By Many or By Few

      By Fern Horst

"And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few." (I Samuel 14:6)

In this unassuming comment which Jonathan made to his armor bearer, we see his great faith and confidence that God could accomplish what He willed, regardless of the number who were willing to help him. It is so easy to get bogged down with discouragement when the number of those helping us is few, or when we feel our ability is lacking. But in this intriguing account of Jonathan and his armor bearer, we learn an important principle: it is not the ability of humans, nor the number of them, by which the Lord does His work; rather, it is through those who have a willing heart.

There have been times when I have been tempted to think I can't do much for the Lord because I don't have the right personality or the right skills. Or I think I can't accomplish anything because there is no one to work with me. I look at the family that does service projects together, or the couple who gives their lives for missions, and I'm tempted to think, "If only...THEN I could do all kinds of things for the Lord."

In this account of Jonathan and his armor bearer, though, it wasn't the fact that there were even two of them, but that they both were willing. The armor bearer's response to Jonathan's invitation was, "Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart."

And so the two went forth together and they killed 20 Philistines (enemies of Israel), and the Bible says that "there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling." This fear came over the Philistines because they saw that it was the hand of the Lord against them; they realized that it was only by His enabling that two average men could fight against so many.

Where is our willingness for the Lord's work this week? Are we hesitant to get at it because we're unsure of our ability, or of who will help us? As singles we may tend to think that we are "only" one. And yet all the Lord asks is that we are willing, and He promises to then provide both the ability and the help. In the case of Jonathan and his armor bearer, as soon as the rest of the Israelites saw what was happening, "they also followed hard after them in the battle." And so the Lord provided not only ability to Jonathan and his armor bearer, but the additional help as well.

This account is just one of many which illustrates two important concepts which we need to remember from day to day: every Christian is called to do the Lord's work, and the Lord will provide all that we need to accomplish His purposes.

Blessings this week as you serve Him with a willing heart.

© 2000 Fern Horst

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