Useful Bible Studies > 1 Samuel Commentary > chapter 14
Sometimes people imagine themselves to be acting in faith when really they are trying to control God. Jonathan had seen how his father, King Saul, had tried to force God to help him (13:7-13). Also, Jonathan would have known about the terrible troubles that such behaviour had caused in Israel’s recent history (4:3-11). So, Jonathan knew that he must not behave like that.
Faith is the active belief and trust that God’s loyal servants show towards him. It comes from God, and not from a person’s mind or desires. The person with faith does what God has guided that person to do. Jonathan knew that God had made promises to his nation, Israel. However, Jonathan still needed clear evidence that he really was acting in faith. Otherwise, Jonathan’s plans would be foolish and dangerous.
So, firstly, Jonathan asked a young man whether he would support him in the battle. That young man’s job was to carry Jonathan’s military equipment. It seems that Israel’s soldiers fought in pairs (14:13-14).
Jonathan needed that young man’s help, and he could have given an order. However, he chose not to do that. Instead, he carefully explained what he proposed to do. He told the young man that he was trusting God to act on Israel’s behalf. He wanted to see whether God would give that young man the faith to join him in the battle.
The natural reaction for that young man would be fear (13:6-7). However, God gave faith to that young man. In fact, his faith was so strong that it encouraged Jonathan’s own faith.
Next part: Evidence that God was guiding Jonathan (1 Samuel 14:8-12)
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© 2014, Keith Simons.