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Jonathan's Victory - The Book of 1 Samuel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And the men of the garrison answered
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  Speaker 1: Jonathan and his armor-bearer, and said, Come up to us,
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  Speaker 1: and we will show you a thing. And Jonathan said
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  Speaker 1: to his armor-bearer, Come up after me, for the Lord
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  Speaker 1: hath delivered them into the hand of Israel. 1 Samuel
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  Speaker 1: 14.12 Dear Lord, Today I ask that you give me
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  Speaker 1: the courage of Jonathan, who was able to see victory
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  Speaker 1: in a seemingly impossible situation. When the odds seem stacked
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  Speaker 1: against me, I choose to see myself overcoming all challenges
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  Speaker 1: that are before me. Whether two or two thousand, I
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  Speaker 1: will move with precision and execute my plan of attack,
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  Speaker 1: knowing that your hand of favor is upon me and
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  Speaker 1: all those who are fighting alongside me to claim the
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  Speaker 1: territory and promises you've laid before us. the day of
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  Speaker 1: vindication and validation is upon me. Thank you, God, that
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  Speaker 1: through you and your power, no weapon formed against me
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  Speaker 1: will prosper. When prideful people in positions of influence try
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  Speaker 1: to abuse their power and try to strike down my
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  Speaker 1: ideas and purpose, I declare that you will surround me
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  Speaker 1: with men and women of influence who will protect my
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  Speaker 1: post and as the soldiers did for Jonathan. I announce
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  Speaker 1: today that I am your person. I am the one
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  Speaker 1: you've chosen to step into new camps and doors of opportunities.
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  Speaker 1: I am victorious. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
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  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story, brought to.
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  Speaker 2: You Jonathan's Victory In our last story, we learned of
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  Speaker 2: Saul's pride and disobedience. Although he claimed many victories, his
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  Speaker 2: attitude against God was muddied by his own pride and anxiety.
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  Speaker 2: Now we peer into the heart of Jonathan, Saul's son.
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  Speaker 2: His bravery and resolve to do what is right is
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  Speaker 2: contrasted against Saul's descending heart. Inspired by the book of
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  Speaker 2: 1 Samuel.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our previous story, we
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  Speaker 3: heard of Saul's growing pride and how it led him
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  Speaker 3: to dishonor God with a thoughtless, disobedient sacrifice. When confronted
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  Speaker 3: by Samuel about his disobedience, Saul chose to make excuses
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  Speaker 3: and attempted to justify himself rather than repenting and seeking
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  Speaker 3: God's forgiveness. This would tragically become a pattern in the
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  Speaker 3: life of Saul. Today we'll see a contrast to this
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  Speaker 3: prideful and insecure king in his own son, Jonathan. We'll
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  Speaker 3: hear how Jonathan faces the Philistines and emerges victorious, while
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  Speaker 3: Saul struggles to do things his own way, causing his
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  Speaker 3: own men to suffer unnecessarily. Father and son will clash,
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  Speaker 3: and loyalties will be tested. Let's listen now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: The camp of Israel was still. Preparations for battle were
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  Speaker 2: almost complete, and the men waited silently in their tents
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  Speaker 2: for orders. In his tent, Saul stood in his own
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  Speaker 2: self-loathing because of what Samuel had said. Would his kingdom
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  Speaker 2: be taken away from him so soon? Saul thought to himself.
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  Speaker 2: Meanwhile Saul's son Jonathan beckoned his armor-bearer and said,' Let
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  Speaker 2: us go over the other side of the hill to
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  Speaker 2: the Philistine camp. Perhaps there are weaknesses we are unaware of.'
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  Speaker 2: So Jonathan and his servant crossed over the hill silently,
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  Speaker 2: for Jonathan did not desire for any attention or objections.
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  Speaker 2: They climbed over the rocky hill and hid under one
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  Speaker 2: of the crags beside a rock. There they could see
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  Speaker 2: the Philistine camp going about their business. The sun was
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  Speaker 2: making its descent, and the soldiers were getting ready for
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  Speaker 2: the night to fall. Jonathan peered at the Philistine garrison.
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  Speaker 2: There were about twenty men standing on the outskirts of
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  Speaker 2: the rest of the camp. He did not see them
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  Speaker 2: as others did. While others trembled at their numbers, Jonathan
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  Speaker 2: saw men too consumed with their own wickedness to fight bravely.
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  Speaker 2: He knew that the Lord would go before them. Jonathan
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  Speaker 2: and the armor-bearer crouched silently under the rock. Jonathan turned
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  Speaker 2: to his armor-bearer. and whispered, Perhaps God will work for
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  Speaker 2: us this day. If God wants victory, he shall get it.
