse 8. Now he waited seven days according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him.

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So Saul said, bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings, and he offered the burnt offering.

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As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came, and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.

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But Samuel said, what have you done? And Saul said, because I saw the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the

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Philistines were assembling at Michmash, therefore I said, now the

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Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the

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Lord. So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering. Samuel said to Saul, you have acted foolishly.

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You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you.

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For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever, but now your kingdom shall not endure.

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The Lord has sought out for himself a man after his own heart, and the

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Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not kept what the

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Lord commanded you. Now as we consider this,

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Samuel making the offering, this was something that generally the priests would do.

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However, there are accounts of kings carrying out the peace offerings.

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We have one example of that with David in 2 Samuel. Chapter 24, verse 25, we read that David built there an altar to the

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Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Thus the Lord was moved by prayer in the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.

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This is after David had ordered the people to be numbered, which violated

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God's word as well. So he had them numbered, and God brought a plague upon Israel.

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As David was pleaing for this, he repented, he built an altar, and made an offering before the

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Lord. And the Lord was moved by the offering and prayer, and ceased the plague.

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Also we have in 1 Kings chapter 8, verses 62 -64, we read this account in which

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Solomon offered a burnt offering, and peace offerings, and grain offerings during the dedication of the temple ceremony.

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So we have both the kings offering sacrifices, so it is a precedent that they could have done that.

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Either way, Saul was guilty of what? He disobeyed

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Samuel's command. Samuel was a spokesman for God. So as he disobeyed

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Samuel, he disobeyed God. And that's why he violated the command of Samuel.

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Yes, good question.

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Nathael asks this, did Samuel delay intentionally? And it's not shown in scripture.

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It would probably be that he delayed. We don't know that.

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Either way, he was there within the seven day period. It had not ended.

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So that's why he rebuked Samuel. He violated his word.

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So he did show up, but good question, Nathael. Now, we have to know that Ahijah, the son of Ahitab, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phineas, the son of Eli, the priest of Shiloh, Phineas and Hophni were evil men.

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They were lascivious. They stole the meat offerings that were supposed to be offered at Shiloh.

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And they also attacked the women, the maidens that came in there. These were terrible men.

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As a result of that, God had called and brought a man of God to Eli.

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And then he gave him a prophecy that his priesthood would not endure forever.

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He lost that. However, here, Ahijah is somewhere attached.

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He may not be Ichabod, or he is

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Eli's great grandson. So we don't know exactly whether he's from Phineas' brother,

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Ichabod's brother. We don't know that. But we do know that he was with Saul at this time.

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So MacArthur makes a statement. He says, now we have an illegitimate priest making an offering with an illegitimate king that's now no longer a legitimate king.

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He will remain king until his death at the end of 1

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Samuel. However, his kingdom will not endure forever.

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That will be passed to David. We think of something ahead in chapter 15.

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I want to read you an account. First of all, Saul had been given specific instructions.

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He was supposed to kill the enemy against...

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I lost my place here. The enemies were coming against him, and God said to destroy them all.

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I think it was the Amorites. Or no, it was the Amalekites. Either way, they were attacked, and then

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Saul was supposed to destroy them completely, man, woman, and child, as well as their livestock.

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However, when Samuel came back, he said, what have you done?

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And he said, I've destroyed everything. And he said, why did you let the king Agag live?

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And why do you have the livestock? And Saul gave him the explanation that these were choice animals, and we would use them to sacrifice unto the

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Lord. And Saul's response was this. Has the

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Lord much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the

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Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.

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For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.

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That's a key to understanding. Rick, this is with Samuel's response to Saul.

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Yes, I hope I didn't get that confused. But this was in 1 Samuel chapter 15 verses 22 and 23.

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Saul had disobeyed a direct command from the Lord. Samuel rebuked him, and the

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Lord judged him for that. He also said that he wished that he had never anointed

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King Saul. What a rebuke to a king, the first king of Israel.

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Saul had continually shown a lack of obedience and a lack of faith and trust in the

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King, Jehovah. He was not only disobedient to God, but he also relied on his own ability to fight battles.

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He was a skilled warrior, but he never pursued God's favor in battle.

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Only when he got in a strait, when they heard the overwhelming enemy, and then he performed a sacrifice illegitimately because he was supposed to wait for Samuel.

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He never trusted in the Lord for his victories. Saul would continue to rule as king up until his death in chapter 31 verse 6.

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However, Saul's lineage would no longer continue as rulers over Israel.

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Now, David, a man after his own heart, would rule. The Lord would choose another whose heart was committed to God.

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That would be David. As we think about these truths, we recognize that what can we do apart from God?

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We may be Sunday school teachers, we may be serving in various ministries, but it not done in God's strength and by His grace and through us, then it's empty.

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It means nothing to the Lord. The Lord desires our obedience far more than our sacrifice.

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As Saul departed from the scene, it was one of despair. Everything was wrong.

