I Samuel 14:6 …It may be that the LORD will work for us
First Samuel 14 is an Alvin C. York kind of story. Alvin York was a farmer who lived not far from where I live now. He was a World War I hero who single-handedly took many German soldiers prisoner. He is a hero of Tennessee.
I am reminded of Sergeant York when I read I Samuel 14 because it is the story of Jonathan, the son of King Saul, and the physical courage and noble attitude of the man. Jonathan is kind of an unsung hero of mine. He both had physical courage and a nobility of spirit. He was magnanimous with David, generous, and humble. He was an amazing man. In this story Jonathan and his armor-bearer went up against a garrison of Philistine enemies.
I am reminded that you can never get the right answer from the wrong question. For example, whenever you face an obstacle, a garrison of Philistines so to speak, your temptation would be to say, “What can I do?” That is the wrong question. You can never get the right answer from the wrong question. The question is not “What can I do?” The question is, “What should I do?” Should can do things that can never could.
If I am thinking, “Can I do this?” the answer may be no and I may not do something I should do. If the question is, “Should I do this?” then God alone can help you do what you should and He alone can. So, should I do it? Can God do it? You unlock so much more with the right question.
In I Samuel 14:6 Jonathan says, “Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us.” As we find out, God wasn’t working for them, He was working with them. Then he says, “For there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.” I recently read a book that was essentially about restraints and incentives, and how it is hard for us to rise above the things that motivate and constrain us. Well, God is only motivated by the good and He is not restrained or constrained by anything. I am, but He is not. The question is, “Should I and can God?” That is what Jonathan did.
Saul was waiting, sitting, tarrying, but Jonathan was acting. What you find is this cascading series of events that doubled in size every five seconds. So, in verse 14, Jonathan and his armor-bearer slew twenty Philistines. That is amazing, but it is not an Alvin York story. I think there is the miraculous there. This whole story is nonsense unless there is a God. If there is no God, this is more nonsense than if there is a God, and if there is a God, that is the answer for this. It wasn’t just his military ability and courage, although those were in play as well.
In verse 15 you find this fight beginning to spin with increasing intensity and speed. Then there is an earthquake that confused the Philistines. The Bible does not explicitly say that God sent the earthquake, but it is clear to me that this was an act of God. So, an attack was the act of Jonathan. Trust was the mindset of Jonathan. The earthquake was the act of God.
Verse 20 says, “Every man’s sword was against his fellow.” The Philistines fought against each other. Now, my dad took Jujitsu in college, and it is not throwing blows; it is throwing opponents. A guy who weighs 250 pounds has a lot of momentum. That is not working against you; it is working for you. You step out of the way, stick your leg out, he trips over, and the bigger they are the harder they fall. It is using your opponent’s strength, size, and momentum against him. That is what God did. He didn’t decrease the number of Philistines. He used their very strength against them. The numbers were stacked. Jonathan trusted God and God gave him victory over twenty and sent an earthquake as a confusion for the Philistines.
In verses 11-12 all the Israelites were hiding and the Philistines mocked Jonathan because of this. They basically said, “What rock did you climb out from under?” But all the Israelites showed up and helped Jonathan. Verse 23 summarizes it by saying, “So the LORD saved Israel that day.” Jonathan was constrained; God is not. We have mixed motives; God has only the good. The Lord saved Israel that day.
Verse 45 says, “And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel?” Who worked great salvation, God or Jonathan? The Bible says Jonathan worked this great salvation, but the end says, “For he hath wrought with God.” In other words, Jonathan worked with God and for God and because he did, God worked with him.
I don’t know what obstacles you are facing today. There are a lot of things to think about in life. Any day there are many obstacles and you may think, “How can I confront these?” You should ask, “What should I do? What can God do?” There is a certain peace that comes at the end of the day when you pillow your head and can say, “I’ve done my duty and sought God for grace.” If I can say that, what more do I need? If my metric is “Can I do it?” and I bite off more than I can chew, than I feel like a failure. If I think, “What should I do?” and do my duty and seek my God, then God will work with you and be glorified.