MEET SAUL’S SON JONATHAN
Saul’s son Jonathan was a man of God. Though Saul was weak in faith, Jonathan was strong. Soon we will see what this meant for the people of Israel.
WELCOME
Welcome to the COME AS A CHILD BIBLE STUDY held every Thursday at The IN SEASON Lifestyle blog. We are slowly walking through the scriptures together. Today we turn the pages to 1 Samuel Chapter 14 and learn more about Saul and Jonathan in battle.
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BATTLES NEED WEAPONS
Last week we discovered that none of the Israelites had spears or swords for weapons. Perhaps that is why many of the Benjamite tribe had become so good with their bows and their slingshots. They had to use them instead of swords and spears.
It is ironic how your problems can sometimes create new solutions when you pray for God to come into your circumstances. This rarely happens unless you totally commit and diligently obey whatever God leads you to do.
Saul’s son Jonathon was one of the few who had a sword. He also had a young able armor bearer in his charge who helped him to guard and use that sword. The scriptures leave this armor-bearer unnamed.
Do you have any idea who he might have been? I have a few thoughts, but I will leave them unspoken for now.
SAUL’S SON JONATHAN WAS AN OVERCOMER
Despite Saul’s lack of discernment as he chose to operate in the flesh, we see that a few righteous men still stood out in the crowd. A small band of them had put their trust in God as their deliverer. They waited on The Lord and acted in complete obedience in order to overcome their circumstances.
One such man was Saul’s son Jonathan. He had spiritual traits that were quite different from his father’s ways.
Let’s ponder some of the things we know about Jonathan before moving on to see how he used these godly traits to overcome the Philistines.
OVERCOMERS HIDE GOD’S WORD IN THEIR HEARTS
Jonathan had hidden the Word of God inside his heart. He meditated on the Word night and day as he trusted God completely.
This godly trait allowed Jonathan the ability to overcome all obstacles.
We will hear more of these stories in our next few lessons. Be watching Jonathan’s faithful actions in the moments of trial and troubles. There is much wisdom in Jonathan’s thinking and obedience to God. Through watching him, we can also learn how to overcome.
THE WORD EQUIPS GOD’S MEN
During this time of Israel’s history, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 had not yet been penned. However, Jonathan was already living out what the wise words of this passage teach. Let’s ponder that particular scripture. As we tell the rest of this story, consider how these words related to the state of Jonathan’s mind as he waited on Israel’s King to make the next move.
Jonathan was enthusiastic about eliminating God’s enemies. The verses say; “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Because this was the way Jonathan lived, he was well equipped for battle even without any physical weapons.
GOOD WARRIORS PRAY
Whenever one is going through hard places and facing huge obstacles, it is very important to stay in contact with God through prayer.
Our story of Jonathan will eventually show us glimpses into the way that Jonathan prayed.
Many great leaders of history have repeated this admirable pattern of Jonathan’s faithful and prayerful actions.
If you wish to hear about a more modern hero, consider the story of a man who believed and practiced this same strong trait of constant and fervent prayer. His name was E.M. Bounds. The following link will take you to an article by Sarah Koontz as she tells the story of Rev. E.M. Bounds. He was also a mighty man of prayer. https://livingbydesign.org/bounds-prayer/.
GREAT WARRIORS TEAR DOWN STRONGHOLDS
Jonathan definitely believed in tearing down strongholds and eliminating negative thought patterns.
We will see this in how he guards his mind and acts on what he thinks will be pleasing to God.
2 Peter 1:3-7 had not yet been written either; but God put these thoughts deep into the heart of Jonathan. “His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”
Again, we see that Jonathan was equipped by God with spiritual weapons which worked better for him than the physical ones he lacked.
MIGHTY WARRIORS CHOSE FAITH OVER FEAR
The young warrior, Saul’s son named Jonathan, was one who always chose faith over fear. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Jonathan understood the fact that with God on his side no weapon formed against him would prosper.
GREAT WARRIORS ABSTAIN FROM SIN
One of the very best ways to overcome obstacles is to abstain from sin. Jonathan was not led astray by the temptations of the flesh. He stayed focused on God’s will. His actions were always aimed in that one steady direction.
This wonderful trait becomes an ironic part of the story, as we will see later. The enemy often desires to make the most righteous to appear guilty, and the most guilty to appear righteous.
We will soon see how Jonathan handles this obstacle in his own circumstances.
STRONG WARRIORS DO NOT LEAN ON THEIR OWN UNDERSTANDING
Those who trust in God, as Jonathan did, are always able and equipped to overcome. Proverbs 3:5 says: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Isaiah 40:31 advises us to trust in God for our strength even when we are feeling weak: “But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.
BE A WARRIOR; NOT A SHARECROPPER
We know the Philistines would not allow the Israelites to become blacksmiths for fear that they would make swords and spears to use against them. So, all of the weapons in the land were in the possession of the Philistines. The Philistines even charged the Israelites for sharpening their plows and axes to use in the farming they were doing on the Philistine’s farms as sharecroppers.
However, the Lord had not created the nation of Israel to make them share-croppers to the Philistines. That was never the intention. God was forming a holy nation from which all the nations of the earth should be patterned. Yet, Instead of leading, Israel had been following. That wasn’t the plan. It was Saul’s duty to bring about a needed change.
SOMETIMES THE PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL MATCH
In this part of the story, we come to realize that the physical state of the Israelites accurately represents the spiritual state of their lives. The Israelites had no swords or spears in their physical possession. Swords and spears were the needed physical tools for waging war.
Spiritually, they were also without weapons.
You have heard many times of how The Word is a sharp two-edged sword. Samuel brought the Word of The Lord to them; but Saul had ignored it and taken his own path by choosing to offer the sacrifices himself. His actions were of the flesh.
A LEADER WILL DIE TO HIMSELF AND FOLLOW GOD
Unlike Saul, Jonathan was a true leader. A true leader leads by The Spirit. That type of warrior knows that to obtain help from God’s Holy Spirit one must learn to be obedient. It is always a matter of denying oneself and trusting and obeying God completely.
Not only had Saul been disobedient, but his actions were totally out of order. They showed great dishonor toward God. Without God’s blessing on their battles, Israel would be operating without the spiritual forces they desperately needed to survive. Saul’s actions were the reason for this lack of protection.
Never were a father and son more different than Saul and Jonathan. Next week we will see how God leads Jonathan while Saul isn’t paying attention.