Sharpen Your Own Tools (1) - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears." But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man's plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan.
1 Samuel 13:19-22

Sharpen Your Own Tools (1)
During Saul's reign, the Philistines were a formidable enemy of Israel, yet they did not always engage in direct attacks. In the case described here, they devised a plan that probably took years to unfold. They began to offer a tool-sharpening service, and evidently this was so convenient and affordable that the Israelites brought all their farming implements to the Philistines to be sharpened. The text implies that, soon enough, all the blacksmiths in Israel went out of business.

This was precisely the long-term goal of the Philistines! No blacksmiths also meant no swords or spears for Israel. What seemed to make good economic sense was actually a devious plot to deprive Israel of weapons in the day of battle.

The Philistines can symbolize religious people who lack a true relationship with God. They lived in Canaan but had their own means of entrance—a direct route from Egypt that bypassed God's way through the Red Sea and the Jordan River . Therefore we can gain a lesson from this account. Our spiritual weaponry today is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. If we want to stay sharp for the day of battle, we must keep the local blacksmith in business—that is, we must seek spiritual help from true believers.

Many religious voices offer us their insights, but we must insist on sharpening our own tools! Beware of outsourcing spiritual tasks to false helpers who actually undermine our readiness for battle.

Stephen Campbell