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Saul had failed. He attempted to honor God and only resulted in failure and rebuke by Samuel.

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Those who remained was little over 600 men. That's all he had.

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The Philistines, however, in chapter 13 verses 17 and 18, they said this, and the raiders came from the camp of the

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Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, the other to the land of Sheol, another toward Bethhorn, and turned toward the border that looks down on the valley of Zebulun toward the wilderness.

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What they were doing is sending companies of raiders to attack the

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Israelites' towns, small towns. They were just attacking small towns.

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They would loot. They would destroy their homes, their farms, and leave.

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They were doing this because they didn't even have to attack, is what they thought. They thought the

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Israelites were no longer a threat to them, and so they started sending out these bands of raiders.

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The Israelites had basically been reduced to serfdom. They no longer even had a blacksmith to provide weapons for themselves.

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In chapter 13 verse 22, we read this, 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, and were with Saul and Jonathan.

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But they were found with Saul and his son Jonathan. In other words, Saul and Jonathan, they were the only ones that had sword and spear and shield.

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No one else. The rest used farming implements converted into weapons.

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Even though Saul failed to honor God, he would soon find out that Jehovah would strike out against Israel and their oppressors, and he would save his people.

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It wasn't by their might. It wasn't by their numbers. God could overcome the enemy with few or many.

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We read in Zechariah 2 .8, God loved

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Israel. Those were his chosen people. He was going to protect them. He would allow them to be overtaken by enemies to rebuke them.

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When they didn't turn to him, when they turned to idols, when they disobeyed him, he allowed that for the purpose of them turning back to Jehovah.

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God was faithful. God is faithful to us today and always will be.

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Yes, Brian, good point.

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Brian made this statement. God does the same today. We cannot offer service apart from God, and we do so by being in a right place with God.

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No one confesses sin, but God wants faithful servants. Servants that are after his heart.

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Men and women that seek after God. That's what God looks for. So this is directly applicable practically to us.

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We find that Saul reaped lasting consequences for his sins against God.

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He will no longer remain in his family, the kingdom of Saul.

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Jonathan had a sword and spear. The only weapons of the Israelites were weapons fashioned by farming instruments.

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As we consider the dire circumstances that Israel faced, we have a vivid demonstration of the character of Jonathan.

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In this passage that we approach now, Jonathan shows not only his bravery, his skill as a warrior, but most of all, his faith in God.

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He did not take this attack on his own.

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He sought God's deliverance for this. Jonathan smote the garrison of the

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Philistines that was in Geba. That's not listed. So they took the garrison at Geba.

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Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

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All Israel heard the news that Saul had smitten the garrison of the

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Philistines and also that Israel had become odious to the

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Philistines. The Philistines hated the Israelites. They were a stench to them.

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They wanted them completely annihilated. So they constantly attacked their weak areas.

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As we begin in 1 Samuel chapter 14, we see the writer of Samuel brings out an important contrast.

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He's going to show us two characters, two main individuals. These two main individuals.

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First of all, Saul. Second, his son, his firstborn son, Jonathan. King Saul and his son, who was serving his father as one of his commanders in his army.

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They both had a command. Jonathan, a smaller command.

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However, the bulk of the men, Saul commanded. As these two characters are leading

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Israel's army, we find the King Saul staying in the outskirts of Gibeah by the pomegranate tree.

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Now, the pomegranate tree, this was at Migron, is a very special tree to the

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Israelites. The Israelites love trees. And whether or not this was, it was normally a bush growing on the ground.

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However, these sometimes would grow into trees. So they had this tree that Saul remained there.

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He had his 600 men remaining with him, and that's all. Instead of being fearful and discouraged as Israel faces the overwhelming army of whatever amount that might have been, perhaps 3 ,000 chariots, 6 ,000 horsemen, and people like the sand of the seashore in abundance, they camped at Michmash.

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From a logistical standpoint, it's extremely dangerous mission what

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Jonathan is planning. He's planning to go on this mount.

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See if we have the picture. Do you have the photo?

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Yes, please. Okay, this was Dave and Carol Forsyth provided this for me.

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When they took a trip to Israel, they took a picture of this mount. Now, this is almost a vertical face here.

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On this slope, however, you can see the loose rock. The vertical slope would have been an impossibility to climb.

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During this period, of course, they didn't have any climbing apparatus. So David and his pallbearers are going to climb to the, when we look at the photo, to the right to try to attack the garrison that is on that mount.

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As Jonathan looks across the ravine between Bozes and Sina, he considers how he can strike a blow against the

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Philistines fortress, which might be almost inaccessible and far too dangerous to attempt.

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Yet Jonathan's reliance is not upon his strategy or his military prowess, but upon the

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Lord. So he says this in verse, excuse me, verse six, chapter four.

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Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised.

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Perhaps the Lord will work for us. For the Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few.

