While Jonathan was audaciously plotting
a bold move to trouble the Philistines, Saul we are told “…was staying in
the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is
in Migron.” What should he be doing? Why wasn’t he assuming the
responsibility he was given? It’s sad that when leaders are not fulfilling what
they were called to do. Fortunately, he had a sensible son who was willing to
step into his anointing. The least he could have done was to pray and not
rest beneath the pomegranate tree. But he didn’t. It’s a sad case of a leader
who couldn’t discern what needs to be done for the moment. It shows Saul to be
a person lacking the urgency of the moment.
Notice who were the people who were
with him. Besides his 600 men, there was Ahijah, the son of
Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest
of the Lord at Shiloh. The
people mentioned remind us of the departure of God’s glory, especially Ichabod,
the son of Phinehas who was hurriedly given this name during his
mother’s dying moment. The detail of what happened to Eli and his two wretched
sons can be found in 1 Samuel 4. Why do you think we are specially told that
the priest Ahijah was with Saul wearing the ephod? It’s because the ephod was
the Urim and Thummin, devices that were used to seek the guidance of God. It
would have been encouraging knowing that Saul had the devices that were needed
to seek God’s direction, had it not for the names of the people who were with
him. The most telling was the menti0n of Ichabod. How can we forget that his
name means “the glory has departed?” This was indicative of what would happen
when we leave God out of the equation. Just imagine the scene. All the
fighting men whom Israel had, 600 of them and the priest, were with Saul
resting. Shouldn’t they be working? Sadly, we saw that only Jonathan and his
armor-bearer were the only two who seemed to be concerned. What was
more pathetic was the sentence that reads, “And the people did not know that
Jonathan had gone.” The people that should have shown concern were all
unconcerned. What’s happening? Let this not be the situation in our church.
Every believer must make himself or herself available to advance the work of
God. All of us must evaluate where we are and not be found seating under the
proverbial “pomegranate tree”, while we should be found busy working in
the ministry.
The church of Christ must advance. We
can choose to be like one of those sitting underneath the pomegranate tree or
we can be like Jonathan, secretly and diligently working. Jonathan had
left us with a model to emulate. He was found where he was needed and in the
thick of essential work. Let’s recall what the Lord Jesus said in John
9:4. He said, “We must work the works of Him… as
long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” So we
must arise and seize every moment to do the work of God where He has set us. Let
us not be found wanting!
No comments:
Post a Comment