Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Modern Day Jonathan

Hat Tip, Ace of Spades HQ, via the "Jawa Report," A modern day Jonathan.

Military.com - "During the battle, the designated marksman single handedly thwarted a company-sized enemy RPG and machinegun ambush by reportedly killing 20 enemy fighters with his devastatingly accurate precision fire. He selflessly exposed himself time and again to intense enemy fire during a critical point in the eight-hour battle for Shewan in order to kill any enemy combatants who attempted to engage or maneuver on the Marines in the kill zone. What made his actions even more impressive was the fact that he didn’t miss any shots, despite the enemies’ rounds impacting within a foot of his fighting position.

'I was in my own little world,' the young corporal said. 'I wasn’t even aware of a lot of the rounds impacting near my position, because I was concentrating so hard on making sure my rounds were on target.' After calling for close-air support, the small group of Marines pushed forward and broke the enemiesspirit as many of them dropped their weapons and fled the battlefield. At the end of the battle, the Marines had reduced an enemy stronghold, killed more than 50 insurgents and wounded several more."




Compare;

"Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, 'Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.' And his armor-bearer said to him, 'Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.' Then Jonathan said, 'Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say to us, "Wait until we come to you," then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. But if they say, "Come up to us," then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.' So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, 'Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.' And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, 'Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.' And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, 'Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.' Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him. And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land. And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic. And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude was dispersing here and there." - 1st Samuel 14 (ESV)


God teaches us war now, there is value in it. There will be a day when we will study war no more, but it is not this day.

Judges 3 - "Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before."


If we are not defeated, and God gives us war, he teaches us War, and we are blessed. This is a hard thing but it is true. There is value to knowing war now. There is a life lesson in it. God uses war to keep us on the straight and narrow. Be thankful he teaches us, and does not defeat us. Pray for these men who go out and learn what God teaches.





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