For many years since the Michael Jordan era, I have lost hope for the Bulls and I’ve stopped watching them play. I guess you could say I am not much of a fan. I was surprised when I learned how the Bulls won against the Miami Heat. But, now that they have lost three games straight in wide margins against the Detroit Piston, Bull’s future looks pretty dark to me. Mike Lopresti from USA Today Sports considers a 0-3 black hole as “sticking two wet fingers in a light socket.” Another word, the Bulls is good as dead. To win the next four game straight is a tall order. It is a mission impossible!
This was the kind of situation the Israelites faced against the Philistines. Saul had three thousand soldiers, two thousand with him and one thousand with his son, Jonathan. Jonathan’s attack against the Philistines outpost at Geba brought about “three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers and soldiers as numerous as the sand of the seashore.” And, to make the matter worse, 13:15 tells us that when Saul counted his men, only six hundred remained with him.
13:17, we see the three detachments of raiding parties of Philistines army going out in three directions. The raiding parties’ sole purpose was to destroy and annihilate the Israelites wherever they went. With only six hundred remaining with Saul and Jonathan, these raiding parities faced virtually no opposition from them.
And, when we come to 13:19, we see how it was absolutely and ludicrously worse situation for the Israelites. The Philistines possessed the new and superior technology that allowed them to harness the power of iron for their weapons and their farming tools. They kept this new technology as their top secret and did not allow it to be in the hands of the Israelites. They were so successful at it that there was not a blacksmith…in the whole
It wasn’t just the farming tools. Verse 22 says that not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. So, among the small number of six hundred soldiers standing with Saul and Jonathan, none were found with swords or spears. Perhaps, they armed themselves with plowshares. They were good as dead. It was just the matter of time before all of them were destroyed and annihilated. Sadly, for the Israelites, humanly speaking their mission was impossible; they had nothing to look forward to.
Have you ever faced a time like this where there is no way out! You feel defeated, hopeless frustrated. You don’t feel like you are living, just barely keeping your nose above the water. The challenge is too daunting, impossible. The mission is impossible! I want you to know that there is a way out!
1. You are made for the mission impossible!
The only logical solution for the Israelites was to stay clear out of the way of the raiding parties bent on destruction. Let them have it whatever they want. Just get out of their way. Don’t upset them. Don’t confront them. Whatever they had left, they just managed to get by, to survive, hiding deep among the rocks, in pits and cisterns.
Chapter 13:23, we read, “a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash.” We know from the story that it was a detachment of 20 soldiers to defend the pass. Verse 4 and 5 describes the strategic advantage for this pass. On each side of the pass… was a cliff, called Bozez to the north and Seneh to the South. The only way into Micmash where the Philistines troops were was climbing through this narrow passs. And, from above the pass surrounded by un-scalable cliffs mere 20 soldiers were enough to thwart a whole.
Verse 2 tells us Saul was staying under the shade of a pomegranate with his six hundred men, trying to clear out of the way of the Philistines. A priest named Ahijah was with Saul. This priest was a direct descendant of Eli, a cursed priest, who honored his wicked sons more than honoring God. Verse 3 says, “No one was aware that Jonathan had left.” This shows the spiritual dullness of this priest Ahijah as well as Saul.
While his father Saul seemed to resign to the reality that the mission was impossible, Jonathan had a taste for the impossible challenge! While the insignificantly small number of troop was laying low under the radar of the raiding parties, Jonathan was going straight up to the pass at Micmash. He was on his hands and his feet climbing up to the pass. The mission was humanly and logically speaking impossible. Scaling up to the pass was a suicide mission. All that the enemies had to do was throw some rocks down at them.
But, verse 6 reveals to us what he was made of! He told his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
Jonathan wasn’t taken back by the fact that he was outnumbered, completely exposed and vulnerable from the enemies attack from the higher ground. Something in him compelled him to defy the common sense, the logic of human mind. It reminds me of David’s prayer from Psalm 61:2, “From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Jonathan was not dumb. He knew exactly what he was up against, the impossible mission! But, he didn’t let the common sense and fear dictate him and drive him away from facing the impossible mission.
