1 Samuel 14:6

My Notes

What Does 1 Samuel 14:6 Mean?

Jonathan displays extraordinary faith before an impossible battle: 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.

Come, and let us go over — Jonathan initiates. He does not wait for a committee. He does not consult the army. He takes one person — his armor-bearer — and proposes the most audacious military action in 1 Samuel: two men attacking a Philistine garrison. The initiative is personal and immediate: come. Let us go.

Unto the garrison of these uncircumcised — the Philistines are identified by their covenant status: uncircumcised. Not by their military strength. The designation frames the conflict theologically: this is not merely Israel versus Philistia. It is the covenant people versus those outside the covenant. The uncircumcised have no claim on the God of Israel. Jonathan does.

It may be that the LORD will work for us — it may be (ulay — perhaps). Jonathan does not claim a guarantee. He says perhaps — acknowledging that God's response is God's decision. The faith is not in a guaranteed outcome. It is in a trustworthy God whose decision — whatever it is — Jonathan is willing to accept. The perhaps is not doubt. It is submission: I will go. The outcome is God's to determine.

For there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few — the theological foundation for the initiative. Restraint (matsor — hindrance, barrier, limitation). The LORD has no restraint — no limitation on his ability to save. The numbers are irrelevant. Many or few — God's power is not proportional to the army's size. Two men are as effective as two thousand if the LORD is working. The constraint the world measures by (numerical strength) is not a constraint for God.

The armor-bearer's response (v.7): do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart. Total agreement. The faith of Jonathan produces the loyalty of his companion. The initiative of one man produces the commitment of another.

The result (v.14): about twenty men fell in approximately half an acre of ground. Two men — Jonathan and his armor-bearer — killed twenty Philistines. And the resulting panic (v.15) routed the entire Philistine army. The restraint-free God used two men to accomplish what Saul's army could not.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What does 'it may be' (perhaps) reveal about faith that moves without guaranteed outcomes — and how is that different from presumption?
• 2.How does 'no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few' eliminate the excuse of insufficient resources?
• 3.What does Jonathan's initiative (going without waiting for the army) model about the relationship between theology and action?
• 4.Where are you waiting for 'many' when God may be ready to work through 'few' — and what would Jonathan's kind of faith look like in your situation?

Devotional

It may be that the LORD will work for us. Perhaps. Jonathan does not guarantee the outcome. He does not claim a prophecy. He says perhaps — and he goes anyway. The faith is not in a guaranteed result. It is in a God who has no restraint. Whether God chooses to work through two men or not, Jonathan trusts the God he is heading toward. The perhaps is the most honest form of courageous faith: I do not know the outcome. I know the God. And that is enough to move.

For there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. No restraint. No limitation. No barrier. The numbers that matter to military strategists do not matter to God. Many or few — the size of the army is irrelevant to the God who has no restraint on his saving power. Two men are as effective as two million if the LORD is the one working. The constraint is not in the numbers. It is in whether God is in it.

Come, and let us go over. The initiative. Jonathan does not wait for the army. He does not wait for Saul's command. He does not wait for a sign, a prophecy, or a consensus. He takes his armor-bearer and goes. The faith produces the action. The theology (no restraint) generates the step (let us go). If God can save by few, then two is enough. If two is enough, then waiting for more is not faith. It is delay.

The armor-bearer's response: I am with thee according to thy heart (v.7). One man's faith produced another man's loyalty. Jonathan's courage was contagious — the armor-bearer did not need convincing. He saw the faith and followed. Courageous faith does not need to recruit. It attracts.

Twenty Philistines fell. Two men. Half an acre. And the entire army panicked (v.15). The God who has no restraint used two men to accomplish what thousands could not. The numbers never mattered. The restraint-free God was the only variable. And when he worked, two was more than enough.

What are you waiting for — more resources, more people, more certainty? Jonathan went with one companion and a perhaps. The LORD has no restraint to save by many or by few. The question is not whether you have enough. It is whether the restraint-free God is in it.

Commentary

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Cross References

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