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God Answered Jonathan's Faith

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[1 Samuel 14:6]

Jonathan said to 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.”

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There was a war with the Philistines during the time of King Saul, the first king of Israel. The Philistine army, with 30,000 chariots and 6,000 cavalry, encamped in a place called Mikmash to fight against Israel.

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Seeing the strong Philistine army, the Israelites felt great fear.
The Israelites, who had gathered for war with the Philistines, departed one by one and scattered and hid here and there. King Saul had only 600 men left.

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Saul's army didn't even have proper weapons. At that time, there was no iron smith in Israel,
so weapons for war could not be made.
Only King Saul and Jonathan had to fight with swords and spears.

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The way for Israel to defeat the Philistines in war seemed impossible even if a miracle occurred. Because they lacked the number of soldiers and weapons were not a match.
But there were people who thought and acted differently. It was Jonathan, the son of King Saul.

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Jonathan said to his men with his weapons. “Come on, let’s cross over to the Philistine camp over there.”
Jonathan and his men left the camp of Israel without anyone noticing. King Saul didn't even notice Jonathan's move.

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Jonathan said to his men.

“Let us go to the camp of those uncircumcised, and the Lord God will help us.
It doesn’t matter if the army is large or small if the Lord is going to give us salvation.”

The servant who listened to Jonathan spoke bravely.
“Prince! do as you have in your heart and go ahead. I will follow you with my heart.”

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Jonathan was a man who believed that if God was with him, he could defeat the Philistines with many soldiers. Jonathan told his men his strategy for doing God's will. “We will go to that Philistine camp and show them who we are.
Then they see us and say, "Wait for us, we will come to you," and we will wait there. But if they ask us to come up, we will go up and fight as a sign that the Lord will give us victory.”

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Jonathan did not go to war with his plan. He did the first thing to see if God would allow the war. He and Jonathan and his men passed through the mountain pass to the Philistine camp.

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The two appeared in front of the Philistines to inquire of God's will.
The Philistines who found them said: “Look over there! The Hebrews hiding in the hole have crawled out!" And the Philistines cried out to them both, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.”

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Upon hearing this, Jonathan said to his men. “Come up after me. Jehovah delivered the Philistines into the hand of Israel.” Jonathan went ahead and his men followed, climbing up the mountain with his hands and feet.
As Jonathan and his men climbed the mountain, they struck down the Philistines.

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In the first fight, Jonathan and his men ran around the mountain, killing about 20 Philistines.
When all the Philistines saw this, they began to panic.
Because God has created a great fear in their hearts.

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King Saul's guards saw the Philistines fleeing from place to place.
When King Saul heard this news, he knew that Jonathan and his men had left, and he led all the soldiers to the battlefield.

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When King Saeul and his army arrived at the battlefield, a strange thing was happening.
There the Philistines were fighting each other, wielding swords. Also, the Israelites who lived with the Philistines and were forced to join as Philistines returned to Saul and Jonathan.
When they heard that the Philistines were fleeing, the Israelites who had been hiding here and there came out and pursued the Philistines. The Philistines fled without any effort.
That day, Israel defeated the Philistines and won the war.

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This incident shows how powerful the faith of one man Jonathan is. When all Israel was disappointed to see the mighty Philistine army, Jonathan acted with the belief that with God's help, he could overcome any difficulty.
Jonathan did not neglect to ask God's will. When he confirmed God's will and acted, God was with Jonathan and helped defeat the strong Philistine army.

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To act with faith is to be with Almighty God. No one can beat those who act with the Almighty God who created the whole world.
Children of God who have believed in Jesus and are saved must be able to see all things with the eyes of faith just like Jonathan.
He and she must not neglect to ask God's will with a humble heart.
Those who have faith and do the will of God will receive the blessing of success in all things.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)