Fight with what You Have

"Now no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, 'Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears.' So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his hoe. The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to fix the hoes. So it came about on the day of battle that neither sword nor spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, but they were found with Saul and his son Jonathan." -1 Samuel 13.19-22

There is not blacksmith in Israel because the Philistines did not want the men of Israel to be properly armed with for battle. The Bible says that the only men with swords and spears are Saul and Jonathan. The rest of the men were armed with farm tools, and when one of these tools needed to be sharpened or fixed the men of Israel had to pay a Philistine blacksmith to do it. But when the time to fight comes, the lack of proper weapons does not keep the men away, they fight with what they have.

When I was young I took karate, and while there I learned that the various weaponry used in martial arts (staff, sai, nunchuck, etc.) were all farm tools that were turned into weapons because it was what they had. The some of the final Spartans at Thermopylae gave their last killing Persians with their teeth and bare hands, because it was what they had. Whenever I am somewhere that isn't my house my mind will prepare for the worst case scenario. If something were to happen where I needed to fight, what is available for me to use? I am constantly taking a mental inventory of my surroundings so I know what is available. Lack of proper equipment does not excuse a man from service, it simply demands he make good use of whatever he has available.

Men, what do you have at your disposal? What skills do you have? What weapons are available? Are you willing to fight with what you have? Are you willing to take the mattock, axe, or hoe, and go to the battlefield because if you don't your family will be enslaved? Are you willing to use what you have to fight for freedom?

There is a war going on, and there will be times when we aren't properly armed for the fight. Are you willing to use whatever you have, or will you stay at home on the couch?

Let us be men who are willing to fight with whatever we have available. Let us not refuse to stand because we don't have the proper weaponry. Let us be men who stand against evil with what we have.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor