Just Sitting Under the Pomegranate Tree

# 175 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 14:1-3 Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us go over to the Philistines' garrison that is on the other side." But he did not tell his father. 2 And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men. 3 Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD'S priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. ( 1 Sam 14:1-3) Did anyone ever say something to you like, “Well don't just sit there, Do something!” As I read this, I feel like it's something that needs to be said to King Saul. “Your majesty, the Philistines are getting ready to attack, you only have 600 men with pitchforks and hoes, and a priest, and your plan is to sit under a pomegranate tree?” Jonathon on the other hand tells his armor bearer, “let's make some contact with the enemy.” Instead of waiting for the enemy to make a move, he decides to push against them. The key to this seemingly rash decision on Jonathon's part is he knew and understood that God was with him. He was circumcised, the Philistines were not. He was in a covenant relationship with God, they were not. That's why in verse 6 he calls the Philistines, “uncircumcised.” It's the same term David used when he encountered Goliath, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” No wonder David and Jonathon were such good friends, they both had the heart of God. They were what we could call “circumcised believers,” whereas King Saul and the other Israelites were circumcised, but lacked faith. Simply being circumcised is not enough. Explicit trust (faith) must enter the picture. The kind of trust evidenced by Jonathon and David.... It is as we read in Mr 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. Trust or belief is evidenced by Christian works of love....not by sitting under the pomegranate tree. Faith without works is dead.