Instead, he set his eyes on the rock that was higher than he. Isn’t this what Hebrews writer wrote in chapter 12:1-3. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it shame, and sat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
When God calls his children he calls them out of status quo, maintenance lifestyle, fear-driven decisions and inactions to the higher rock, to Jesus Christ. We as children of God are made for the challenges, the difficulties. We are made for the mission impossible. We are made to laugh and stare at the adversaries because we serve God who allows nothing to hinder him from carrying out his saving grace!
Again, I remind you the theme God is trying to drill into your mind. He wants to bless you nothing but the kingdom growth, phenomenal and miraculous resurrection growth! He is here to awaken you from the slumber. “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” says Ephesians 5:14.
Here is the second thing I see in today’s passage.
2. You are called to incredible friendship!
Listen to Jonathan’s armor bearer in verse 7, “Do all that you have in mind… Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
I don’t know about you. When I read this man’s response to Jonathan, this moved me; this inspired me. Here was Jonathan inspired by the Spirit of God to take on the mission impossible. And, right along side of him was this equally courageous man who was made of the same stuff, like mind, heart and action!
When was last time you heard someone tell you, “I am with you heart and soul!” If you want to have a friend, this is the kind of friend you want for your life, a friend who stands by you, who covers your back, who is not afraid to lay down his or her life for you.
This is the kind of stuff that makes legends; that makes the grown up-macho like guys cry like a baby. This is the kind of stuff that you and I yearn for, brotherhood and sisterhood bound by the blood of Jesus Christ, thicker than any blood!
We are meant to bond with the supernatural, legendary, self-sacrificing, passionate love for each other in fighting for the cause of Jesus Christ. In the time of wars, in the time of the great battles, the bond of the brotherhood and sisterhood solidifies and rise to erase the memory of superficiality. In the time of the great battles, we are made to be one in Jesus Christ!
This the kingdom stuff, guys! You don’t get this anywhere else. Do you want to gain brothers and sisters who will stand by you, who will run with you, who will fight with you, who will defend you, who will stare at the adversaries and laugh with you and who will gladly lady down their lives for you?
Then, you got to enlist in the
If you suffer with loneliness, then join the
3. You are called to discern God’s will!
When we take on the mission impossible, our marching order comes from none other than our King! The zeal and passion to take on the challenge is not enough. We must learn to wait patiently for God’s sign, for God to let us know his concrete will.
This is exactly what Jonathan did. His heart was burning to take on the impossible mission to take back the territory that God had given to
As he and his arm bearer climbed up toward the pass and were seen by the men, if these men were to call them up to the pass, it was going to be the sign from God that the Lord had given them into their hands. If these men were to say they were coming down to Jonathan and his arm bearer, then they were going to stay put.
Surely, as Jonathan had in his mind, the men above the pass called them up! Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the LORD has given them into the hand of
I want you to notice something here. According to verse 10, God was giving the enemies into their hands, but in verse 12, God was giving them into the hand of
God doesn’t have us take on the mission impossible for our sake, for our fame. It is not about us; but it is about the life of church; it is about the life of our brothers and sisters in Christ; it is about those whom God has called and have yet to respond to him; it is about God’s will! Your will be done, not my will!
4. You are called to co-labor with Christ to accomplish the mission impossible with his resurrection power.
What else can you expect when God stirs and moves his people into fulfilling his kingdom will?
Verse 13-14 says, “Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.
This couldn’t happen, humanly speaking. The twenty men could have defended the whole army the Israelites. But, it says that the Philistines fell before Jonathan. Jonathan and his armor-bearer fought valiantly because God empowered them with his power.
When Gods puts in our hearts desire to take on the mission impossible and we act on his prompting, we become co-labor with Christ to accomplish the mission impossible with his resurrection life and power.
Concluding remarks
I pray this for you. I pray that God stirs you to be discontent with things as they are, to be frustrated with the status quo, maintenance and mediocre mode, but to take to the heart your God given calling to take on the mission impossible with God’s power for his kingdom and to witness God’s great saving acts!
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