General Allenby Beats the Turks - Ends the War!
The official Israeli Medal Citation might have read: General Jonathan Benjamite, while under the cover of darkness and with only his aide-de-camp at his side, discovered an unknown passage through a hazardously steep valley and despite the potential danger to himself led his ADC up the side of the mountain where they engaged and destroyed a squadron of enemy infantry, obviously positioned to protect the flank of the 3rd Battalion of the enemy which was encamped in and around the village of Michmash. The engagement with the enemy was so unusually noisy that it led to the entire battalion abandoning its position on the high ground thinking it had been discovered and surrounded by the Israeli Army. The action and resolve shown in the line of duty and under adverse conditions contributed to the complete route of the enemy force which no doubt resulted in the potential reduction in the loss of life.
And so goes the ancient saga as recorded around the year 1050 BC by the Prophet Samuel in the 13-14th chapters of his first history of the nation of Israel concerning Jonathan, the son of Saul, King of Israel.
The prophet quotes the General as having said to his ADC, “It may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.” Whereupon the ADC answered, “I am with thee according to thy heart.”
Challenging words for any ADC to hear and comforting words to the heart of any general. Both were committed to the task with the same purpose of mind and heart, all to the glory of God. Is there a soldier somewhere tonight facing overwhelming odds on a far away battle field who needs to hear “It may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.” And is there an officer carrying the responsibility of the safety of his/her troops who needs to be comforted with, “I am with thee according to thy heart.”
One hundred years ago this coming 14 February 2018, Major Vivian Gilbert was told to prepare his troops for battle the following morning. All were to get a good night’s sleep before engaging the enemy in a frontal assault. Yet the Major couldn’t sleep. He had remembered something he had read sometime previous and couldn’t get it out of his mind and finally in the wee hours of the morning, by candlelight, found what he had been searching for. He immediately awakened his commanding officer and together they read the passage and agreed it was worth a look. Sending a small scouting party into the dark valley below Michmash they discovered the long forgotten passage and by the break of day the small unit of Turkish soldiers left to guard the flank of the Turkish Army was over powered and in the confusion, thinking they had been discovered and surrounded by General Allenby’s Army, were that day, 15 February 1918 put to flight from their advantaged position on the high ground at Michmash, Palestine. The war was over!!!
So they say, "You can't really trust the Bible. Its been copied and recopied so many times its not the same as the original." Hmmm... even after 3,000 years God is still speaking. Are you listening? And Jonathan said, “It may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.” Are you facing overwhelming odds in your life? Then the smart thing to do is to look for the answer in God’s unchanging Word. Listen close! “The LORD will work for us.” What does the evidence say about the reliability of the Bible?
MICHMASH, now Mukmas, reaches 1990 ft. above the Mediterranean Sea and is only seven miles north of Jerusalem. Even though the city of Jerusalem was surrounded by those who wished to destroy her inhabitants but now as then, God always has the last word.
Is the Bible historically accurate? Can you really trust it? Has the Bible been corrupted? See one of the oldest Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament in the world at the Museum of The Book. Book a visit now!
www.biblcalarchives.com
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