Happy Independence Day, and as we celebrate our independence as Americans, if we are to have true independence, it can only come from accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. If you haven't, I pray that you will do so today, so that you can know what true independence is all about. Once you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you are freed from the power of sin and death, which is real independence
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1 Samuel 14:47 says, So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he vexed them. Saul began to establish himself as a powerful king, defending Israel against their enemies all around them. Still, this was what God had always done for them, so a king was really unnecessary. We as followers of Christ need to learn to rely on Him totally, and not on earthly rulers, and we have direct access to God and need no one to stand between God and us. Verse forty-eight adds, And he gathered an host, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of them that spoiled them. Saul gathered a host, or army, and delivered the Israelites out of the hands of the Amalekites. Saul was successful in defending Israel, but that still didn't mean that Israel having a king was God's plan. We may be successful as Christians today, but if we are acting outside of God's word and leadership, it is a temporary success. Verse forty-nine states, Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishui, and Melchishua: and the names of his two daughters were these; the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal: We are then given the names of Saul's sons and daughters, though Jonathan is the one we hear the most about. As descendants of the king, they might have expected to be the heirs of the kingdom, but that was not God's plan. As I have said before, simply being the child of a preacher or teacher in the church today does not make that person a preacher or teacher. Only a call from God does. Verse fifty adds, And the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz: and the name of the captain of his host was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle. Then, we are given the name of Saul's wife and the captain of his army, who was his first cousin. I don't know if Abner was chosen for that reason or not, but we cannot use nepotism to choose our leaders in the church today. Verse fifty-one continues, And Kish was the father of Saul; and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel. This is simply more details about Saul's family. Verse fifty-two concludes, And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul: and when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he took him unto him. Israel was at war with the Philistines all during Saul's reign as king, and anytime Saul saw a strong or valiant man in Israel, he took him into his army, as Samuel had told the people would happen. We as Christians will be at war withevil in the world as long as we live, and we need to be united in following God's will for each of us individually. We cannot all be expecting to do the same thing, but are 7nited in purpose while serving in different roles in God's kingdom.
1 Samuel 14:36 says, And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and spoil them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. And they said, Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee. Then said the priest, Let us draw near hither unto God. Saul decided to go into the camp of the Philistines at night and kill all of them. The people of Israel said to Saul that they would do as he said, eqven though they were tired and needed rest themselves. Some leaders today have very little concern for the people they are ove, but look only to what is good for themselves. The priest said the should draw nigh to, or ask God what they should do first, and so should we today in every situation. Verse thirty-seven adds, And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not that day. Saul did then ask counsel of God, asking if he should go down after the Philistines, but God did not answer him that day. We may not get an immediate answer from God at all times, especially if we have gotten ourselves into a situation without consulting Him first. Verse thirty-eight states, And Saul said, Draw ye near hither, all the chief of the people: and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day. Since God did not answer, Saul called the people together to find out what might be causing God to not answer. If God doesn't seem to be answering our prayers, we may need to see if there is some sin in our life that is standing between Him and us. Of course, I believe that God always hears and answers our sincere prayers, but we often do not recognize the answer. Verse thirty-nine adds, For, as the LORD liveth, which saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. But there was not a man among all the people that answered him. Saul then said that as the LORD liveth, if the problem was created even by Johathan, his son, that he would surely die. Though the people knew what Jonathan had done, they did not tell Saul. Of course, the problem was really of Saul’s own creation by denying the people the right to eat while they were fighting the Philistines. Verse forty adds, Then said he unto all Israel, Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side. And the people said unto Saul, Do what seemeth good unto thee. Saul then separated Jonathan and himself from the rest of the people of Israel and again the people told him to do what seemed right. Sometimes, we may guiltily of telling leaders, religious or secular, to do what seems right, instead of telling them to do what God says is right. Verse forty-one says, Therefore Saul said unto the LORD God of Israel, Give a perfect lot. And Saul and Jonathan were taken: but the people escaped. At least Saul then left the decision up to God by asking that He give a perfect lot, which would choose between the people and Jonathan and himself as the source of the problem. I believe that if we feel that there is a problem in the church today that we should always be willing to consider that we are possibly the problem and not just look for someone else to blame. The lot fell on Jonathan and Saul, so the people escaped. Verse forty-two adds, And Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken. Saul then asked that the lot then be cast between Jonathan and himself, and the lot fell on Jonathan. Of course, the situation arose because of an ill advised decree from Saul, and sometimes our problems may occur because of ill advised decisions on our part. Saul’s decree had nothing to do with obeying God's commandments and was made without consulting God. Verse forty-three continues, Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what thou hast done. And Jonathan told him, and said, I did but taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in