THE UNUSUAL GENERATION 2 – The Testimony of Jonathan

Jonathan said to his young armour bearer, “Come, let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For there is nothing to prevent the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.” – 1 Samuel 14:6 AMP

Welcome to the second episode of our series on ‘The Unusual Generation’. In the first episode, we described God’s passionate search for remnants; a group of people we have chosen to call ‘unusual’. These are individuals willing to allow God to train them to be used as special vessels for Him on earth. We further explored scriptural passages that communicate the training and incubating structure that God has prepared for those willing to subscribe to His school of exclusive training for exceptional use.

In this episode, we shall consider the story of such a man in the days of the bible that embodied what it means to be part of the unusual generation that God desires. His name is Jonathan, the son of Saul, the first King of Israel. Jonathan’s unusual victory, made possible by heavy supernatural backing from God, is a story that will communicate fresh strength to you and inspire you to chart a course that is different from the general perception of how to live in this generation. Strap in and open your heart to receive from God again. Welcome to the fire experience! 

What you know about God determines the kind of results your life can birth and the possibilities we can expect from your life.

Jonathan appeared in the story of Saul, the first King of Israel, as his eldest son and a brave warrior in Saul’s army. In 1 Samuel 13, Jonathan was recognised to have attacked and defeated the garrison of Philistines at Geba together with one thousand men of war from Israel (I Samuel 13:1-3). This depicts a man of no ordinary status in the army of Israel. In Chapter 14 of the first book of Samuel, during the ongoing battle against the Philistines, Jonathan made an unusual decision. He charged his armor-bearer to accompany him to the outpost of the Philistines, on the other side of where Israel’s army was camped. Notably, he made this decision without informing his father.

It is important to point out that this unusual move by Jonathan was, humanly speaking, out of place. Jonathan was a prince, the man meant to become king after Saul. As such, he was expected to be defensive and strategic in his operations as a warrior. Moving out of camp with only his armor-bearer was a security risk, as he could have been captured by the Philistine army and used to torment his father, the king, and all of Israel. His safe return to camp was highly unlikely. Despite these risks, Jonathan’s words in verse 6 expressed his intention for stepping out of the camp unannounced, with his armour bearer: “Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armour, “Come let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few.”

The richness of your relationship with God is seen in how much you involve God in the affairs of your life.

What a man! His utterance in this verse speaks volume about his understanding of God and his knowledge of His Ways. No man is greater than his revelation of God! What you know about God determines the kind of results your life can birth and the possibilities we can expect from your life.

Jonathan communicated two major points in this verse, revealing his depth in the knowledge of God. First, he described the Philistines as “uncircumcised”. This was not an empty word in the days of the Old Testament where God’s covenant with the nation of Israel hinged on the Covenant of Circumcision that He made with Abraham, the man of promise who inherited the promise of God for a nation when he believed God could give him a child, Isaac, in his old age.

As a result of this, the covenant of circumcision stood tall in the Israelite’s relationship with God. This covenant separated the nation of Israel from all other nations in the Old Testament. The nation of Israel prides herself in being God’s specially chosen nation. The seal of this covenant between God and their ancestor, Abraham, was the circumcision of the foreskin of all male children born in the nation of Israel. Thus, when Jonathan called the Philistines “uncircumcised”, he outcasted them from God’s covenant and judged as them befitting of God’s judgement, for locking horns with God’s favorite nation, Israel.

The difference factor between those who wait for God to act and those who move by faith towards the desired destination is their trust in God.

Secondly, Jonathan said, “For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few,” pointing to his understanding of the ways of God.

In man’s relationship with God, experiences and situations where God demonstrates His awesomeness and greatness are memorials that teaches us His Ways and Characters. This is why it takes time to know God. It takes time to learn of Him. It takes time to understand how He rules in the affairs of men. As a believer, it matters that you sustain an active relationship with God and look forward to learning of Him through His Word, fellowshipping with His people in a Bible believing Church, and most importantly in your daily living. The longer your relationship with God spans, the deeper your knowledge of Him. The richness of your relationship with God is seen in how much you involve God in the affairs of your life, especially when the normal human instincts does not dim it fit for you to seek God’s help in such case. Daniel 10:38 further confirms this: “…but the people who know their God shall be strong; and carry out great exploits” Daniel 11:32b. Therefore, it is safe to agree that Jonathan knew his God and from his understanding of the ways of God, he could affirm that when God steps into a scene, numbers no longer count! Guess what? He was right! The next few verses proved him right. The right question to ask at this point is: what do you know about your God?

What you know determines the kind of results your life produces.

Meanwhile, as this sneaking-out-parade of Jonathan and his armour bearer was going on, verses 2-3 of the chapter described more than a physical posture of King Saul, Jonathan’s father. King Saul was sitting in the camp with about six hundred soldiers, with the ark of Covenant and a priest who could inquire from God before any tactical war decision were made. This looks more than a random detail given at that point in the story unfolding in that chapter. King Saul who seemed to have it all figured out with physical manpower (600 soldiers) and seemingly spiritual manpower (the Ark of Covenant) was said to be in a defensive position at a time of war, he was at rest. While on the other side, was Jonathan and his armour bearer who literally had nothing except their weapons, felt stirred to step out of the camp and pay a visit to the outpost of the enemies. What a show! It seems to me that the group supposed to be attacking were the ones at rest, while the group containing just two men who should be hiding in the camp, as they had everything to lose, were found outside the camp determined to attack the enemies impulsively. There is a lesson here for us: Usually, the difference factor between those who wait for God to act and those who move by faith towards the desired destination is trust in God! The Message translation of 1 Samuel 14:2 gave context to the position of King Saul at that point in the story: “…Meanwhile, Saul was taking it easy under the pomegranate tree at the threshing floor on the edge of town at Geba (Gibeah)”.

