The Uncommon Commitment of an Armor Bearer 

 1 Samuel 14:1-2, 6-7

knight1 One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, "Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side." But he did not tell his father.  2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave at Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men 

1SA 14:6 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."  7 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." 

In this account, Jonathan shows himself to be a man of uncommon faith and trust in God, by his actions and the timeless, Godly principle he states, “Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”

However, it is his armor bearer who shows another uncommon, even uncanny level of commitment and trust. 

The nameless armor bearer of Jonathan says, “Do all that is in your heart... Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”shield

This statement is amazing, not only because of the odds that are pitted against these two adventurers, but even more so because of the nature of the armor bearer’s position.

Jonathan is a valiant warrior, used to being in dangerous situation through battle, the armor bearer however isn’t.

Armor bearers were often young boys, warrior want-to-bes.  Their hope was that, one day, they too could grow up to be a mighty warrior like their masters were.

Their main job however was to keep the soldiers gear and fighting equipment in top shape and at the ready.  The armor bearer saw to it that the warrior’s sword was kept sharp and defect free.  He was responsible for making sure the fighter’s shield was in perfect condition, the heat of battle is no place to discover a crack in your shield or armor.  The young boy would also see to the soldier’s horse and other equipment used for the battle.  It was an important support role but when it came time for the battle, it was the warrior who was out in front, not the armor bearer 

Jonathan’s armor bearer commits his life to the spiritual goal that Jonathan has in mind… “Whatever it might be”!  It’s utterly amazing… he doesn’t even know what he is getting himself into, except that it will entail sure peril… yet he commits himself heart and soul!

If Jonathan gets killed in the battle, what will his armor bearer do?  Fight?  It would be a short one.  Running away would probably be his better option, but how far would he get?

Yet he is willing to spend himself heart and soul, all that he is, all that is within him, all that he has or ever will have, completely at Jonathan’s disposal.

That’s the kind of attitude we need to have in the pursuit of our spiritual goals.

Spiritually speaking, Jesus is the warrior who is going out to battle.  He calls to us and says, "Come, let's go do something for the Kingdom of God." 

He is waiting to hear us say to him, “"Do all that you have in mind, Go ahead Lord; I am with you heart and soul."