mine hand, and, lo, I must die. Saul asked Jonathan what he had done, and he told him. He took responsibility for his actions, telling Saul that he had tasted a little of the honey, and even though he did not know of Saul's decree, acknowledged that he would die for his actions. Verse forty-four states, And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan. Saul did not seek God's guidance about how to handle the situation, but instead vowed to God that he should die if he did not kill Jonathan for his action. We may make bold statements about our willingness to die if we do not do some particular thing that we have vowed to God to do, without first seeking His will before we even make the vow. Verse forty-five adds, And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not. The people of Israel came to Jonathan's defense, pointing out that he had been responsibly for their victory over the Philistines acting under God's direction. Jonathan did not die, even though Saul, his father and their king, was ready to kill him simply because he had innocently disobeyed Saul’s decree. Again, this wasn't about Jonathan being disobedient to God, but only about his being disobedient to Saul’s decree which he knew nothing about. We can sometimes get caught up in legalism in the church, being ready to condemn people for things that may not be in God's will to start with. Verse forty-six continues, Then Saul went up from following the Philistines: and the Philistines went to their own place. At this point, Saul gave up the pursuit of the Philistines, and they went to their own place. Again, Saul did not consult God about this decision. We should never make decisions as Christians without first consulting God.
1 Samuel 14: 24 says, And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food. The people of Israel were distressed because Saul had declared a fast until evening. Saul may have feared that the people would lose time in their pursuit of the Philistines by eating food that had been left behind, but Matthew Henry says this was a cruel decree because it left the people weakened. Verse twenty-five adds, And all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey upon the ground. While under this decree of a curse on anyone who ate that day, they found a wooded area with honey on the ground. This would have been a good source of energy for the tired people. We should never keep people from getting the nourishment they need just to show our power over them, especially if God has provided a source of nourishment for them. Verse twenty-six continues, And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath. Even when the honey dropped on the ground, the people would not even put their hand it it for fear of the curse that Saul had proclaimed, which he had done without consulting God and because he felt he had been disrespected. If the world seems to be getting the best of us, we need to look to God for direction and not act because we somehow feel disrespected. Verse twenty-seven states, But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened. Having not heard Saul’s proclamation, Johnathan ate some of the honey. Since Saul had made the decree, this would mean that Jonathan was subject to the curse, even if he hadn't heard it,and it said his eyes were enlightened, or he could see more clearly. Verse twenty-eight adds, Then answered one of the people, and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food this day. And the people were faint. One of a people told Jonathan about Saul's curse on anyone who ate that day,which they had refrained from doing,even though they were faint. If someone who feels that they are obeying the law, no matter how harmful it may be, they are often quick to point it out if someone else doesn't obey it. Verse twenty-nine continues, Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. Jonathan told this person that his father, the king, had troubled the land, because nourishment would enlighten their eyes, or refresh their strength as it had his. There is never a good reason to impose unnecessary burdens of God's people, especially if it is done for personal reasons by those in power. Verse thirty concludes, How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for had there not been now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines? Jonathan continued by asking what better time would there be to eat and replenish their energy than now, when the Philistines had left so much food available to be eaten. We should never get so carried away with engaging in battle with the world that we neglect the things God has blessed us with to help us to continue to do what He calls us to do. Verse thirty-one says, And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint. The people of Israel killed the Philistines over a great area, but they were very faint from fasting even as they did so. We should never call for people to do something that makes it harder for them to do what they need to do, especially if we are in a position of power over them. I believe the opposite is true, and that we should do all that we can to ensure their health and safety. Verse thirty-two adds, And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the blood. The people were so hungry that they killed and ate the sheep, oxen and calves without even draining the blood, which was a requirement of God. Verse thirty-three states, Then they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin against the LORD, in that they eat with the blood. And he said, Ye have transgressed: roll a great stone unto me this day. The people told Saul that people had transgressed by eating the blood. If we are guilty of sin, all we can do is confess to God and ask His forgiveness. Of course, they were not confessing to God, but to Saul. Saul then told them to roll a great stone to him, but he also did not confess their sins to God nor seek His guidance. Verse thirty-four adds, And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them, Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against the LORD in eating with the blood. And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there. Saul then told the people to bring their oxen and sheep and slay them there, and eat, but not to sin by eating the blood. Of course, they had already done this, so simply following God's law afterwards would not remove the sin that they had already committed. Sin cannot be covered over with later obedience, but must be confessed to God and forgiven by Him through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Verse thirty-five continues, And Saul built an altar unto the LORD: the same was the first altar that he built unto the LORD. Saul then built an altar to God, which was the first one that he had built. Saul was actually turning away from God, but he wanted an appearance of Godliness. Too many people are still that way today.
