Greetings,
Swords do no good if they are permanently
sheathed. Their purpose is only realized
when they are used. As Christians we are responsible to use the sword that has
been given to us. What sword am I referring to? I am referring to the sword of
the spirit, which is the Word of God. This is the piece of spiritual armor that
we will be focused on this week.
"Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt
about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet
shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield
of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance
and supplication for all saints" (Ephesians 6:13-18)
The
sword is a unique weapon in that it is designed to be both offensive and
defensive. It can allow the person wielding it to both block and parry. As an
offensive weapon it can pierce, slice, fillet, chop, break, tear, and so forth.
Just like any weapon, there are different types and styles of swords. There are
long swords, short swords, swords designed to be wielded with two hands, thin
swords, broad swords and so forth.
In
the New Testament two kinds of swords are referenced. The first type of sword
described is the machaira (Strong's 3162). This was generally understood
as a large knife with a curved cutting edge. Historically, this word referred
to different types and designs, some employing one cutting edge and others
employing two. The second type of sword referenced by the New Testament is the rhomphaia (Strong's 4501). This was generally understood as a long
and broad cutlass. It's handle was typically a little over a foot and a half
alone—the blade
adding between 2 and 3 more feet to the weapon. This particular weapon was
extremely feared, and caused the only documented change to Roman armor caused
by a new weapon. One could use it to hack their enemies to pieces. Isn't that
impressive!
The
question is: which one do we get? If you guessed the rhomphaia, you're
unfortunately incorrect. It's okay though, I went through the same anticlimactic
revelation in Bible school. As part of our spiritual armor we get the machaira—we get the knife.
"And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword [machaira] of the Spirit, which is the word of
God" (Ephesians 6:17)
Jesus,
on the other hand, gets the rhomphaia. As one would expect, it is used to
execute wrath, destruction, and large scale death. This is the sword that comes
forth from His mouth when he returns and smites the nations.
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat
upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and
make war... And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword
[rhomphaia], that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them
with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath
of Almighty God." (Revelation 19:11, 15)
The question is, why is the
sword that we get comparable to a large knife? Why can't we just get the
"big guy" to hack all of the enemies of God to spiritual pieces? When
I first realized this, I honestly felt kind of cheated. You may be feeling the
same way right now. What I came to learn was that any weapon, in the hand of an
expert, becomes extremely lethal. Some weapons simply require more skill than
others. The Word of God is the same way.
When I use the Word of God like
a weapon I do not waive it around like a drunken gorilla. I use it skillfully.
I can't just use it however I want. There is so much in the Bible, and it is my
responsibility to train myself so that I can use it with excellence. Allow me
to illustrate. Let's say someone comes to me and says, "I just lost my
job, the bills are due next week, and I don't know what to do!" This is
how I WILL NOT use the word of God.
"Then
said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die." (Job 2:9)
Using
the word of God like this is sloppy. This is what happens when we try to fight
with the Word of God as if it were a rhomphaia. Instead, we need to use
calculated precision. We need to know exactly what the Bible says about
specific situations and apply that wisdom to our usage of the it. A more
appropriate use of the Word of God in this situation is as follows.
"But
my God shall supply all your need
according to his riches in glory
by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)
When
I use the Word of God in this manner it becomes a two-edged sword in my mouth,
bringing both conviction and healing. It convicts the person of God's faithfulness
and of their abiding unbelief. It then brings healing by reassuring them that
although things look bleak in the natural, their help comes from the Lord. The
Bible describes our machaira as follows.
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
twoedged sword [machaira], piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
The
moral of the story is that we are responsible to learn what the Bible says and
how to apply it to our lives. If we don't, it is no good to us or anyone else
when it's in our hands. My question to you is, how effectively do you know (and
use) the Word of God?
