God's Help

Tonight we are carrying on with our studies in 1 Samuel. If you haven’t been here for any of the previous studies, can I say they are so relevant for today, even though we are talking about 1000 years before Christ. Our title for tonight is GOD’S HELP and we have reached chapter 14 of 1 Samuel. And my headings tonight are, first, THE FACT OF THE PHILISTINES, secondly, THE FAITH OF JONATHAN, and, thirdly, THE FOLLY OF SAUL.

First, THE FACT OF THE PHILISTINES

Look at verse 1:

“One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armour, ‘Come, let's go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.’ But he did not tell his father.” (v1)

Forget the exact location of where this is, as no one is 100 percent certain, except that it is in the South of the Holy Land and towards the West. But we can have more certainty about the Philistines. Who were they? First, they were not what we call in the modern world “Philistine” – people who don’t like ballet but do like junk food. For the Philistines where really quite cultured, as we know from archaeology.

And politically they were advanced. Possibly they had been Greco-Cretan maritime people who had settled in the coastal region considerably before our period. And they developed, early on, a Greek style confederacy of five city-states, Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath – each with its own king or ruler. This helped them to military success.

Also economically and technologically they were advanced. Look back to chapter 13v19-22:

“Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!" So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their ploughshares, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened. The price was two thirds of a shekel for sharpening ploughshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads. So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.” (13v19-22)

In ancient technological and economic terms the Philistines were way ahead of the Hebrews (or the Israelites).

But spiritually and morally, they were appalling. They were a materialistic, sex saturated, drunken culture. They had identified with Canaanite fertility religion and worshipped the Baals, Dagon and Astoreth, a goddess of sex and war. She was also known as Astarte and, in mainland Greece, Aphrodite. And her worship involved ritual prostitution. A description of what went on in the temples of Mesopotamian Aphrodite is given by the Greek Historian, Herodotus. He speaks of the “foulest custom … which compels every woman of the land to sit in the temple of Aphrodite and have intercourse with some stranger once in her life.” But he gives no rationale for the throngs frequenting the temples with their prostitutes. You are left thinking it is pure lust. Certainly in the book of Judges, you read of Philistine prostitution and sexually free and easy women that Sampson got involved with. And earlier in 1 Samuel 7v3, the prophet Samuel had to say “to the whole house of Israel”:

“If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” (7v3)

And there was child-sacrifice among the Philistines, who archaeology tells us, also had a large alcohol consumption. Spiritually and morally they were a disaster. And they were a disastrous influence on God’s people as shown in that case of Sampson.

So facing all this reality, what did God’s people do? Did they see that their own failures now, as in the days of the Judges, were from their own spiritual and moral anarchy; from turning away from the God of the Bible and turning to foreign gods and the Ashtoreths; and from copying the Philistines? No! They said the problem was organisational. The real problem, they said, was political. For, they hadn’t got a king and they needed one. They would then defeat the Philistines. They, therefore, said to Samuel (1 Samuel 8v5): “appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” But “such as all the other nations have” was the problem. For these Baal, Dagon and Ashtoreth worshipping local kings were certainly no model to follow.

Yes, political systems are important. Yes, the economy is important. But a nation, then and now, needs three legs to its base not just two. Like a three legged stool, it will collapse if it loses a leg! And the Bible teaches that the number one leg, the vital leg, is the spiritual and moral leg. For your politics and economics need to be under the world-view that recognizes the God of the Bible. And we know (yes, in these Old Testament times as now) he is the one God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

However, God allowed Israel to have a king, as you read in 1 Samuel 8. But they then discovered, as warned by Samuel, an ambivalence about kingship. Kings and rulers can be good and even very good, but they can be bad and even very bad. And the first king, Saul, in chapter 14, was becoming a “bad” king.

