The Servant of the Lord

In 1 Samuel chapter 13-14 we have the account of the battle at Michmash (great name!). Saul has been king over Israel for two years and has gathered 3,000 men to come against a Philistine army of over 60,000 men.

Jonathan is with his father Saul, and so far he’s been the only captain to take out a Philistine Garrison.

As the Philistine army draw near, many of Saul’s men begin to panic.

The Philistines had done the leg work. They had taken out Israel’s blacksmiths and thereby removed Israel’s ability to make weapons (1 Samuel 13:19). With only a few rusty farm tools with which to do battle, the Hebrew soldiers run into the hills and are hiding among the rocks.

King Saul, who is also hiding in a cave, now finds himself with only 600 men.

At this point in the story the Israelites have become sitting ducks. There’s no shame in that. Sometimes the smartest thing to do is duck (Isaiah 26:20).

But Saul is Israel’s king, the appointed servant of the Lord, and right now Israel needs saving.

What occurs next in 1 Samuel 14, teaches a great deal about the characteristics of a faithful servant of the Lord.

And Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armour, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised ones. It may be that Jehovah will work for us; for there is no restraint to Jehovah, to save by many or by few. (1 Samuel 14:6)

The servant of the Lord has His eyes in his head. He sees the odds stacked against him, but he’s not playing the odds. His hope is fixed on what God can do. And so, unlike his father, Jonathan chooses not sit in a pomegranate cave picking the lint from his belly button. He grabs his loyal sidekick and heads out to do battle.

Like Jonathan’s armour-bearer, the servant of the Lord carries His masters armour. He is not swayed by outward appearances. He does not rely on his own smarts but on the gear his master has given him.

Moreover, the servant of the Lord is at ease, knowing that the one who sends him is also the one who does the work. “…The Lord will work for us… [For] there is no restraint to the Lord, to save by many or by few.”

Unmoved by appearances, the servant of the Lord is moved by faith in what God can do, not what man can do.

It’s important to notice at this point that Jonathan had not received any specific word from the Lord about victory. He’s not heading out to battle because God has reassured him that he will win (Though God will provide this assurance along the way, cf. 1 Samuel 14:8-12). He’s gone out to do battle on the grounds that God is able to save and inclined to save His people.

Anyway, Jonathan and his armour-bearer head up the rocky cliffs of Michmash and manage to knock off around 20 Philistines. It’s only a small victory but it has significant consequences.

The Philistines fall into a panic, followed by a great panic which is then followed by an even greater panic that leads to more and more panic – at which point the Philistines start attacking each other (1 Samuel 14:15, 19-20).

When people rebel against God it’s not uncommon for God to send disaster. But throughout history, God has not only sent the disaster, He has also sent the ensuing panic.

What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. (Proverbs 10:24)

We see this going on in the world around us right now. Food shortages, financial insecurity, godless, draconian laws, drought, the threat of spooky wee viruses and no doubt, more danger (real or imagined) to come. People have become disoriented and confused and worry that God might be judging the nations.

But the panic and the confusion are the judgement. It makes no difference whether the danger is manufactured by man or not. Above all the current craziness is God who is shaking heaven and earth so that the things that belong to Him may remain. And, it’s under such judgement that the people, eager to save their own skin, are all the more ready to fall down with trembling reverence before any nefarious overlord who offers them the appearance of safety from the growing panic.

There’s this story that at the end of World War I Lawrence of Arabia took some of his Arab friends on a tour through Paris. He showed them things like the Arch de Triumph, the Louvre and Napoleon’s tomb. But none of these things impressed them. The thing that really interested them the most was the faucet in the bathtub of the hotel room.

Likewise, the servant of the Lord is not taken in by the current scenary. His eyes are fixed on those things which make for life. His eyes are on the throne of the Lord.

The servant of the Lord lives in the world, but does not rely on its counsel. He knows the world is being shaken and in some parts collapsing altogether, but he is not panicked by its appearance. He sees the heroes of the city of man on parade, but he is not distracted, much less impressed.

While the world is busy doing what it does best – tearing itself down in a confused panic – the servant of the Lord has his garden tools and is busy building the unshakable house of the Lord.