Thursday, April 26, 2018
Weapons

2 Corinthians 10:3,4
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God

The weapons that we were trained with and are used to will determine the kind of warfare we are prepared for and would engage in. The David and Goliath story illustrates this very clearly. The entire story is recorded in 1 Samuel 17. Here is a very quick summary.

The scene is set in and around the Valley of Elah. A valley running from east to west from the highlands of Judah, where the army of Israel was expert, to the coastal lowlands where the Philistines were well versed and powerful. The Philistines had the most advanced weapon system of that time, iron chariots. If Israel was not hiding in the hills there would have been an outright assault with the chariots. The result is a long standoff until Goliath gets an idea to revive an old method or resolving conflicts between peoples. He challenged Saul to single man to man combat on the valley floor.

Little David showed up at the front lines and got wind of the situation and offered to take on Goliath. An unlikely development but Saul went for it. Saul, himself a tall man and leader of the troops should have gone down into the valley trusting the God of Israel to prevail. Instead, he joined in a scheme to send a young man to what, on the face of it, would be certain death.

As we mentioned when we looked at the Armour God as described in Ephesians 6, the armour is about defence and protection, striking the enemy is about the weapon. Goliath’s shield and armour are described in detail. David, not being a soldier, had no armour. So Saul, who himself should have gone out to meet Goliath, gave David his armour. David took it off saying, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” 1 Samuel 17:39.

Saul was preparing David for conventional warfare with Goliath, and Goliath himself expected a conventional fight. Here is Goliath on seeing David approach, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” 1 Samuel 17:43,44.

David’s answer gets to the heart of where we need to be today in our spiritual warfare. “David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

David had chosen non-conventional weapons to overcome an enemy prepared for conventional warfare, based on his weaponry and experience with it. But more importantly, David, by his declaration, understood from that early age that, “though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God,” 2 Corinthians 10:3,4.

So, as we have seen, the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6 gives a description of the enemy and then in 2 Corinthians 10 outlines our approach to warfare with that enemy. Paul is emphasising that we have a spiritual enemy and therefore we should avoid any combat techniques and equipment that is natural or carnal.

When the devil tempted Jesus after His 40 days in the wilderness fasting, the attacks were subtle. The devil sought to push Jesus to seek to use His power to satisfy His bodily appetites. That is a line of attack that is intense today, not just with food, but with sex and substances. So many are spiritually defeated because they are ruled by the need to satisfy bodily appetites. When that didn’t work he moved to trap him with pride and power. And when that didn’t work the devil urged outright rebellion against God.

The well worked passage from Zechariah 4:6, is worth repeating here, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” David understood this going down into the Valley of Elah to meet the mighty Goliath. We need to remember this as we confront “principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12.

David, having discarded the armour and sword supplied by Saul, “took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:40. We, therefore, have to know what the weapons in our arsenal are, from which to choose for the combat we’re in.

I propose this list, not in any particular order, the Word of God, the authority of Jesus (Jesus Name), the Spirit of Jesus (Holy Spirit), the blood of Jesus, our testimony, and prayer. We have already looked at the Word of God, and prayer as weapons of warfare against the enemy we are facing.

People who go to war are trained, drilled, and experienced in the weaponry that they use in the theatre of war. We, the people of God must do more than have an awareness of the weapons, we must train and drill with them. David chose his sling but gave a list of success stories of his capacity and experience against big targets.

Think on these things:

1. How familiar are you with any of the weapons in the list above?
2. Have you found yourself in any situations where you needed to fight and didn’t have weapons at your disposal.?
3. How do you think training would be conducted for use of the weapons we listed?

Prayer focus:

Let us pray today that we would take up the arms available to us and wage a good warfare.

In His Grace
Pastor Alex