Well, all that is the fact and the reality of the Philistines. I don’t need to tell you, that the Philistines are parallel in so many ways to the secularists in the modern world. Like today’s secularists, you must note, they were not “faithless”. They just didn’t believe in the God of the Bible. They had faith in nature as ultimate and in the on-going processes of fertility - which is precisely the faith of millions today. Yes, “faith” can be very wrong as well as right - witness the faith of today’s suicide bombers, killing innocent people. So beware of talk about “faith” in the abstract. The Bible says there is only one safe way of “faith”. Speaking of Jesus (that second person of the divine Trinity) who was crucified but then raised by God from the dead, it says that …

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4v12)

We must move on …

… Secondly, to THE FAITH OF JONATHAN

The situation in chapter 14 is this. The Philistines currently have the upper hand and want to conquer the people of God. Jonathan knew that, humanly the situation was hopeless. The Israelites were outnumbered and ill equipped for battle. But Jonathan, being a man of true faith in God, had an amazing plan. However, it was not fanaticism. True faith is never fanatical. So what were the marks of his non-fanatical faith? What was he proposing to do?

First, he faced reality. He knew the following. Militarily the Philistines were superior. His father had forfeited God’s favour through his disobedience, as you read in chapter 13. Also his father had a suspect spiritual adviser. Look at chapter 14v 2-3:

“Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord's priest in Shiloh.”(14v2-3)

Poor old Eli as you learn in the earlier chapters of 1 Samuel was a sad case. His sons were stealing from the sacrifices and seducing the women at Israel’s worship centre in Shiloh. So they all suffered God’s judgment. Ichabod, meaning “God’s glory has departed”, sums it up. Saul’s spiritual adviser, therefore, was part of another line that had forfeited God’s favour. Not unreasonably Jonathan didn’t want to discuss his plans with his father having such advisers. First, then, Jonathan faced reality.

But, secondly, Jonathan saw an opportunity through climbing up a rocky ravine to attack a smallish Philistine garrison, virtually single-handed. He had “faith-eyes”. He realised that where there was a problem, God could help somehow solve that problem.

The reason was, thirdly, Jonathan had not so much “great faith” but “faith in a great God”. Look at verses 4-6:

“On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez, and the other Seneh. One cliff stood to the north toward Micmash, the other to the south toward Geba. Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.” (14v4-6)

Jonathan knew that God could use even very few – in fact just two, himself and his armour-bearer to bring victory.

Since the time of Christ, when there have been spiritual battles rather than physical battles, it is amazing what just one or two people, trusting God and being obedient to him, can do to change the world. William Carey, who, on his own, started the modern missionary movement at the end of the 18th century, was convicted by God; withstood opposition from some of his orthodox but dead spiritual betters; and, in effect, changed the world. Millions have been converted through the many other missionaries who followed Carey’s example. Our Giving Review, this year, had and has Carey’s motto: “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”

A member of JPC, Elizabeth Gray, a school teacher, had a conviction for a range of good reasons that God wanted her to establish a Christian School. But it was an act of faith. Jonathan Redfearn was at a meeting she convened in 1987 to talk about her vision. This past Thursday there was a celebratory evening. For that school has grown in a deprived part of Sunderland and, as only 1 out of 40 independent schools applying, has now been awarded Free School Status and is to open as such in September. So in small ways, and sometimes in greater ways, God’s people can still change the world, as they trust and obey.

But notice, Jonathan, fourthly, was not arrogant or presumptuous in his faith. At this stage he was still tentative. It was “perhaps the Lord will act” in verse 6. He knew he could not dictate to God. There was to be no falling into the sin that Jesus resisted when tempted to do something dramatic but foolish for the sake of a show. He was tempted by the devil to throw himself off the highest point of the temple for God to save him. But he refused.

Fifthly, Jonathan was humble. He knew that it was not, nor ever would Jonathan saving Israel from the Philistines. It was, verse 6, “the Lord saving” through him and his armour-bearer: “Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”

Sixthly, Jonathan wanted confirmation that his action was God’s will. And he had that through the support of his trusted armour-bearer together with the reaction of the Philistine garrison. He was then convinced it was right to attack and risk all. Look at verse 7 and following:

“’Do all that you have in mind,’ his armor-bearer said. ‘Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.’ Jonathan said, ‘Come, then; we will cross over toward the men and let them see us. If they say to us, “Wait there until we come to you,” we will stay where we are and not go up to them. But if they say, “Come up to us,” we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into our hands.’ So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. ‘Look!’ said the Philistines. ‘The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.’ The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, ‘Come up to us and we'll teach you a lesson.’ So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, ‘Climb up after me; the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel.’ Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre. Then panic struck the whole army - those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties - and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.” (14v7-15)

So Jonathan had wise faith and not fanaticism. He faced reality, saw an opportunity, had faith in our great God, was not afraid of saying “perhaps”, was humble seeing God in control with himself God’s agent, and acted when convinced it was right. Then, indeed, God did work - amazingly.

