1 Samuel 14:1-23--Jonathan Defeats the Philistines

1 Samuel 14:1-23
English Standard Version

Jonathan Defeats the Philistines
14 One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave at Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men, 3 including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the LORD in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4 Within the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.

6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.” 7 And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.” 8 Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the LORD has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.” 11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” 12 And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after me, for the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel.” 13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him. 14 And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land. 15 And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.

16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude was dispersing here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Count and see who has gone from us.” And when they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there. 18 So Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God went at that time with the people of Israel. 19 Now while Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the camp of the Philistines increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” 20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle. And behold, every Philistine's sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion. 21 Now the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines before that time and who had gone up with them into the camp, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Likewise, when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too followed hard after them in the battle. 23 So the LORD saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.

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This passage seems to describe a turning point in the war against the Philistines, though it is not by the hand of Saul that these events will happen, but by his son Jonathan.  Saul is hiding with his men in the caves, but Jonathan and his armor-bearer have secretly made their way away from the hiding place and planned to attack the Philistine garrison alone if necessary--for Jonathan understood that that number of men in the attacking party was not a factor when the LORD was fighting the battle for them.

So Jonathan reached the place where the two sides had previously encamped against one another with one crag on the north side and one on the south side where Michmash and Geba were opposite one another.  Remember the Philistine garrison is in Geba.

Jonathan asked the LORD for a sign on whether they should let the Philistines come to them or if they should go up to them to attack the garrison, and so it was that if the Philistines told them to stay there and they would come to them that they would do so and they would attack them once they got to them, but if they called them up to them they would go up to the garrison and attack it knowing that the LORD had given the garrison into their hands.

The Philistines call Jonathan and his armor-bearer up and with their first strike, they killed twenty Philistines in the same distance that would normally be a furrow made in a one-acre plot of farm land for planting a row of crops.  This struck great fear into the hearts of the Philistines and the Hebrews who had allied themselves with the Philistines.  The Philistines began to scatter and Saul saw the commotion and realized that someone from his company must be missing and must be attacking the Philistine garrison (though he had not ordered such an attack).  Saul ordered a head-count and it was then that they discovered that Jonathan and his armor-bearer were missing.

It is at this point that we get some indication that the priesthood has been "restored," though Saul seems to think that the priesthood is there to serve him, for he has Eli's closest relative there and has dressed him as a priest.  Though it says that this man, Ahijah, served as the priest before the LORD in Shiloh, he is with Saul and Saul calls for the Ark of the Covenant to be brought out--I'm not sure his reasoning here if he wished for the priest to make inquiry before the LORD, but it seems that at some point he sees the opportunity for victory and decides to go in with or without the LORD's blessing.  So, he rallies his 600 men to chase after the Philistines that were fleeing, and all the men that had been hiding in caves came out for they were no longer afraid of the Philistines, and those who had joined with the Philistines (they were traitors) now abandoned their alliance with the Philistines and rejoined the camp of Saul and Jonathan.  So it was that day that the LORD saved Israel--notice the text does not say that Saul saved Israel or that Jonathan and his armor-bearer saved Israel, but it is the LORD Himself who fought for them and won the battle.