Let’s forget the stuff of fairy tales for a moment.
Cast aside the Biblical promises telling of opening the Windows of Heaven, if even just for the time it takes to read this essay. Let’s turn our thoughts away from the Name It, Claim It blessings that modern Christianity wants to espouse to all believers.
Let’s bite into a day filled with life the way it really is, grind our teeth on the grit of reality, and taste the harsh flavor of disappointment and adversity.
In the latest installment of the Jurassic Park franchise that debuted in June 2015, the dinosaurs have bigger teeth than ever. In one scene, the lead character is poised half in a dinosaur’s mouth and half out. It’s the teeth that get our attention. They are huge, able to rip a person in half. Name It, Claim It theology is not going to rescue a person from that sort of reality.
And it is a reality for most of humanity. Life has us in its teeth, and it’s all we can do not to get ripped in half. We’re frightened to death every day that we might not make it to the next morning alive and breathing.
Jonathan is one of the Bible’s most beloved characters. He was the king’s son, and he bonded with David, the man who’s known for being after God’s heart. The people of Israel and Judah were so loyal to Jonathan that they rose up against their king when he tried to kill his own son.
And it was all because Jonathan had faith in God and stepped into the teeth of adversity.
1 Samuel 14:4 tells us:
“[When] Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.”
These rocks have been identified by modern travelers. Their names, however, are the stuff of antiquity. The meaning of the ancient Hebrew terms are literally “the tooth” of the Philistines on one side, and “the tooth” of Saul’s camp on the other.
Jonathan, the king’s son, the boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth, was caught between the teeth of something bigger than he was, and he had to escape with his life. He attempted to tip a battle in his father’s favor, but to venture into the enemy’s camp alone was rash and contrary to established military procedure.
It was a great risk, especially for the son of a king.
Jonathan’s reasoning for this brash and risky move? We can read of it in 1 Samuel 14:6. The Message Bible says it best:
“Jonathan said to his armor bearer, ‘Come on now, let’s go across to these uncircumcised pagans. Maybe God will work for us. There’s no rule that says God can only deliver by using a big army. No one can stop God from saving when he sets his mind to it.’ ”
Israel was successful against the Philistines, not because of the king and his mighty army, but because one man refused to be intimidated by life’s circumstances. Jonathan stepped through the teeth of his adversity, trusted in God, and set events into motion that would revitalize his people’s position among her neighbors.
Even when his father tried to kill him afterward out of jealously, God kept his hand on his loyal servant Jonathan. He rewarded him for trusting in God.
Our reality is the same. There’s no fairy tale magic involved in overcoming our problems; we can’t wait on a miraculous infusion of God’s blessings to solve life’s issues; and God requires us to do more than name our answer to claim it. We have to be a Jonathan and step through the teeth of adversity to find God’s success on the other side, no matter who tells us we’re fools taking too great a risk.
We have to remember Jonathan’s words: “No one can stop God from saving when he sets his mind to it.”
When God wants to bring us success, not even the devil can get in the way.
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