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  Speaker 2: It does not matter whether it is two men or
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  Speaker 2: two thousand. His armor-bearer looked at Jonathan and nodded, I
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  Speaker 2: am with you, heart and soul. The two smiled and
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  Speaker 2: stood upright for the Philistines to see them. They sauntered
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  Speaker 2: into camp, and the Philistine soldiers noticed them approaching. The
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  Speaker 2: Philistines were not threatened in the least by Jonathan and
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  Speaker 2: his servant. Hebrews, they laughed. Come on over here, Hebrews.
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  Speaker 2: We will show you around. The Philistines cackled and spat
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  Speaker 2: on the floor. Jonathan and the armor-bearer walked slowly. Jonathan
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  Speaker 2: could feel the favor of God in that place. To him,
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  Speaker 2: it was only a matter of swinging his axe. The
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  Speaker 2: Lord would do the rest. God is before us, Jonathan said,
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  Speaker 2: and the two leapt into the group of men. Jonathan
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  Speaker 2: swung his axe with decisiveness, with his armor-bearer fighting beside him.
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  Speaker 2: The two of them fought off the advances of twenty men.
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  Speaker 2: Metal clashed against metal, and Jonathan struck down every man
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  Speaker 2: that ran towards them. The two of them danced with
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  Speaker 2: their blades, and the rest of the Philistines scattered in confusion.
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  Speaker 2: Darkness began to settle into the sky, and all of
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  Speaker 2: a sudden, the Philistines began to fight one another in confusion.
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  Speaker 2: They thought they were under attack by over a hundred men.
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  Speaker 2: so they stumbled into each other's swords. The watchmen of
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  Speaker 2: Israel could see a restlessness in the Philistine camp below.
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  Speaker 2: They brought word to Saul, and he had his men
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  Speaker 2: count to see who was missing from among them. Jonathan
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  Speaker 2: and his armor-bearer, they reported. So Saul rallied the rest
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  Speaker 2: of the army, and the entirety of Israel's army stormed
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  Speaker 2: the Philistine camp. The battle stretched for miles as Philistines
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  Speaker 2: scattered in a thousand different directions. Confusion and hysteria overcame
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  Speaker 2: the Philistines, for they were caught completely off guard. Some
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  Speaker 2: of the surrounding villages caught word that the Philistines were
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  Speaker 2: running away, so they sent some of their soldiers to
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  Speaker 2: join the Israelite army. God had used Jonathan to scatter
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  Speaker 2: the Philistines, and one by one they fell at his feet.
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  Speaker 2: So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle
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  Speaker 2: passed beyond Bethlehem. There were still a vast number of
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  Speaker 2: Philistines to be slain. Saul, in a rash moment of passion,
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  Speaker 2: gave orders for the men to not eat until every
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  Speaker 2: Philistine had been killed. He wanted to incentivize his soldiers,
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  Speaker 2: but instead he left them without fuel or energy for battle. Jonathan, however,
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  Speaker 2: continued to eat. He would snack on honey to replenish
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  Speaker 2: his energy and then return to the battlefield for more victory.'
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  Speaker 2: Eat and be filled,' Jonathan said to his men. Look
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  Speaker 2: at me, I have eaten, and now have the strength
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  Speaker 2: to continue. So Jonathan had his men eat the food
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  Speaker 2: they found in the Philistine camp. Saul soon realized that
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  Speaker 2: his men were growing weaker by the hour, so he
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  Speaker 2: ordered for a feast to be prepared to serve the
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  Speaker 2: men before sending them out again to raid the Philistine cities.
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  Speaker 2: He discovered that Jonathan had been feasting on honey and
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  Speaker 2: giving some to his men as well. Saul's pride sparked
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  Speaker 2: rage inside of him. What have you done? Saul yelled.
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  Speaker 2: Jonathan was breathing heavily from battle. He looked closely at
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  Speaker 2: his father. He was growing mad. He could see it
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  Speaker 2: in his eyes. Saul was becoming irresponsible, and his mind
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  Speaker 2: was fogged. Jonathan did not know at this time that
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  Speaker 2: God's favor had been removed from him. Jonathan stood up
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  Speaker 2: straight and said, I ate honey. Jonathan stretched out his
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  Speaker 2: arms and said, Here I am. If I must die,
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  Speaker 2: then so be it. Saul's brow furrowed, and his mouth
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  Speaker 2: tensed up with anger. He pointed to his son and said,
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  Speaker 2: You shall die for it. And Saul lifted his sword
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  Speaker 2: to strike down his son. In that instant, the soldiers
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  Speaker 2: surrounded Jonathan and said, You shall not harm one hair
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  Speaker 2: on his head, for he is the one who has
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  Speaker 2: worked out this salvation for Israel. The soldiers formed a
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  Speaker 2: wall between Saul and Jonathan. In that instant, Saul knew
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  Speaker 2: that he was no longer king. Entitled, yes, but he
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  Speaker 2: did not have the hearts of his men.
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  Speaker 3: Today's story begins on a battlefield. It's a fight with
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  Speaker 3: the Philistines. But rather than being focused on the enemy
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  Speaker 3: at hand, Saul is sulking, licking his wounds after Samuel's chastisement.
