An Important Character
Every “officer” in the Israelite army had an “assistant” known as an armor bearer. The loyal armor bearer helped the officer in battle and in the administration of the army. They often carried the armor and weapons of the officer, so they were known as armor bearers.
Verse 7 in 1 Samuel 14 says “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”. When we step out in faith, encouragement can make all the difference for good and discouragement can make all the difference for evil.
God was going to use Jonathan, but He wasn’t going to use Jonathan alone. When God uses someone He almost always calls others to support and help them. They are just as important in getting God’s work done. The armor bearer was Jonathan’s confidant and his words gave him the confidence he needed to take a step of faith to fulfill the mission he had been given.
Do you have an armor bearer in your life? More importantly, are you the armor bearer for someone else? Are you loyal, encouraging and a speaker of truth? Do people confide in you knowing you won’t repeat what they say? Being an armor bearer involves taking some risk, are you willing to take it? When you think about it, Jesus is our armor-bearer. We can trust Him completely with our confidence and He is always with us in the battles of life. .
Father, help us to trust you in times of uncertainty. Let us rest on your words of comfort. When we are weak and overcome with fear and doubt, help us to feel your presence. Remind our inner hearts of your words to fear not; to rest assured that today you promise that you will fight our battle.
Deb Hill
Maybe God
In this desperate situation a hero rises: Jonathan. But, he’s not a hero Israel has known for generations. Nor is he a hero that has been common in Israel’s history. He is not the great warrior that Samson was, who was able to slay thousands with a donkey jawbone. He is not the great tactician that Gideon was, who was able to rout the Midianite army with his elite zealots. Rather, Jonathan is a man of faithful risk, placing his own life on the line in the confidence that such a gamble will not be overlooked by God.
What’s incredible about this gamble is that the outcome is far from certain: men, both before and after Jonathan, have tried to call on the Lord, and He has not always answered.
This is devastating for those of us who want to trust in God but find it difficult. God already seems to ask the impossible of us. Why would He then be unreliable?
The apostle Paul didn’t shy away from such a dilemma. In fact, he was very familiar with it. Tasked with the impossible, Paul faced against Roman officials that sought to imprison him, Jewish leaders who sought to stone him, and rival teachers who sought to depose him. He was a man without a secure livelihood and no family as far as we know. He was familiar with all sorts of disappointment, close calls, and the threat of death.
But what he declares to the Corinthians gives us a window into what kept him going. He writes, “[All these tragedies] happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10).
For Paul, whether he died or lived was beside the point (Philippians 1:21) because God’s ultimate victory over the tomb was certain. All of our little defeats get swept up in the greater victory of Christ’s resurrection! No matter how life goes for us, may the hope of the final day in Christ permeate all of the sad, and dark, and dreary days we live through.
Every single one of them serves a purpose: to force us to depend on He who raises the dead to life.
Ryan Lunde
Permission to Proceed
Series: There May Be Dragons | Text: 1 Samuel 14:6-12
Speaker: Pastors Josh Rose & Esteban Tapia
January 8, 2023: Pastors Josh Rose and Esteban Tapia continued our first teaching series of 2023, There May Be Dragons. Join us to study the Scriptures together!
Slaying the Dragon of Certainty
1 Samuel 14:6 - 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.”
“It may be…” Did you catch that? Jonathan’s entire plan, a plan that risked his life, was based on the fact that “it may be that the Lord will work for us.” Wow! Jonathan didn’t wait until he had 100% certainty to take a step of faith. He acted based on a maybe … on nothing more than a hope that God would save. He had no doubt that God could save “by many or by few,” but he wasn’t sure that God would save by few in this circumstance. Jonathan could have been walking into his death.
I don’t know about you, but if I am going to risk my life, I’d really like a little more than a “maybe.” In fact, if I’m honest, I want complete, 100%, absolute, without-a-shadow-of-a-doubt, voice-from-the-Lord certainty before I go out and put my life on the line. But that just reveals my lack of faith. Because while certainty might be safer and sometimes even wiser (in a worldly sense), certainty just isn’t the stuff that faith is made of. The biblical definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1 is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Then in 2 Corinthians 5:7, we are encouraged to “walk by faith, not by sight.” You see, biblically speaking, faith is made up of the stuff that is not seen… it is the stuff that we can’t prove without a shadow of a doubt. It is the type of thing that you hope for, but you don’t have. And this means that we don’t need absolute certainty in order to have faith … in fact, if our goal is certainty, we may never arrive at faith.
