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2) Saved by few
This is where we see events that are recorded for us to ponder. Jonathan takes his armour bearer and goes off without Saul's knowledge. (This confirms how Jonathan had triggered the situation Israel was in, he must have attacked the enemy without Saul's say so. Jonathan must have known the only way to get something done was to do it himself). Then we are told the priest was there with Saul. And that nobody had noticed Jonathan go.
And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, Yahweh'S priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. (1Samuel 14:3)
Jonathan has a good look at the whole camp of the Philistines and says something that not one of us could say, in such a situation without having confidence that God was with us and going to work.
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 Yahweh will work for us: for there is no restraint to Yahweh to save by many or by few.”
And his armourbearer said unto him, “Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.” (1Samuel 14:6-7)
Let us ponder this. These two had perhaps one weapon between them and Jonathan says with Yahweh's help they can take on a well armed force of well over 100,000. The utter faith and confidence!
Note Jonathan says “It may be that Yahweh will work for us”. And note he says Yahweh saves “by few”.
The faith of the armour bearer is immense also. He doesn't say, 'look how many there are', he says blithely in effect, “Do what you think best, I'm with you all the way”.
Jonathan must have known about Gideon's fleeces as he then proposes a test. They would show themselves, a rather brave thing to do in any case, and they asked for a sign,
But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for Yahweh has delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us. (1Samuel 14:10)
Jonathan was pro-active knowing the mind of Yahweh. He knew that Yahweh would be with him. All he asked was whether he should attack at that time or hold off. And this makes us think. Jonathan had no confidence whatsoever in his father Saul, rather he had total trust in Yahweh. Also Jonathan knew Saul was not the deliverer, instead he knew Yahweh was the deliverer, and that he may not deliver through Saul's larger forces but through “few” (being two with one weapon).
The comment that Yahweh saves by 'few' shows Jonathan knew Yahweh. In addition this comment was so worthy of being reinforced that Yahweh delighted in it. He gave Jonathan the sign he asked and gave them strength, sent a spirit of fear and an earthquake.
And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will show you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for Yahweh has delivered them into the hand of Israel. And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him. (1Samuel 14:12-13)
And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, as a yoke might plow. And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling. (1Samuel 14:14-15)
Jonathan in killing 20 pushed back the forces over half and acre, the kind of advance in WW1 that cost thousands of lives. That advance and the earthquake changed the dynamics. The victory was Yahweh's through Jonathan, already at that point in the action.
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As I was thinking to write this article, having just read Psalm 46 as I do each year on that day, on January 25th a Bible was found untouched after a tornado hit Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Yeshua's prophecy speaks of earthquakes in diverse places. Often people assume the prediction means an increase in quakes, but the prophecy does not require an increase statistical or in perception– but rather quakes in diverse places, those places not before known for quakes: quakes that are not on fault lines. Both the Haiti quake 12 January 2010 and the Christchurch quake on the 4 September 2010 were new faults, and there is an amazing symmetry. They speak of two churches.
This article is from the archives. It was written 20 years ago in January 1990. What is interesting is that history has borne out the understanding of the events then. From the vantage of 20 years we can look back and see how great the earthquake of the year 1989 was. Before 1988 was another world. The year 1990 is the beginning of our world as it is now.
Why did Israel have to buy and then fight for the promised land if it was promised to them? Why were they not just given it?
Just as Jewish families are each building their sukkah, many thousand families in the Asia-Pacific region will be similarly dwelling in temporary shelter, in some cases made of whatever they can find.
