Grace Covenant Church

Fall ’01 Bible Study

Character Study: Jonathan

“Holy Initiative”

1 Samuel 13:15-14:23

I have a picture taken last year when I joined my friends, Bart and Randall, on a fishing trip. I did not go with Bart and his brother, Randall, on that particular climb. But I too was at the top of a kind of cliff -- safely nestled under a tree -- and the drop was a mere 20 or 25 feet to the water below. Half-heartedly casting my lure, I watched the trout look at my lure and sometimes strike -- I even guided the lure close to some really interesting fish -- in my little spot under the tree.

My friends Bart and Randall did not play it safe and easy. When they asked the forest rangers about fishing in a particular lake, one ranger responded, “Oh, I would not try to fish in that lake. It’s a remote lake, and you have to climb 2,000 feet up one side of a mountain and then 2,000 back down the other side to even get there.” That was all Bart and Randall needed to hear; they were packed and on their way. The fishing was so good there, they tell me, that they caught something on nearly every cast. Perhaps so, but I saw the pictures of them standing on top of that ridge and the sheer cliff they descended, and then ascended, on their way back. I was not sorry I stayed back at my favorite fishing hole, only a few feet above the water.

Reading the account of Jonathan’s personal campaign against the Philistines in this text reminds me of the picture of Bart and Randall perched at the top of that cliff. Just as I did on the fishing trip, Saul safely rests in the shade of a tree, while Jonathan and his armor-bearer scale a substantial cliff on their way to do battle with a garrison of Philistines. Neither the climb nor the overwhelming odds in the Philistines’ favor keep Jonathan from doing battle with these enemies of Israel. But as we shall see, there is much more to the story than just a dangerous climb. As we give careful consideration to this passage, we will learn much about Saul and Jonathan -- and about trusting God.

Think of a time you attempted something impossible and it paid off.

Read I Samuel 13:15 – 14:23

1. From a human point of view, describe the surrounding circumstances of the Israelites as they readied to meet their enemies, the Philistines. (vs. 13: 15 – 22)

2. What does Jonathan decide to do? (vs. 14: 1 – 13)

Do you think Jonathan saw something that the others didn't see or was he simply the benefactor of sheer "luck" in his initiative? Give support from the passage.

3. Christian life is an intricate, yet beautiful, picture of God and man seemingly working together. In question 2, we looked at the man's role through Jonathan. Now, in what ways do we see God working in this battle?

4. Saul comes into the battle after Jonathan attacks (vs. 14: 15 – 23). Although, the Hebrews were winning, in what way did Saul lose out?

5. When facing difficult situations that are beyond your control, how do you react to the impossible situations?

What can we learn from Jonathan’s example as he took on the battle?