Find Your Armor-Bearer
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
1 Samuel 14:6-7: 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.” And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.”
Isn’t it nice to hear words such as these: Behold, I am with you heart and soul? Wouldn’t it be nice to feel that level of trust with who we are?
The Israelites were facing one of their chief enemies of the Old Testament, the Philistines. Jonathan, the son of King Saul, had decided that he would go without telling anyone where he was going or what he was going to do. He decided that he was only going to take his armor-bearer with him.
There had to be a great level of trust between a man and his armor-bearer, especially for the son of the king. There is no way that one came about that position easily. Perhaps he was already a friend.
Here are three things that I believe led Jonathan’s armor-bearer to say what he did:
(1) He knew the character of Jonathan
It would seem that Jonathan was a man of action. Earlier, the writer states that King Saul and other officials were sitting around. The sense we get is that they were taking precious time away from what needed to be done sooner than later. Jonathan’s armor-bearer saw the willingness to go when others weren’t. Are you that type of person?
(2) He saw Jonathan’s faith in God
Jonathan had great trust that the LORD would be there to protect him, for he sought a worthy goal, protecting the people of Israel. Jonathan was willing to put his trust in God when the two of them were facing great odds, going against an entire garrison that was there. Do other people see you as willing to take great leaps of faith for the sake of Jesus Christ, risking what seems absurd and crazy? Does it motivate?
(3) Whether the LORD would save them or not, Jonathan’s armor-bearer believed in his master and the goal he was trying to accomplish
The armor-bearer could have walked away, could have convinced Jonathan otherwise, but he didn’t. He said: I am with you heart and soul. All that I am is with you and I will fight with the tenacity that can only come because I am sold out for you and your cause. Are people willing to get behind you like that? Are you worth people following you with that type of intensity?
Jesus thinks all of us, who follow Him and take crazy leaps of faith for something greater than what is the average and mundane, are worth supporting. That’s why we need his strength, so we can not only support others we see with big dreams, but also to be inspired to live like the blood of Christ matters and the mission of God takes us somewhere.
Find your armor-bearer.
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