A Leader God Honors – Part 2

Continuing the series on leadership, begun last time with part 1:

What about the other leader? What about the one that God honors with a great victory? Actually it comes from an unlikely corner. In fact, from a person you would not expect to be a great leader if you consider who his father was. The leader God honored was Jonathan, Saul’s son.

In 1 Samuel 14 we read of what happened to young prince Jonathan and his armor bearer. The nobility of his actions stand in stark contrast to the behavior of his father in the same situation. We can observe four things in Jonathan’s actions and his statements that are solid, manly qualities that all men should seek after. He had great faith, he was full of courage, he displayed wisdom, and was submitted to God’s will. 

What happened? Jonathan asked his armor bearer to come with him to see if the Lord would deliver the Philistine garrison into their hands. The armor bearer agreed, and they went to the valley between two large cliffs separating the two camps. Jonathan had decided that they would show themselves to the Philistines on the hill and if those Philistines said to him “Come up here and we will show you a thing” then that was to be the sign from God that he would deliver the entire garrison into the hand of Jonathan and his young armor bearer. (They were both young at the time. Jonathan was probably between 20-22.) If the garrison soldiers said “Wait there and we will come to you” then Jonathan and his friend were to hold their ground and wait.

They did go, and the Philistines did say “Come up here.” The two of them then boldly fell upon the Philistine soldiers and killed 20 men within the space of about half an acre. Then a great trembling fell upon the Philistine garrison and an earthquake as well. There was a great noise, and the Philistines started to attack each other.

Saul and the army (from some distance away) saw things happening, heard the sound, and decided to come to the battle. The Israelites found the Philistine camp in complete confusion and terror, so they decided to attack. Then all the Israelites that had been hiding in Mount Ephraim heard what was going on, and they joined the fight also. So the Lord delivered Israel that day….through the courageous actions of Jonathan and his brave, unnamed armor bearer.

Full of Faith

In 1 Samuel chapter fourteen, verse six, we read this:

“And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armor, 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.”

That word translated “no restraint” is from a root word meaning to be nothing, or not exist. Jonathan was quite literally saying, “Hindrance does not exist with the Lord.” It didn’t matter to Jonathan that it was just two of them up against an entire garrison of hardened soldiers. He knew that God can deliver by many, or by few. And it didn’t matter how few the “few” really were. He was going to trust God in spite of the odds. This is remarkable faith in God’s power!

Remember that he didn’t know that he was only going to have to kill twenty men. For all he knew, he might have to take on every single one. But he trusted God any way.

He also had faith in God’s guidance. (14:9-10) He trusted the Lord to guide them to attack, or to stand still. He took a step of faith to enter that valley and believe that God would give them the sign they needed. It takes faith to take that kind of action. And Jonathan’s faith was strong. Strong enough to chase away his fear.

Courage

Jonathan also had the courage to do right when others would not. Throughout this whole story we see evidence of his courage. His faith in the Lord gave him the boldness to attack a vastly superior force. (Faith and courage tend to lean on one another.) And why shouldn’t he be courageous? He knew that when God is on our side, we have nothing to fear.

But Jonathan was not alone in his attack. His faithful armor bearer stood behind his master with a loyalty that is remarkable. Jonathan comes to him and says “How about you and I go take that entire enemy stronghold. If God helps us, we cannot lose!” Most followers would tell their leaders to sit down and stop being so foolish. But not this armor bearer! He basically says “Wherever God leads you, I’m going to be right there beside you. I am with you, Highness!” He did not question or resist, but submitted and helped. His own courage is to be admired.

This is a great example to those that are in a position of influence and support under their God-given authority. (Wives, children, etc.) Men can go a lot further in life with someone “in their corner” to cheer and support them as they pursue God’s will. Whether a wife, a child, or just a good friend, there is nothing so valuable as an “armor bearer” to fight at your side.

Jonathan displayed courage when others would not. The rest of his nation…his entire nation…was hiding, or at the least trembling, in fear. Some of them wanted to get as far away from the battle as possible. In this environment of terror Jonathan stood alone. When everyone else was hiding he and his servant charged ahead. He took action, which was in itself a step of faith.

At one point they had to climb a sharp cliff to reach the Philistine garrison. I imagine they did it in much the same way rock climbers ascend sheer rock faces today. This indicates Jonathan’s willingness to overcome great obstacles in pursuit of God’s promise.

Jonathan’s courageous actions also inspired others to be brave. In chapter 14:21-22 we read:

“Moreover the Hebrews that were with the Philistines before that time, which went up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.”

The Israelites that had been afraid were encouraged – given courage – by Jonathan’s bravery. And Jonathan was able to be brave because of his trust in the Lord.

Wisdom

The hero of our story was also wise. He did not presume upon God, or practice foolish faith. He did not start out by declaring “God will deliver them into our hand.” The first thing he said was “God can deliver by many or by few. Let’s see if he will.” He displayed wisdom by not assuming God would do as he wanted, and instead approached the situation with prudence and discernment. “Wisdom dwells together with prudence.” (Prov. 8:12)

In situations of urgency or danger, wisdom is an invaluable asset. Though Jonathan was extremely bold and enthusiastic, he did not lose his head. Many an energetic young man can take a lesson from this aspect of Jonathan’s behavior.

Submission to God’s Will

A more subtle aspect of Jonathan’s character was his submission to God’s will. He was apparently willing not to fight if God said no. He waited for the sign, and God said to move ahead. But if God had chosen to do things differently we must assume, based on Jonathan’s statement in verse nine, that he would not have fought and would have submitted his actions to the guidance of the Lord.

This shows us Jonathan’s humble and obedient heart. It would have been tempting to presume upon God and charge the enemy for the glory it would bring to himself, but Jonathan chose to practice humble obedience. In contrast to his father’s arrogant disobedience, Jonathan submitted to the guidance of One whom he trusted to be wiser than he. (This is also evidenced later on by Jonathan’s submission to God’s choice of David over himself as the next king.)

This was a key to Jonathan’s leadership ability. His absolute submission to God’s decisions was vital to his ability to lead with boldness and courage. When followers know a leader is submitted to the Lord, it gives them great security in following. It also gives the leader confidence in pursuing God’s will.

God wrought a mighty victory through Jonathan and his armor bearer that day. For a young man in his twenties and his armor bearer to kill twenty hardened soldiers by themselves is an amazing feat all by itself. But then the Lord brought a great earthquake and noise, and ultimately Israel routed the Philistines in a mighty victory. God even blessed the fearful Israelites and the disobedient Saul through Jonathan’s courage and faith.

Part 3 will conclude this series, and will touch on some of the applications to our lives today. Hopefully I haven’t made this too long and boring.