Rise to the Occasion2/12/2024 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.” When does God act on behalf of His people? The nation of Israel faced a war against the Philistines. Saul was king and Jonathan, his son, served the army of the people of God. To remain with the army of Israel was safer than launching a one-man attack against a garrison of entrenched Philistine soldiers. However, Jonathan was also a man of tremendous faith in God. And, knowing that God could save by many or few, he ventured out to find the enemy camp. Heart and soul, the armor bearer went with him across the rocky terrain to find the enemy (see verse 7). Before you think, however, that this is a call to foolhardy adventures for the Lord, that we rush out headlong into the unknown in order to tackle overwhelming odds, there is more to the story. Jonathan did not just jump out with blind faith and hoped that God would rescue him if he'd gotten it wrong. He did not venture against the enemy without knowing that God had orchestrated the moment. He did not rise to his own occasion, Jonathan sought for God's. Consider what it says in 1 Samuel 14:8-10, "Then Jonathan said, 'Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say to us, "Wait until we come to you," then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. But if they say, "Come up to us," then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.'" Just as we all do, Jonathan needed to know that God had ordained the moment. Presumptuous faith is not what God has called His redeemed to express. True faith is a willingness to follow God as He has revealed, not as we have presumed. If the Lord had not given to Jonathan and his armor bearer this moment, then their effort to venture across the pass to the garrison might have ended quite differently. Consider what happened when the Israelites tried to go into the promised land apart from God's leading. Deuteronomy 1:43-44 describes it, "So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the Lord and presumptuously went up into the hill country. Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and beat you down in Seir as far as Hormah." Even our Lord Jesus, the Son of God, refused to be tempted into a presumption against His Father (see Matthew 4:7). Consider what it says in James 4:15-16, "Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." Arrogant and evil boasting in this matter is to say you have such great faith that everything you determine is God's will, must be God's will. So, how do we know when to rise to the occasion and step out boldly by faith? How do we know it is God who has called us so that we know that He will act on behalf of His people? First, is it clearly defined in His word? There are those who presume upon God's word, but they don't actually strive to serve the Lord but their own endeavors. They see a story in Scripture and assume that they can act in such a manner as the one who is in the story. For example, there are no walking-on-water moments happening today. God has not called the faithful to step out and walk on water, it was a moment for the Lord and Peter. Many have used the story metaphorically, but I have known some to try it, presuming they had the same faith as Peter and could do what he did. To be clearly defined in God's word is to have the understanding that it is directly commanded to the people of God. Has God commanded His church to evangelize? To love as Christ loved us? To pray? To gather in worship? All these, and many more are direct commands in the Scripture for His people that must be faithfully obeyed. You can in each one of those, rise to the occasion and obey the Word of God. Second, will it bring glory to God or glory to self? God will not share His glory with another (see Isaiah 48:11). Tremble if God has called you to an elevated position, where men will give you praise and honor. For in such a time of testing, your heart may be puffed up with the notion that you have some superior quality. Let all the glory go to God. Third, does it fit the occasion? Jonathan and the army of Israel were at war--truly it fit the occasion for him to venture across the pass to the garrison of the enemy. The parting of the Red Sea, the crossing of the Jordan river, the healings and miracles of the Old and New Testaments all fit the occasion. I recall one effort I was making to do what I thought was a "great work for God." However, it didn't fit the occasion and it failed miserably. Beloved, let us rise to occasion when it is of the Lord. Otherwise, we will find ourselves basking in our presumptuous faith and finding that God does not work on behalf of a presumptuous people. In His Grace, Pastor Michael
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