Mr. Valiant-for-the-Truth’s Song – by John Bunyan

1. JONATHAN SEPARATED FROM THE MULTITUDE (1 Samuel 14:1-3 [1] Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father. [2] And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men; [3] And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.
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1. Jonathan’s Fervor (1 Samuel 14:1Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father.
   See All...a; cp. 1 Samuel 13:3And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.
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2. Jonathan’s Forwardness (1 Samuel 14:1Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father.
   See All...b) – “he told not his father”
3. Saul’s Fearfulness (1 Samuel 14:2-3 [2] And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men; [3] And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.
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1. In the uttermost part of Gibeah (1 Samuel 14:2And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;
   See All...a)
2. Under a pomegranate tree (1 Samuel 14:2And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;
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3. Saul’s army (1 Samuel 14:2And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;
   See All...c; cp. 1 Samuel 13:2Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.
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4. Saul’s priest (1 Samuel 14:3And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.
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1. Samuel was available (1 Samuel 13:15And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.
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2. But Ahiah was subservient (cp. 1 Samuel 14:18-19 [18] And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel. [19] And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine hand.
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2. JONATHAN STRENGTHENED HIS RESOLVE (1 Samuel 14:4-8 [4] And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. [5] The forefront of the one was situate northward over against Michmash, and the other southward over against Gibeah. [6] 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. [7] And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart. [8] Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.
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1. The Strength of the Philistines (1 Samuel 14:4-5 [4] And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. [5] The forefront of the one was situate northward over against Michmash, and the other southward over against Gibeah.
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1. Their location
2. Their army (1 Samuel 13:5And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.
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2. The Strength of Jonathan (1 Samuel 14:6And 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.
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1. His righteous cause
1. Against “these uncircumcised” (see Judges 14:3Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
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2. Is there not a cause? (1 Samuel 17:29And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
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2. The favor of the Lord – “it may be that the LORD will work for us”
3. The power of the Lord – “there is no restraint to the LORD” (see 2 Chronicles 14:11And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let no man prevail against thee.
   See All...; Romans 8:31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
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3. The Courage of Jonathan (1 Samuel 14:7-8 [7] And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart. [8] Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.
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1. Encourages his armor bearer (1 Samuel 14:7And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.
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2. Develops a plan of action (1 Samuel 14:8Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.
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3. JONATHAN SOUGHT GOD’S DIRECTION (1 Samuel 14:9-12 [9] If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them. [10] But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us. [11] And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves. [12] And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.
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1. His Test (1 Samuel 14:9-10 [9] If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them. [10] But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.
   See All...; cp. Judges 6:36-40 [36] And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, [37] Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. [38] And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. [39] And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. [40] And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
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1. If they say, Tarry (1 Samuel 14:9If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them.
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2. If they say, Come up (1 Samuel 14:10But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.
   See All...) – this is “a sign”
2. His Answer (1 Samuel 14:11-12 [11] And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves. [12] And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.
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1. They discovered themselves to the enemy (1 Samuel 14:11And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.
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2. The enemy mocked them (1 Samuel 14:11And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.
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3. The enemy challenged them to come up (1 Samuel 14:12And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.
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4. Jonathan and his armorbearer took the challenge (1 Samuel 14:12And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.
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4. JONATHAN SECURED THE VICTORY (1 Samuel 14:13-16 [13] And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him. [14] And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow. [15] And 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. [16] And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.
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1. They Climbed up the Cliff (1 Samuel 14:13And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him.
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2. They Fought the Front Troops (1 Samuel 14:14And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.
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3. The Host Trembled in the Field (1 Samuel 14:15And 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.
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1. The Philistines
2. The earth
4. They Beat Each Other Back (1 Samuel 14:16And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.
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CONCLUSION: In Times Like These – Charles Spurgeon gave this advice to those who spend all their energy worrying about the evil times in which they live:  “The benefit of railing at the times it would be hard to discover, for railing does not mend them. What have you to do with the times? Do your own work. Charles the Twelfth of Sweden had his secretary sitting by his side writing from dictation, when a bombshell fell through the roof into the next room. The secretary, in alarm, dropped his pen, upon which the king exclaimed, ‘What are you doing?’ The poor man faltered, ‘Ah, sire, the bomb!’ The king’s answer was, ‘What has the bomb to do with what I am telling you?’ You will say that the secretary’s life was in danger. Yes, but you are safe in any case, for you are side by side with Jesus in holy service, and no evil can befall you. Watch on, and work on, even to the crack of doom. Leave the times and the seasons with God, and go on with your work.” –from An All-Round Ministry by C. H. Spurgeon (page 72).