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  Speaker 3: He's finally coming into his own as king, and now
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  Speaker 3: God has told him his days as leader are numbered.
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  Speaker 3: His son Jonathan, on the other hand, isn't interested in
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  Speaker 3: fame or glory, but in the battle that was in
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  Speaker 3: front of him and how the Philistine army might be defeated.
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  Speaker 3: He quietly sneaks away with his armor-bearer into the Philistine camp,
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  Speaker 3: confident that God can give him victory if that is
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  Speaker 3: his will. Listen to the words of Jonathan in 1
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  Speaker 3: Samuel 14, 6. Jonathan realized something that we all should remember.
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  Speaker 3: When something is God's will, nothing can stop it. Centuries later,
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  Speaker 3: The Apostle Paul would write in Romans chapter 8, If
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  Speaker 3: God is for us, who can be against us? So
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  Speaker 3: Jonathan and his armor-bearer face off against 20 Philistines and
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  Speaker 3: defeat them. This sends fear throughout the Philistine camp and
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  Speaker 3: soldiers begin to scatter in confusion. This clash catches the
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  Speaker 3: attention of the Israelites and soon word reaches Saul that
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  Speaker 3: Jonathan and his armor-bearer are missing. No doubt Saul did
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  Speaker 3: not want his son Jonathan to get credit for the victory,
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  Speaker 3: so he marshals his troops for battle. He even calls
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  Speaker 3: for the ark to be brought, but this was no
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  Speaker 3: act of devotion on Saul's part. While Saul maintained an
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  Speaker 3: outward appearance of piety and righteousness, his heart was really
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  Speaker 3: focused on his own glory and power. Once again, Saul
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  Speaker 3: acts impatiently, and Israel goes into battle against the confused Philistines.
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  Speaker 3: Many of their enemies are defeated, but not all. Still,
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  Speaker 3: Israel was saved that day because of Jonathan's courage and action.
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  Speaker 3: And this didn't go unnoticed by the people. Saul isn't
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  Speaker 3: satisfied with the results of the battle, and he wants
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  Speaker 3: to keep going until all the Philistines are defeated. So
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  Speaker 3: he issues a ridiculous command that no sensible commander would
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  Speaker 3: dare give to his men. He vows that no man
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  Speaker 3: will eat until every Philistine is dead. As you would expect,
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  Speaker 3: this foolish command weakens the men. and they are not
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  Speaker 3: strong enough to face a powerful enemy. But Jonathan, wise Jonathan,
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  Speaker 3: does not allow the restrictions to apply to him, and
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  Speaker 3: he nourishes himself with honey. He has his men also
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  Speaker 3: eat from food in the Philistine camp. So Saul finally relents.
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  Speaker 3: He throws a feast for the people so they can
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  Speaker 3: be strengthened for battle. By now he's all about the
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  Speaker 3: grand gestures and displays of his personal power. His terrible
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  Speaker 3: leadership is on full display. But when he discovers Jonathan
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  Speaker 3: has Eden despite the prohibition, Saul confronts his son. Jonathan,
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  Speaker 3: rather than making excuses or hiding the truth, comes clean
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  Speaker 3: with no apologies. But he also submits to whatever punishment
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  Speaker 3: would come his way, including death. Jonathan is a clear
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  Speaker 3: contrast to his father. Jonathan is humble and committed to
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  Speaker 3: the Lord, willing to own his actions. And when Saul
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  Speaker 3: tries to kill his own son to show Israel that
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  Speaker 3: he's the man in charge, the people stand up for
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  Speaker 3: Jonathan and will not allow it. Saul, for all of
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  Speaker 3: his posturing and pride, had lost the command of his people,
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  Speaker 3: just as God said he would. Dear God, help us
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  Speaker 3: to be a man like Jonathan, humble and always trusting
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  Speaker 3: in you and willing to make decisions that honor you.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for his example in this story today. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Jack Graham of Dallas, Texas, and you can download
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  Speaker 3: the Pray.com app and make prayer the priority of your life.
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  Speaker 3: It is our prayer that you would know Jesus Christ
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  Speaker 3: in a personal way. Jesus and knowing him is the
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  Speaker 3: key to understanding the Bible. Jesus is on every page
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  Speaker 3: in the pathway of Scripture. So I pray that you
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  Speaker 3: would know him and look to him for eternal life.
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  Speaker 3: As we see all of these stories, some of them
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  Speaker 3: very sordid, we realize just how desperately we all need
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  Speaker 3: the Lord. So invite Christ into your life and receive
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  Speaker 3: him as your Lord and Savior. I would also encourage
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  Speaker 3: you to download the Pray.com app and let others know
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  Speaker 3: about this podcast. And if you want more resources on
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  Speaker 3: how to know God and experience his presence in your life,
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  Speaker 3: be sure to visit JackGraham.org. God bless you.