How could Jonathan be certain the sign from the men of the Philistine garrison was from the Lord? (1 Samuel 14:9–12)
1 Samuel 14:9-12 9 If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them. 10 But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the Lord hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us. 11 And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves. 12 And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the Lord hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.
1 Samuel 13:9 - 12
ESV - 9 So Saul said, "Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him.
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Asked August 05 2018
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Jack Gutknecht
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Tim Maas
I view this assurance on Jonathan's part as similar to the way in which Abraham's servant asked God in faith for a specific sign of the servant's own devising as to the woman whom God had selected to be the wife of Abraham's son Isaac (Genesis 24:12-14), which God then honored and responded to. Jonathan likewise had faith (as noted in 1 Samuel 14:6) in God's ability to show (through His control of events) which course of action Jonathan and his armor-bearer should follow, according to what the Philistines would say in response to seeing Jonathan and his armor-bearer coming toward them. When the response of the Philistines corresponded exactly to one of the alternatives that Jonathan had specified, Jonathan was confident that God had given the Philistines into his hands.
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