Do You Feel The Word of God?

Open your bible to an on-the-edge-of-your-seat story about two measly young men, one bearing armour and the other, a sword, both with a bold and confident faith in an Almighty LORD, going to fight an army of three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. What will go down? Turn to 1 Samuel 13:24-14:23 to see how it all unfolds.

I've always found diving into scripture with a group of people to be fascinating; to hear the insights of others, to bounce and discuss ideas, and to respond to one another's questions and curiosities. Tonight as we read about the story of Jonathan, his armour bearer and the Philistines, it was a ride I was not ready to get on. As we went through the passage a few verses at a time, I could feel the tension of the story build, I could feel the suspense while we waited for people to share their observations, what would happen next? Who would win the fight? Why did they do this?

So in the passage, Jonathan had snuck out with his armour bearer to go face the army of Philistines (the enemy) without telling his father, Saul, the King of the Israel at that time (v.1). Why would he do such a thing? Was he crazy? But with this spontaneity, you can see Jonathan's faith shine brightly, confident that the LORD would act on his behalf (v.6), and his armour bearer, who didn't even have a weapon on hand submitted to his leader willingly and faithfully (v.7). And by the way, they were in a valley surrounded by the enemy above, they couldn't get to a place or any more vulnerability than that! Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Jonathan was bold enough to make a call to determine the LORD's will; if the Philistines told them to come up to face them, that would signify that the LORD had given the enemy into Jonathan's hands (v.8-10). And as the story unfolds, that is exactly what happens, Jonathan and his armour bearer climb up to face the opponent, and in that first attack, they killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre (v.14). Not only that, but the LORD Almightly shows himself, shaking the ground; it was a panic sent by God (v.15). With that, the battle was won. What a story!

Did you feel that tension? Were you anxious? It was killing me as I waited patiently for our group to finish discussing so we could move on to what was next. That was just a brief summary of what happened; there's so much more in the text to bite your nails on! It was amazing to reflect on how deeply this story impacted me, my emotions and my thoughts. It made me think; isn't this how we should react to God's word? There should be emotion, suspense, tension, conflict, climax, downfall, disappointment, laughter, and much more! Does God's word stir such a reaction within you?

Not only that, but I know I often can easily remove myself from God's Word and just take it as a separately story and book, but do know that these stories did actually happen; there were people of such great faith walking the earth, and thousands were defeated by an semi-armed duo, powered by the LORD.

With all that, yes, this story does teach us about being bold in our faith, to have a great confidence in the LORD and his abilities, his power and his plan, but what I want to say with this post is that God's word should not merely be read and studied, but felt, and we should be moved by it! Put yourself in the shoes or I guess, sandals of the character, envision the landscape, and then stand in awe as you recognize who God is and what the God of the Bible is capable of.

Why is it that sometimes we don't react to scripture so strongly? Is it because we're all grown up now and we're just too serious about things? Perhaps a good way to approach scripture is through the eyes of a child. I'm sure you can remember an instance when you were young, and as your parents read you stories, you were amazed by the roaring dragon, heartfelt for the princess, or in awe by the plot twists. We were once so naturally imaginative, excited and enthusiastic about the fascination behind stories, and the stories in the Bible are the same! So may your palms get clamy from suspense, your eyes water from the heartbreak, and your mind racing each time you open and encounter the Living Word of God!

On a side note, in verse 20, it says that when the rest of the Israelites had gotten to the site of the battle, they found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords; and in my notes, I simply wrote "LOL". Isn't God's work just amazing!?

Comments

Popular Posts