Be Aggressive But Wise

Synopsis     1Sam 14:5-14     9/16/2018

In the midst of the battle of Michmash, Jonathan discovered a path to engage the Philistine army. But, it involved climbing a steep crag. His armor-bearer willingly assisted him. But otherwise, he didn’t tell anyone else about his plan to raid.

So, Jonathan made a simple plan. He realized that climbing the crag would expose their position to a small Philistine outpost. He reasoned, if the men of the outpost waited for them to climb up, then they would continue climbing. Otherwise, if the Philistines came down to them, they would stop.

As it turned out, the two men were actually told to “come up” by the Philistines. And as they did, they surprised the outpost because they were armed. So, Jonathan was able to kill about twenty men from the outpost.

Jonathan was Aggressive but Wise

Jonathan was a general in Saul’s army. And he was the king’s son. So he was the heir apparent. Everyone expected him to be the next king. This was his God-given purpose in life.

But also, Jonathan’s natural disposition was to be aggressive. He wanted to attack. And, he wanted to engage the Philistines where he might have some limited advantage.

So, Jonathan made this plan. And, he shared the plan with his armor-bearer, who agreed. Finally, he set a clever milestone. By making his attack dependent on how his adversary responded, he was prepared for the engagement to unfold in multiple different ways.

Be Aggressive But Wise

God created you with purpose. You’re on earth to do something that only you can do. So, give everything you can to excel at your purpose.

Be aggressive. But also be wise. Consider the ways that the world will respond when you begin to enter into your purpose. And be ready to meet each challenge with the conviction of Jonathan climbing his crag.

In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths. Prov 3:6