Forged In Fire

Ever heard the expression “forged in fire?” Well, I’m sure you have.

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and it is also the name of a popular television show on The History Channel. Something guys like to watch. The show is called “Forged in Fire,” where a bunch of blacksmiths compete with each other to forge unusual weapons of war. I hear that history buffs love this show because it’s mostly military weapons that have faded into history. Like I said, it’s a guy-program; you know what I mean? But what I have seen of these ancient weapons, pulled from the pages of military history – I tell you what, they’re scary. It’s like, I mean, these are the kinds of weapons the Assyrians would have used or the cutthroat Babylonians. They came along with the armies of like, you know, the Philistines or even Genghis Khan. I mean, these people back then forged newfangled inventions – frightening weapons that were specifically designed to do just that – to scare the wits out of their enemies; to terrify them, not to mention afflict horrific injuries!

Well, I thought about this program “Forged in Fire” and its weird weapons when I read this essay by Mark Guy Pearse. He describes the time in 2 Samuel chapter 21 when David was, once again, facing another battle with the Philistines. And David was poised to fight their new warrior – not Goliath this time – but a fearsome guy named Ishbi-Benob. And what makes this Philistine really fearsome was that he was armed with “a new sword,” as it says in verse 16. Now Bible scholars tell us that this was not simply a typical sword that was new, you know, one that had never been used before. No, Ishbi-Benob was brandishing a new, never-before-seen, terrifying implement of war designed to strike fear in David’s heart. Mark Pearse says this; he says, “Ishbi-Benob at last hit upon a weapon warranted to lay any man low. He [probably] went to the smith, who shaped it and hammered it and sharpened it. He took it to the priest, and they muttered over it their incantations, and declared it irresistible.” And who knows, perhaps David thought it was irresistible, too. But all of a sudden, just as Ishbi-Benob comes rushing at David, Abishai, the strong, courageous companion of David, came to our hero’s rescue, jumping in front of David and striking down the Philistine, even as he held his scary, newfangled weapon.

Now here’s the interesting part. Here’s the application. Our enemy, the devil, is perpetually forging new weapons against God’s people. Some never-before-thought-of set of scary circumstances meant to strike fear in your heart. It might be a fearful situation you’ve never found yourself in before: a new, horrific medical report; the loss of someone you depended on. It is so easy to look at the unknowns and see nothing but giants. But the devil – very much like Ishbi-Benob – is nothing but a blustering giant. So you take heart. God will never leave you alone. There will be, there will come, your Abishai to the rescue. You know you’ve got that Abishai – a friend who will pray; a Christian friend who will champion your cause. In your church there are Abishai-friends who will be quick to jump in front of you with intercession and encouragement, all to the end of beating back your adversary with his newfangled designs. So I trust these words will give you hope in your hardship today. Because the Captain of your salvation has given you a weapon that beats them all: the sword of the Spirit. So brandish it well against the enemy. Because with the sword of God’s Word, you are more than a conqueror against any giant. God bless you, and thanks for listening!

© Joni and Friends