This hit differently when you picture this verse as a real-life event unfolding. It is mind-blowing! This illustrates the wide gap between fear and faith! Doubt and courage! Fear and doubt are signals that a man lacks the knowledge of the ways of God. While King Saul surrounded himself with six hundred men and the ark of Covenant, he still was not convinced enough to move out. And on the other hand, Jonathan was alone with just his armour bearer, yet he was courageous enough to risk everything to step out to attack the enemies. What was his conviction again? “…It may be that the Lord will work for us…” (vs 6). What you know determines the kind of results your life produces.

No one prepares for battle at the battlefront. If you fail to equip yourself well with the right weapons in the Spirit, your defeat is highly predictable on show day.

Sadly, this was not the only time King Saul displayed cowardice in the face of a fierce battle. In 1 Samuel 17, few chapters from our scriptural focus in this post, we saw King Saul and the nation of Israel in war with the same enemy again, Philistines. This time around, they came more prepared as the mighty Goliath stepped out as their champion to face the Israelites in battle, and just like in this passage, King Saul could not deliver the nation of Israel from the humiliation of Goliath, until an unusual man, Jonathan, stepped into the picture again. No one prepares for battle at the battlefront. If you fail to equip yourself well with the right weapons in the Spirit, your defeat is highly predictable on show day. Be warned, learn from King Saul.

Moving on, verse 8-12 of 1 Samuel 14 described the action of faith of Jonathan and his armour bearer as they took steps in approaching the enemies’ outpost. Verse 12 made it clear that God was on their side: “Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.” Jonathan said to his armourbearer, “Come up after me, for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” When faith says yes, God cannot say no! Faith itself is believing in the impossible, hanging heavily on man’s trust in God. So, if there is a man that can believe God to do the impossible, then there is a God that can make it happen! Hidden in the words of Jonathan in the verse above, we found another evidence that shows that he was a man of good understanding and fear of God. He said…”Come up after me, for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of ISRAEL. His agenda was not a selfish one: to make a name for himself in the army, but rather to see that Israel as a nation defeat her enemy.

If there is a man that can believe God to do the impossible, then there is a God that can make it happen!

What was the result of this risky act of faith? Verse 13 and 14 described what was nothing short of a miracle! Jonathan and his armourbearer took down twenty men within about half an acre of land. What a shock! As though the first slaughter was just a mere prelude to the main drama, verse 15 recorded: “And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling”. What started as the act of faith of two men resulted in an opening for the supernatural act of God to find expression in the affairs of men. Who caused the trembling? Who made the earth to quake? Again, I want to affirm that when faith says YES! The answer from heaven CANNOT be NO! The Lord of Hosts joined hands with an unusual man and what happened next was an explosion! Truly, the earth trembles in the Presence of the Almighty God. Amplified version gave a clearer picture of whose hand was moving: “…and the earth quaked and it became a trembling and terror from God”. It was at this point that King Saul and the remaining army got alerted as the impact of the acts of God was glaring to all. They had a count and realised that Jonathan and his armourbearer were missing in the camp. Despite the clear sign of the hand of God, King Saul still requested that the priest consulted God before they move. He was so far from discernment that he could not pick the signals that God was fighting the battle Himself already. Eventually, the army stepped out in battle and then they realized “…and behold, every [Philistine] man’s sword was against his companion, in wild confusion” 1 Samuel 14:20b. God turned the enemies against themselves, and they fought themselves to death. What a day! God still rules in the affairs of men. Unusual results can still be seen on earth repeatedly, so far there can be men and women who believe God enough to trust Him for the impossible and step out by faith.

Unusual results can still be seen on earth repeatedly, so far there can be men and women who believe God enough to trust Him for the impossible and step out by faith.

Conclusively, Jonathan can be effortlessly named one of the unsung heroes of faith in The Bible! The victory in this chapter of 1 Samuel will not have been recorded if there was no man that knew God enough to believe Him for unusual results. The heart of God longs for an unusual generation to rise after the order of Jonathan, Saul’s son. The harvest indeed is plentiful, but we lack men with the required experience of God that can lead us into mouth-opening and outstanding victories like the testimony of Jonathan in this episode. God wants to be known beyond being the creator of all flesh. He wants you to learn His Ways and understand His Precepts. The Bible is filled with stories of very few people that stepped up higher to pay the price of knowing God, engaging His Presence, and finally encountering His Glory, which turned them into strong witnesses of His existence in their days. Moses led the Israelites out of the bondage of 430 years after executing the memorable ten plagues in Egypt. This is amongst many other mighty miracles he did before God’s people. Elijah called down fire from heaven upon the altar he rebuilt for God in the presence of unbelieving nation of Israel and the false prophets of Baal, the immorality of that generation. In our modern history, we have seen God stir unusual men to make a stand for Him repeatedly. Many prophecies have been spoken concerning this current generation of the church of Christ. The best has been reserved for the last, the mantles are still hanging in the spirit realm waiting for the rightful owners to pick them up, will you rise to become the next unusual witness of Jesus in this perilous time? Will you pay the price of being trained by God and sent to represent His interest? God is the same yesterday, today and forever, if you are ready for Him today then He is more than willing to move again like He did before. Separate yourself in prayers and seek His Face! The world is waiting for your manifestation! Remain blessed.