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A Time for Courage, May 26
1 Samuel 14:1-17
And Jonathan 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
.
Because of Saul’s sin in his presumptuous offering, the Lord would not give
him the honor of vanquishing the Philistines. Jonathan, the king’s son, a man
who feared the Lord, was chosen as the instrument to deliver Israel. Moved by a
divine impulse, he proposed to his armor-bearer that they should make a secret
attack upon the enemy’s camp....
Together they withdrew from the camp, secretly, lest their purpose should
be opposed. With earnest prayer to the Guide of their fathers, they agreed upon
a sign by which they might determine how to proceed.... Approaching the
Philistine fortress, they were revealed to the view of their enemies, who said,
tauntingly, “Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had
hid themselves,” then challenged them, “Come up to us, and we will show you a
thing,” meaning that they would punish the two Israelites for their daring. This
challenge was the token that Jonathan and his companion had agreed to accept
as evidence that the Lord would prosper their undertaking. Passing now from
the sight of the Philistines, and choosing a secret and difficult path, the warriors
made their way to the summit of a cliff that had been deemed inaccessible, and
was not very strongly guarded. Thus they penetrated the enemy’s camp and slew
the sentinels, who, overcome with surprise and fear, offered no resistance.
Angels of heaven shielded Jonathan and his attendant, angels fought by their
side, and the Philistines fell before them
These two men gave evidence that they were moving under the influence and
command of a more than human general. To outward appearance, their venture
was rash, and contrary to all military rules. But the action of Jonathan was not
done in human rashness. He depended not on what he and his armor-bearer
themselves could do; he was the instrument that God used in behalf of His people
Israel
[153]
55
Patriarchs and Prophets, 623
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56
Sons and Daughters of God, 208
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157