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Perhaps Jonathan thought back of the Old Testament deliveries that God gave his people.

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As we look at Deuteronomy 28 .7, we read this. The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you.

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They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

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God always protected his people when they were obedient to him. The Lord used

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Jonathan, his faith, and his courage to attack these

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Philistines at the garrison. While Saul held court under the pomegranate tree on the outskirts of Gibeah with what was left, while Jonathan, his armor bearer, covertly planned to carry out this mission.

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We read that his father did not see him leave.

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So reading from 14 .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.

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Perhaps the Lord will work for us. For the Lord is not restrained to say by many or by few.

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Now the term uncircumcised was referring to the

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Philistines because the mark of God's people was that of circumcision.

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And so they referred to the Philistines as the uncircumcised. As they made this plan, in verse 7, his armor bearer said to him, do all that is in your heart, turn yourself, and here

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I am with you according to your desire. Then Jonathan said, verse 8, behold, we will cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them.

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If they say to us, wait until we come down to you, then we will stand in our place and not go up to them.

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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 assigned to us.

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Now the question is, did Jonathan receive some kind of a revelation from God for this plan?

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Because he had a precise plan. Well, there's no indication that that is so.

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What Jonathan did, however, is he said, we will do this. And if this is what the sign reveals, the

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Lord will deliver them into our hands. So he was just trusting

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God to work through this plan. If it was that God would give them victory, then these men would call them up, these centuries.

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So as we think of this, here they are at a place where the centuries can see these two men and he's going to reveal himself to these centuries.

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We continue in verse 8, then Jonathan said, behold, we will cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them.

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If they say, wait until we come to you, then we'll remain in our place and not go up to them.

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But if they say, come up to us, then we will go to the, for the Lord has given them into our hands and this shall be assigned unto us.

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Verse 11, we read, when both of them reveal themselves to the garrison, the

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Philistines said, behold, Hebrews are coming out of their holes where they have hidden themselves.

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So the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, come up to us.

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We will tell you something. These were arrogant centuries.

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They knew that they had overcome the Philistines several times, the Israelites several times.

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So these Philistine centuries were mocking them. Come on up, Hebrews.

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You must have climbed out of your hole. They knew that half or many more than of Saul's army had deserted him.

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And they knew they were hiding in cisterns and caves and up in the hills. So they said, have you climbed out of your hole?

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They were just mocking Jonathan and his armor bearer. But that's what he wanted to hear.

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That's exactly what he wanted. Okay, as we continue in verse 13, then

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Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet. Well, we can understand why with the dynamics of that mountain.

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The vertical surface, of course, they could not. But the side where there was loose shale -like rock, they climbed on their hands and feet.

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So they had to be bent over and grab a hold of something to pull themselves up.

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The hill was so steep and dangerous. So that's the way they assented this garrison.

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Verse 14, excuse me, 13.

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Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet and his armor bearer behind him.

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And they fell before Jonathan and his armor bearer put some to death after him.

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That first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor bearer made, was about 20 men and within about a half a furrow in an acre of land.

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So here they were two, Jonathan and his armor bearer.

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They slaughtered 20 men in a small area, perhaps the size of a half acre or less.

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20 warriors of the Philistines and just a sword and a spear and two men.

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This was God's victory. They knew that this was God's victory as well.

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The first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor bearer made, was about 20 men in a half a furrow of land.

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And there was trembling in the camp, in the field and among the people, even the garrison.

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The raiders trembled and the earth quaked so that it became a great trembling.

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So what had happened there is God caused a earthquake and they were just in complete chaos.

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They started turning on each other. They were fearful when they saw that these 20 men were slew and they didn't know what to do.

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Verse 16, Now Saul's watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked and behold, the multitude melted away and they were here and there.

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Saul said to the people who were with him, number now and see who has gone from us.

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And when they had numbered him, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.

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Then Saul said to Hijah, bring the ark of God here. For the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel.

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Well, stop there. What we have seen in this text, as bumbling as it has been, we find that Saul was not a man after God's heart.

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He didn't have the faith that his son Jonathan did. Jonathan and Saul were characterized in almost opposite directions.

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Samuel was the antithesis of his very godly son, Jonathan. Jonathan loved

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God, he trusted God, and he fought for God to save God's people,

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Israel. As we look at this and as has been pointed out, we have to realize that God wants faithful servants, people that are committed to God.

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We have the Holy Spirit, we have God's word, we have all that we need for life and godliness.

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As we follow God and serve him, it'll be a natural outflow of our relationship with our

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Lord Jesus Christ. Let's close in prayer. Father, we thank you for your word.

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We thank you, Father, for what you have revealed through this example of a faithful servant,

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Jonathan. We thank you, Father, that you seek men after your own heart and women after your own heart.

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We pray, Father, that we would be faithful to obey your word and to serve you as you provide us the opportunity.

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We thank you for your salvation through your son, and it's in his name that we pray this.