God Does Much With Little - 1 Samuel 11-15

1 Samuel 13:19-23 (ESV)

Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle, and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads. So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

The Philistines were Israel’s nemesis.   They constantly were fighting each other.  In the book of Joshua the nation was told to go out and conquer and destroy the inhabitants of the land. But, Israel failed.   In these stories in the book of 1 Samuel we read the results.   When the Philistines had the upper hand, we see the above result.  The first thing you do to an oppressed people is you disarm them.   You make sure they can’t have any weapon to destroy you.  This is what is amazing in these stories in these early chapters.   In the next chapter of the book, Jonathan (King Saul’s son) goes out and defeats an entire garrison of Philistines with one of only two swords in the entire land.  God was able to make a little do big things.  Shortly in this book we will read about a young  shepherd boy named David who will kill a giant with on a sling-shot.   Again, a great victory with a little amount.   When we have God on our side it is not the size of our armory that matters. It is the size of the faith in us using the tool God has provided us, no matter the size and amount of the weapon.   Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.