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.”

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. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.

I Samuel 13:19,22

 Ephesians 6:17, and Hebrews  4:12, indicate to us that the Word of God, the Bible,  is our spiritual sword. It’s what we protect ourself with. It’s what we train with. It’s what we use to gain new territory and fight the enemies around and within.

The job of the pastor, the teacher and the church is really that of a blacksmith.

A blacksmith doesn’t create something from nothing. He just shapes iron into
something useful.In this case a sword. So a man will be equipped for battle.

A pastor, a teacher, a brother — doesn’t make new revelation from the Lord — He is simply used by God to take the Word and teach people what it means, so they will be equipped. (Ephesians 4)

God wants to use us as heavenly blacksmiths– to forge the word of God with the fire of God’s Spirit and power into the lives of people — who will then be able to defend themselves against the wiles of the Devil and be able to wage warfare.

                       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…

The enemy, the devil, wants to keep God’s people from having or using their swords — the Word of God. This is so often the problem. You can have a great big army,  but if they are un-armed, they will not be able to defend or attack on the day of battle.

                            But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.

What a tragedy when only the leaders in a church are truly armed. You can have a great big congregation, but if they do not know how to use the Word of God, or worse, don’t know the Word of God at all –those same leaders won’t have very much help or support in the battle.

The best thing a pastor, teacher, missionary or Christian worker can do — is to heed Ephesians 4:11-12, and equip and arm the saints with the weapon of the Word.

• Soldiers with swords have a fighting chance at survival.
• Soldiers with swords can win battles and gain new territory.
• Soliers without swords — aren’t really soldiers at all, they’re just  a crowd in danger of becoming deserters and drifters.

If we do not teach people the Word of God, and equip them to study it and use it personally — we do not have a church.

We have a crowd of people in the pits, in the caves  (I Sam 13:6) — helpless, hopeless and in serious danger of drifting (Heb 3, 10).