The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 19 OCTOBER 2024 – TOPIC: THE LORD WILL WORK FOR US
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THE DAILY FOUNTAIN
DAILY DEVOTIONAL OF THE
CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)
DATE: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2024
TOPIC: THE LORD WILL WORK FOR US
READ: 1 SAMUEL 14: 1-23 (NKJV)
14:1. Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that [is] on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
14:2. And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which [is] in Migron. The people who [were] with him [were] about six hundred men.
14:3. Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’s priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
14:4. Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, [there was] a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one [was] Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
14:5. The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.
14:6. Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore 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 restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few.”
14:7. So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.”
14:8. Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to [these] men, and we will show ourselves to them.
14:9. “If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them.
14:10. “But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the LORD has delivered them into our hand, and this [will be] a sign to us.”
14:11. So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden.”
14:12. Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.” Jonathan said to his armorbearer, “Come up after me, for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel.”
14:13. And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them.
14:14. That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land.
14:15. 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.
14:16. Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and [there] was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there.
14:17. Then Saul said to the people who [were] with him, “Now call the roll and see who has gone from us.” And when they had called the roll, surprisingly, Jonathan and his armorbearer [were] not [there.]
14:18. And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here” (for at that time the ark of God was with the children of Israel).
14:19. Now it happened, while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise which [was] in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”
14:20. Then Saul and all the people who [were] with him assembled, and they went to the battle; and indeed every man’s sword was against his neighbor, [and there was] very great confusion.
14:21. Moreover the Hebrews [who] were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp [from the] surrounding [country,] they also joined the Israelites who [were] with Saul and Jonathan.
14:22. Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, [when] they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle.
14:23. So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven.
THE MESSAGE:
In today’s passage, Jonathan singlehandedly, together with his armour-bearer, launched an attack on the outpost of the Philistines. Jonathan was determined that the oppression of Israel by the Philistines must stop. He was convinced that the Lord God would work for him, and that nothing would stop the Lord from saving them, whether by many or few. The Philistines in their usual way (like the encounter between David and Goliath) boasted, “Come up to us and we will teach you a lesson” (verse 12; cf.1 Samuel 17: 8-10). God however sent panic in the camp of the philistines. Jonathan killed 23 men in this first attack, and the Philistines were thrown into total confusion (verses 20-21). They started killing each other with their swords. The “Hebrews” in verse 21 who were conscripted into the Philistines’ army went over to their kinsmen who were with Saul. The Lord worked for his people and rescued Israel (verse 23).
Are you facing any challenge from the camp of the enemy? The Lord will work for you. Do you have a problem in your life, famil Church, workplace or country? The Lord will surely save you and give you victory. Have faith in Him.
PRAYER: O God my Father, help me overcome all my challenges in Jesus’ Name, Amen
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