Maybe we need to be more like Jonathan in our faith. Don’t wait for certainty before acting. God has placed a calling on your life. Do you know exactly what that is without a shadow of a doubt? No. But that is ok. Can you act anyway? Yes! That’s what it means to walk by faith. Let’s take one of those steps today!
Josh Rose
Discipleship Pastor
Slaying the Dragon of Piety
I was a legalist and I didn’t know it. As a member of Generation Z, I learned to expect instant results at an early age. I’m not alone. Online shopping empires and on-demand streaming platforms owe their existence to consumers' failure to delay gratification. In a world where every heart's desire is just a tap away on our smartphones, waiting on the Lord and listening for His often still, small voice feels difficult, impossible, and even spiritually suffocating. Unwittingly, we try to force God’s hand by “doing better”. For me, this looked like reading the Bible every day, praying more, and attending church regularly. Don’t misunderstand. Spiritual disciplines are essential tools for a healthy relationship with Jesus. But, God is not a vending machine. Performing good deeds and demanding blessings from the Lord in exchange is a classic example of legalism. As Christians, we must trust our Lord’s endless love for sinners, instead of seeking his favor through religious devotion.
It is easy to rely on our own strength instead of waiting on the Lord. After all, waiting on the Lord can be nerve-racking. In 1 Samuel 14, King Saul knew this better than anyone. Surrounded by thousands of Philistines, Israel's army faced annihilation. Stagnant and fearful, the king camped beneath a pomegranate tree; its fruit was depicted on the robes of the high priest, who stood beside him. A pomegranate was thought to possess 613 seeds. The woven pomegranates on the Levite vestments represented the 613 statutes contained in the Law of Moses. Therefore, King Saul is trusting in the Law and the symbols of Yahweh’s promise, rather than in the God who makes and keeps promises.
We are like Saul. Not that we are all legalists, obeying only the letter of the law, missing the love-centered intent behind it. Remember those spiritual disciplines I mentioned earlier? Well, I would neglect my Bible, prayer, and church attendance—unless I needed God to act. Understanding two truths changed my perspective. First, God has already acted. It is finished. Jesus’ death and resurrection secure our destiny. Secondly, Jesus wants our hearts. Obedience without love is worthless. A biblically faithful life is a thankful offering, a gift of love to Him who first loved us. External devotion only produces resentment in an already anxious heart. Pomegranate faith always fails. Let us wait on Christ with expectation. Victory is certain. His kingdom is unshakeable. His promises are true.
Jake Solis
Slaying the Dragon of Safety
When I first started getting back into surfing, I went with a friend to a surf spot called Terramar in Carlsbad. We walked down a rundown staircase to the beach covered in rocks and started to paddle out to the waves. I remember looking down and the water was so clear you could make out the reef and sea life below. It was beautiful and a little scary. It made me wonder what else was out there that I couldn’t see. Sometimes when we take that step into the unknown, we have to set aside safety for faith.
In 1 Samuel 14:1, Jonathan and his armor-bearer, take a step away from safety to see what God has. In the past, I would read a passage like this and think I would have the same courage or boldness as Jonathan, but realistically I like safety. I enjoy the comfort and knowing that there is a way out because I don’t want to make a foolish mistake. Jonathan was outnumbered greatly (see 1 Samuel 13:5) and still decided to go. This seems so foolish at first, but really Jonathan like many others before him looked to God to provide the way. He knew Israel had a small untrained and unarmed army versus a strong well equipped Philistine army. Jonathan knew without God there was no chance for victory at all. So he slayed the dragon of safety and took a step. Let me preface this passage because I need the reminder, we currently reside in modern-day Southern California, not in a war-like environment thousands of years ago- your dragon might look different than Jonathan’s!
What dragon are you facing? Have you thought about what you are fighting for, what matters in your life right now that you are holding on tightly to? I ask because there have been times in my life when I tried to create my own path and then ask God to bless it, where I looked to my safety first instead of asking God what he wanted me to do. As we step into 2023, what is God asking you to do? Let me encourage you to take some time to read, pray, and listen to the Lord and let him guide you as you face your dragons this year.