The New Testament says, speaking of the Old Testament:

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15v4).

The Bible is to help you “endure” those hard times but to “encourage” you to act for God to see those hard times change. Do you want to be an agent for bringing hope where there is hopelessness – the situation for many in the world today? Then follow Jonathan’s faith and obedience. And, remember, verse 23 of chapter 14:

“the LORD (not Jonathan) rescued Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.”(v23)

That brings us now to our …

... Third, heading THE FOLLY OF SAUL

Saul started well. He defeated a number of Israel’s enemies, but not the Philistines. For Saul would not submit to God’s word and will that came to him through God’s prophet Samuel. So things went from bad to worse.

They are getting worse in what is recorded in the rest of our chapter – verses 24-52. We haven’t time to go through them in detail. But they show that Saul’s faith was unreal or false and so the opposite to Jonathan’s true or real faith.

There are two sorts of false faith. There is the false faith of the Philistines and of all others that reject the God of the Bible. However, there are also those like some members of the Church in Sardis, we heard about in our New Testament reading. They “have a reputation of being alive”, but in reality “are dead” spiritually (Rev 3v1).

Jesus has a word for this. It is “play acting”. It is being like an actor on a stage or on a film, where outwardly you appear as something inwardly you are not. Outwardly you are acting Mrs Thatcher. But in reality you are Meryl Streep. The New Testament calls this hypocrisy from the Greek word for actor, hypocritēs. And in this chapter we see Saul as a hypocrite. He had the marks of religion. He went through the motions. But it was no longer real. And when you are just “outward” and having nothing “inward”, you can be so very foolish – today as well as in Saul’s day.

For example, Saul was ritualistic, but in his ritualism he said one thing one moment and another the next, as in verses 18-19 (you can look these up when you get home). Then his wanting to impose a religious fast meant he was blatantly foolish (verse 24): “Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, "Cursed be any man who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!" So none of the troops tasted food.”

Yes, there is a time to fast, but not in battle conditions. As you read on, you see that this extremely foolish fast lead not only to military exhaustion but also (for Jews) real ritual wrong doing. And most serious of all, it nearly led, because of another curse Saul uttered, to the execution of Jonathan. Happily, Jonathan was reprieved by the sanity of the majority of the people, as you can read in verse 45. It is the same today.

Biblical Christian faith is not only more rational than contemporary secularism or hypocritical religion, as you can see when you consider carefully the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is also less foolish socially.

For example, it alone will secure those three modern values of “liberty, equality and fraternity”. Liberty needs human rights to be seen as God-given (as the American Declaration of Independence has it); otherwise rights are at the whim of Parliaments and as Jeremy Bentham called them, “nonsense on stilts”. Equality needs men and women to be seen as made in the image of God and so worthy of divinely-sanctioned respect. And fraternity needs the Fatherhood of God. For if you lose the Fatherhood of God, you soon lose the brotherhood of man. Faith in the God of the Bible and as revealed in Jesus Christ leads to wisdom not folly.

So, what do we conclude?

Well, another verse in the New Testament tells us that the Old Testament contains: “examples … written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come [in Jesus Christ]” (1 Cor 10v11).

We are at the beginning of Lent in the Church’s year. It should be at time of sensible self-examination for encouragement and warning. So can I finish with a simple question, to get you started. Who are you like - Jonathan or Saul? Or are you like the Philistines?

Well, wherever you are, the risen and reigning Jesus Christ still says those words we had at the Ash Wednesday Communion Service and recorded in Matt 11v28-30):

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Amen