Jonathan and David, a Very Special FriendshipSample

Jonathan trusted God

“Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.’” (1 Samuel 14:6)

The Philistines had “troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude”, many chariots and horsemen, and they were well armed. The Israelites were about six hundred men, of whom only Saul and Jonathan had a sword and a spear. Humanly speaking, their situation was quite hopeless. But Jonathan did not focus on their limited numbers and their lack of weapons. He was convinced that the Lord could save the Israelites “by many or by few”. After all, God had done so before, for example when Gideon defeated the Midianites with only 300 soldiers when God told him to do so.

Besides trusting the Lord could do a miracle, Jonathan was seeking His guidance. He let his decision to attack the Philistines depend on a sign from God (see 1 Samuel 14:9-10). Only if it was God’s will, Jonathan would climb up to the Philistine’s camp to fight them.

Trusting God like this requires firm faith in His wisdom, power and faithfulness. Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to take important decisions? How did your faith in God influence your choices and actions?