Pastor Jeremy
Slaying the Dragon of Apathy
Apathy is not caring about something significant. A college student might not want to go to class and might struggle to muster up the interest or ability to get schoolwork done. They could still care about seeking comfort, parties, and love, but could be ignoring the most significant thing they were supposed to be devoting time and money to. Most of us deal with apathy about something, but in certain individuals’ lives it might be harder to see than in others.
There is an interesting scene depicted in 1 Samual chapters 13-14. The Philistines were harassing the Israelites. They sent several raiding parties to attack and weaken God’s people. At that time, King Saul led a small group of fighters, but they were not in the fight. Instead, they were in the shade.
“Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave at Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men, including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, wearing an ephod.” 1 Sam 14:2-3
Pastor Paulson made some interesting observations about this passage and how it demonstrates “the danger of detachment. Why do we get the detail that Saul was on the outskirts of Gibeah? We also see that Ahijah was there and we’re given the details that he was wearing the ephod. You have all of the political and spiritual power disengaged from the battle that was at their doorstep. Passivity may be our default, engagement must be our intention.”
It is human nature to seek comfort and avoid strife. Like water flowing from higher points to the oceans below, people normally seek the path of least resistance. This could be a sinful nature issue, and also an important part of growing and maturing in Christ if we are willing.
Can engagement overcome apathy? What area in your life is the Holy Spirit pressing you to stop ignoring and start battling in? Lazy people can get up and get going. Diligent people can notice when they have not been diligent in guarding their words or being kind. People who never pray can start thinking about God all day long and talking to him in their minds. Critical people can start to see others through God’s eyes and can accept people right where they are at. The person that lives next door to you and to me who probably doesn’t know Jesus needs some love and attention this year. What will we do to connect with them?
God is calling us to move, to do, to be engaged with his purposes, and to stop waiting for the battle to come to us while we wait in the shade for as long as we can.
Pastor John Riley
There May Be Dragons | 1 Samuel 14:1-15
Have you realized that life moves at an alarmingly consistent rate? It doesn’t stop and it never slows down. I reflected last week on how quickly my kids are growing up. My oldest will be driving in two short years. My youngest is hitting double-digits in a few months. Yikes! I’m reminded of the old saying, “the days drag on, but the years fly by.” Like a river flowing, if we wait for time to stop, we will never jump into it and the moments will pass us by. It’s true of parenting, and it’s true of life in general.
In 1 Samuel 14, we see Jonathan refusing to let life pass him by. He was faced with what seemed like insurmountable odds. The powerful Philistines were well-trained and well-equipped, while the nation of Israel had only 600 men and two swords among them. They were paralyzed with fear. If I were going to storm the enemy with that kind of opposition, I’d need a direct verbal command from God. But Jonathan didn’t receive a direct command from God, he simply saw an opportunity and seized it. Listen to the way the event was recorded, “One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” (1 Samuel 14:1) Jonathan decided to live rather than be content with life passing him by. He decided to be an active agent in his story, rather than a passive observer.
Jonathan took a step of faith, by taking the initiative. The Apostle Paul encouraged the church at Ephesus to be the same kind of people. In Ephesians 5:15-16 he wrote, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil.” The phrase “making the best use of the time” could be translated as “buying back the opportunities.” We buy back the opportunities by making the most of every moment and refusing to be sideline observers of our own lives.
Buying back opportunities is a challenge because it requires that we embrace the unknown. Ancient cartographers used to mark unexplored areas on maps with the statement, “there may be dragons.” It was their way of saying, “We’re not sure what’s out there. It might be dangerous, it might be glorious, we don’t know.” As we embark on a new year, we also step into uncharted territory. We have no idea what the next 12 months have in store for us. There may be dragons! However, we get to make the choice to “buy back the opportunities.” We get to choose to live, rather than simply exist.
The scriptures invite us to see and discern the world in front of us and ask God how he wants us to imaginatively live in a way that brings his kingdom, goodness, and love. Just like Jonathan, we face opportunities in front of us brilliantly disguised as obstacles. What opposition is God inviting you to step into with a renewed “let us go” attitude? Existing is a given, but living is a choice. Today, choose to live.
Ryan Paulson
A Strong Maybe
Series: There May Be Dragons | Text: 1 Samuel 14:1-6
Speaker: Pastor Ryan Lunde
January 1, 2023: Young Adults Pastor Ryan Lunde kicked off our first teaching series of 2023, There May Be Dragons. The first message in the series was entitled A Strong Maybe. We hope you'll join us to study the Scriptures together.