1 Samuel 14:16 says, And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another. Saul was still in Gibeah, not leading as a king should be, when the watchman saw the multitude of Philistines melting away. Saul should have been the one leading the people of Israel into battle under God's leadership, but he was hiding away looking for his own safety. We need Christian leaders today who go out into the world bravely to fight against evil, but too often they seem to be seeking their own safety. Verse seventeen adds, Then said Saul unto the people that were with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armourbearer were not there. Saul told the people there with him to number themselves to see who was missing, and they determined that it was Jonathan and his armor bearer. Saul didn't even realize that his son was missing. If our children are out doing God's will today, we should not only know it, but we should support their efforts as well. Verse eighteen continues, And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel. Saul responded to this news by asking that the Ark of God be brought to him. Saul did not consult Samuel, who was most likely nearby, to seek guidance from God, but asked for the Ark instead. Saul was evidently still upset with Samuel, so he sought a way around seeking his guidance. We cannot look for a way around God's will and his called leaders today just because we don't like what they may be telling us if it is God's truth. Verse nineteen states, And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine hand. As Saul was conferring with the priest, the noise of the Philistines destroying themselves grew louder, and Samuel told the priest to withdraw his hand, or to no longer seek God's guidance. He decided he had enough evidence to make the decision on his own. We cannot just base our actions as Christians on what we perceive to be truth without consulting God. Verse twenty adds, And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture. The people that were with him and Saul himself went to see the battle, even though they been hiding away in fear before. They witnessed the Philistines killing one another in confusion. If God begins to do a great work in the world today, if we as followers of Christ have been hiding away in fear, the least we can do is come out and witness what He is doing. Verse twenty-one continues, 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. Some Hebrews had defected to the Philistines, and they returned to join those with Saul. None of this had been accomplished by Saul, but was strictly God's work because of the faith and actions of Jonathan and his armor bearer. I believe that had Jonathan not acted on his faith, none of this would have happened. God could have done this at anytime, but He did it when Jonathan reached out to Him by faith. God doesn't need us to accomplish His will today, but He chooses to work through us as Christians, His people, and it may be that at times what God wants done in the world doesn't happen or is delayed because we lack the faith to undertake the task. Verse twenty-two concludes, 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. Other people of Israel who had been hiding came out and followed hard after the Philistines when they heard the Philistines had fled. Sometimes, those Christians who have been hiding today will also be quick to come out and try to take part when they see that God has been victorious in a particular situation, but He needs us to be more like Jonathan, who was willing to go against a much greater force as long as he knew God was with him. Verse twenty-three declares, So the LORD saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over unto Bethaven. Saul, their new king, did not save Israel that day, but as always God did. No new leader, no matter how powerful he may look or be, should ever be the one we put our faith in as Christians, but only God should be.
