16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude was dispersing here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Count and see who has gone from us.” And when they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there. 18 So Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God went at that time with the people of Israel. 19 Now while Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the camp of the Philistines increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” 20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle. And behold, every Philistine’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion. 21 Now the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines before that time and who had gone up with them into the camp, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Likewise, when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too followed hard after them in the battle. 23 So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.
24 And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food. 25 Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground. 26 And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright. 28 Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food this day.’” And the people were faint. 29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.” – 1 Samuel 4:16-30 ESV
From their safe and secure vantage point in Gibeah, Saul’s watchman could tell that something was happening at the Philistine base camp. They could see thousands of Philistine soldiers fleeing the scene but they had no idea what was causing this max exodus. In an attempt to discern what was going on, Saul demanded an immediate roll call of his army at Geba, located near the Philistine encampment. It seems that he wanted to determine if any of his troops had engaged in battle with the enemy without his authorization. When the report came back, Saul learned that only two individuals were missing: Jonathan and his armor-bearer. But Saul remained completely unaware of what was happening in the enemy camp. News of his son’s absence must have confused and concerned Saul. Was Jonathan AWOL or was he somehow involved in the situation taking place near Michmash?
Little did he know that Jonathan and his servant were involved in a miraculous rout of the Philistine forces, aided by the hand of God. Having snuck into the enemy camp, these two men killed 20 Philistine soldiers, a surprising and highly successful feat that caused panic to spread among the remaining Philistine forces.
…panic broke out in the Philistine army, both in the camp and in the field, including even the outposts and raiding parties. And just then an earthquake struck, and everyone was terrified. – 1 Samuel 14:15 NLT
Jonathan believed that God would come to their aid and that is just what happened. The son of the king had stepped out in faith, trusting that his God would give them victory over the enemy, despite the odds and his own father’s reticence to take the battle to the Philistines. It's interesting to note that Jonathan never sought a word from God. He never uttered a prayer asking for direction. He simply did what good soldiers were supposed to do; he confronted the enemy of God and waited for God to direct his hand. His whole strategy had been based on receiving a simple sign from God.
“We will cross over and let them see us. If they say to us, ‘Stay where you are or we’ll kill you,’ then we will stop and not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come on up and fight,’ then we will go up. That will be the Lord’s sign that he will help us defeat them.” – 1 Samuel 14:8-10 NLT
God never spoke, but the enemy did, tauntingly teasing Jonathan and his armor-bearer by calling out, “Come on up here, and we’ll teach you a lesson!” (1 Samuel 14:12 NLT). That was all Jonathan needed to hear. Firm in his belief that Jehovah “can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few” (1 Samuel 14:6 NLT), Jonathan accepted the Philistine’s invitation and proved that “nothing can hinder the Lord” (1 Samuel 14:6 NLT).
Meanwhile, back in Gibeah, Saul was still waiting on a word from God. He had summoned Ahijah the high priest and ordered him to seek divine guidance. The text states that Saul ordered the Ark of God to be retrieved from its location in Kiriath-jearim (1 Samuel 7:2). But many of the oldest manuscripts of the Old Testament texts state that Saul ordered Ahijah to use his ephod as a means of divination. The New English Translation reflects this alternate reading of the text.
So Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring near the ephod,” for he was at that time wearing the ephod in front of the Israelites. – 1 Samuel 14:18 NET
This makes more sense because it seems unlikely that Saul would have repeated the earlier mistake of the Israelites when they brought the Ark of God into the camp only to see it captured by the Philistines. In verse 3, the author reveals that Ahijah had entered Saul’s camp wearing an ephod or priestly robe. The details for the design of this garment are found in Exodus 28:6-14. But while this one-of-a-kind robe was truly spectacular in appearance, what set it apart was the “breastpiece of judgment” that came with it.
“Then, with great skill and care, make a chestpiece to be worn for seeking a decision from God. Make it to match the ephod, using finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread.” – Exodus 28:15 NLT
What made this elaborate pouch so special was what was contained within it.
“Insert the Urim and Thummim into the sacred chestpiece so they will be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes into the Lord’s presence. In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the Lord’s will for his people whenever he goes in before the Lord.” – Exodus 28:30 NLT
Saul was hoping that Ahijah could use the sacred lots to discern the will of God. Rather than take action, he waited for some kind of sign to show him what to do. But, evidently, Ahijah’s attempt to seek divine guidance had produced no results. Finally, Saul ran out of patience.
But while Saul was talking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp grew louder and louder. So Saul said to the priest, “Never mind; let’s get going!” – 1 Samuel 14:19 NLT
After a lengthy and unnecessary delay, Saul and his forces entered the battle. What happened next was an act of God. The greatly reduced Israelite army easily routed the far superior Philistine force. Even Hebrews who had joined the Philistine army as mercenaries decided to switch their allegiance mid-battle and fight with their kinsmen. Seeing what was happening at Michmach, AWOL Israelite soldiers came out of hiding and joined in the slaughter of the Philistines. The result was a great victory.
But Samuel, recording these events at a later date, makes it clear that the victory could not be attributed to Jonathan or Saul.
So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle continued to rage even beyond Beth-aven. – 1 Samuel 14:23 NLT
Jonathan was right when he said, “Nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!” (1 Samuel 14:6 NLT). He believed His God was all-powerful and fully capable of delivering His people with “the least of these.” It is almost as if Jonathan had the words of Joshua ringing in his ears as he and his armor-bearer took the battle to the enemy.
“For the Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat you. Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised. So be very careful to love the Lord your God.” – Joshua 23:9-11 NLT
God fought with Jonathan. One faithful man who believed in the faithfulness of his God was able to defeat a far superior enemy. Jonathan placed his hope in the Almighty and he wasn’t disappointed. He stepped out in faith and God showed up in a big way.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.