There is No Restraint to the Lord

One of the most famous stories in the Old Testament is that of David slaying Goliath. The miracle reminds us that God can work through the weak to accomplish that which is great. David declared to Saul when he learned about the giant Philistine threatening their people, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine…. The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” He then famously said to Goliath, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied” (1 Samuel 17:32, 37, 45). David trusted that he could do what seemed impossible to others because he had the help of the God of Israel. This story has inspired countless people to face their seemingly insurmountable challenges with faith in God, knowing that He will deliver those who put their trust in Him.    

A story that happened shortly before David defeated Goliath that is that much less well-known also gives a similar lesson and should likewise inspire us. The Israelites were up against the Philistines, and because “there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel,” the people were without swords. The problem was so bad that “there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found” (1 Samuel 13:19, 22). So Saul and his son Jonathan had swords to defend themselves against the Philistines, but apparently the rest of the army didn’t have swords. That seems like a pretty big problem for the Israelites facing the Philistines who were seeking to conquer them! But for Jonathan, it wasn’t a problem. He took “the young man that bare his armour” and said to him, “Come, and let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison, that is on the other side.” As they went Jonathan said, “Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few.” So Jonathan, trusting that the Lord could work miracles with a few people or many, went with just one other person to fight the Philistines. To his credit, the armor bearer said, “Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.”

So with great trust in the Lord, Jonthan and this unnamed companion went to where the Philistines were. They didn’t hide in fear but rather “both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines.” The Philistines of course mocked them when they saw these two Israelites, saying, “Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing.” But Jonathan was undeterred, saying to his companion, “Come up after me: for the Lord hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.” What an incredible statement of faith! They were two people facing a large enemy army of probably hundreds of soldiers, and Jonathan was so confident in the Lord that he declared that they had been delivered into the hand of Israel even before he faced them. Unashamed of there small number, the account relates that Jonathan and his armor bearer went to them slew about twenty men. And then the great miracle they had trusted in came: “There was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.” This earthquake provided by the Lord confused the Philistines so that “the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another” (1 Samuel 14:1, 6-7, 11-16). So they were victorious in that battle against the Philistines, even though there were only two of them against a vastly larger foe. Jonathan’s faith was every bit as powerful as David’s, and it is no wonder that the two of them became such great friends after their miracles. Both showed that the Lord can make weak things strong through faith to worky mighty miracles. When we face difficult challenges in our lives, we should remember these powerful words of Jonathan: “There is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few.”