1 Samuel 14:8 says, And said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them. Jonathan decided they would make themselves known to the men. They would not continue hiding. As followers of Christ, must make ourselves known to men and cannot continue in hiding because we fear what might happen if we reveal our faith. Verse nine adds, If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them. Jonathan said if they told them to stand still until they came to them, that was what they would do. He was not making rash decisions, but as we will see, was using how the Philistines responded to their presence to determine how they would react. Going rashly into any dangerous situation is not the best way for us to react to it. Verse ten continues, But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us. Jonathan then said if the Philistines invited them to come up to them, that they would go, because it would be a sign that the LORD had delivered them into their hands. There was still only two people, Jonathan and his armor bearer, but Jonathan put his faith in God being able to deliver the Philistines into their hands. As Christians, if we feel overpowered by the world today, we need to remember Who our God is. Verse eleven states, And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves. Jonathan and his armor bearer showed themselves to the Philistines, who said mockingly I believe, look, some Hebrews have come out of the holes where they have been hiding. They had very little concern about the Hebrews, God's chosen people, and evidently had little concern about nor respect for their God. When we as Christians make ourselves known to the people of the world today, they may mock us and thereby mock God, but as long as we are faithful to Him, He will do great things though us. Verse twelve adds, And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel. The Philistines told Jonathan and his armor bearer to come up and they would show them a thing, and Jonathan told his armor bearer that they would go up because God had delivered the Philistines into the hand of Israel. He didn't just see them as being there for their own glory, but for the glory of Israel because of the work of God. As Christians, we should never see our actions as something to bring honor to us, but as bringing honor to God and all Christians. The Philistines may have thought they were going to show them a thing, but Jonathan and his armor bearer through the power of God were about to show them a thing. Verse thirteen continues, 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. Though Jonathan had to basically crawl up the rocks to get to the Philistines, they still began to fall before Jonathan and his armor bearer after him. They were so confident that they had basically ignored Jonathan and his armor bearer, just two Hebrews that they believed they had already beaten, and they found out how wrong they were to do so. The world may look around at Christians today and think that we are so few in numbers and that God is so powerless that they either look down on us or ignore us, but as long as we remain faithful to God, the victory will always be ours. Jonathan acted out of faith in God and not his own fighting skills, and so must we today. Verse fourteen declares, And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow. The first group of men that Jonathan and his armor bearer killed was about twenty men in about a half acre of land. That would have meant they were outnumbered about ten to one by a force that was superiorly armed, but God was with them. We may be facing a superior force today as followers of Christ, but God is with us as long as we are acting under His leadership and authority. Verse fifteen adds, 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. Though there were still only two men fighting against them, the whole army of the Philistines trembled so badly that they shook the ground. We should never underestimate to power of God to cause His enemies to shake in fear when just a few of His people stand up to them.
1 Samuel 14:1 says, Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father. Without telling Saul, his father, Jonathan told the young man who was his armor bearer that they would go over to the Philistines. He wasn't content to just hide, and probably figured Saul would stop him if he told him he was doing this. As Christians, even if we have to act alone, we must face the enemy today and not look for some place of safety to hide away in. Of course, it is better if we let others know what we are doing and see if they want to join us. Verse two adds, And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men; Saul, who now only had six hundred men with him, and not the three thousand that he had chosen, seemed to be at a loss as to what to do. He was basically hiding outside Gibeah, though he was the king that the people had demanded. We may have plenty of people around us to help us as followers of Christ, but if real trouble comes, we may find the number greatly diminished. Also, we don't find Saul seeking God's guidance in the situation. When we as Christians are surrounded by trouble, the first thing we should do is to pray and ask God's guidance about what we should do. Verse three adds, And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’s priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. We are told that Ahiah, Eli's grandson, was the priest at Shiloh. Samuel had abandoned Saul because of his sinful action in offering a sacrifice to God as though he were the priest, so he hoped that Ahiah would be able to tell him what to do. Of course, the priesthood had been removed from Eli's sons and family because they had perverted it. We today may look for preachers who will tell us what we want to hear and not what God has to say to us. None of them knew what Johnathan was doing, and a true priest should have, I would think. Verse four states, And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. Verse five adds, The forefront of the one was situate northward over against Michmash, and the other southward over against Gibeah. Jonathan, in the meantime, was making his way to a camp the Philistines, going by a very rough passage. He did not just march up to their camp, but went in a way they they might not have expected. Sometimes, meeting our enemies head on may not be the best thing to do. I believe that Jonathan was relying on God's leadership, as seems to be shown in the next few verses. Whatever we do as Christians today we need to do so under the leadership of God. Verse six declares, 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. Jonathan then professed his faith in God to bring them victory, no matter how outnumbered they might be. He said that they would go into the camp of the uncircumcised Philistines and that it might be that God would work for them. He had no guarantee that he this would be true, but simply had to go by faith. We have no guarantee that we will always be successful in our fight against the forces of evil in the world today in this lifetime, but we do have God's assurance of the everlasting victory, so we should never allow fear to stop us from doing what we know He calls us to do. Verse seven adds, And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart. Jonathan's armor bearer told him to do what was in his heart, and he would be there with him. We need this type of Christian friends today, and we need to be this type friend to our fellow Christians. If they or we are doing something that God has called them or us to do, we need to be there to support each other, even if it puts us in a dangerous situation. We must do this with unwavering faith in God.
