The Most Effective Swords

The Most Effective Swords

by | May 29, 2016 | Warriors of the Way

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​​“May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands” (Psalm 149:6).
 

​Several verses in the Scriptures utilize the spiritual metaphor of a sharpened sword. Most famous, of course, are the words of the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:17 which directly liken the word of God to a sword.  It’s a simple but effective metaphor that brings to mind the powerful ability of a warrior’s blade to accomplish his purpose – whether defending good or destroying evil. But it’s also an analogy we can profitably think about in terms of how the best swords are made.

Eventually, sword masters discovered that they could make the most effective sword blades through a process of fusion.  Earlier sword blades had great disadvantages.  If they were made of hard metal, they would sharpen well and hold a keen edge, but they shattered easily in actual combat. If they were made of soft metal, they would flex in combat and not shatter, but they would not take or hold a good edge and soon became blunt and unusable.

The sword masters solved this problem by creating swords made from both hard and soft metal – paper thin laminations of soft and hard metal that were successively fused together through skilled craftsmanship until blades were produced that had great flexibility but that also retained a deadly cutting edge.

Something like this holds true of the principles we find in the spiritual “sword” that we are given to use. Time and again the Scriptures juxtapose qualities that seem to be opposite, yet both are needed to make us effective.  Consider just a few examples of opposites fused in the Bible, and how we might apply them:

Justice and Mercy:  “…Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another” (Zechariah 7:9).  Punishment should take into account circumstances as well as attitude.

Letter and Spirit: “You should have practiced the latter [Spirit of the Law], without neglecting the former [Letter of the Law]” (Matthew 23:23).  We should follow the spirit of the law without making it an excuse not to follow the letter when that is appropriate.

Truth and Love:  “Grace, mercy and peace from God … will be with us in truth and love” (1 John 1:1-3). We should tell the truth, but need not do it in ways that unnecessarily hurt others.

Correction and Encouragement: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage” (2 Timothy 4:2).  We should always correct with encouragement to do better.
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In all of these examples and in many other situations, the Scriptures show us that while all of the qualities mentioned in such pairs are important, taking only one approach or the other can be problematic or even wrong.  In so many cases we need both of the seeming opposites to live and to serve as we should.  It can help us to achieve real growth to look for pairs like these as we study the Scriptures, and to meditate on how we can make sure we are developing in both areas.  It is the combination of metals of opposite characteristics that makes effective swords – and it is often the fusion of complementary spiritual truths that makes the word of God such a powerful sword of the Spirit. 

Hearing the Word: Audio Bibles on BibleGateway.com

Hearing the Word: Audio Bibles on BibleGateway.com

by | May 22, 2016 | Bible Study

​If you have not already done so, consider checking out the selection of audio Bibles on the BibleGateway.com website.  Their audio versions of the Scriptures are free to listen to and can often be a helpful supplement to regular Bible reading for anyone, as well as an invaluable resource for the sight impaired.

The Bible Gateway website currently offers a total of 28 translations of the Old Testament, New Testament, or the whole Bible in 13 languages. This means, of course, that there are multiple translations in some languages such as Chinese and Arabic, for both of which there are two audio versions available, and English, for which there are 14 audio versions.

If you want to try one of these audio Bible versions, it’s as simple as clicking on the red speaker icon next to the translation name whenever you pull up a scripture verse or chapter on BibleGateway.com. Alternately, you can click “Audio Bibles” in the drop down menu under the “Bible” tab at the top left hand side of any Bible Gateway page.
  
For non-English speakers, or those trying to learn the Scriptures in a second language, the range of non-English audio Bibles is not as extensive as the “printed” versions Bible Gateway has available, however, and there are some odd gaps. There is a Platdeutsch (Low German) version, but no Hochdeutsch (High German) version that perhaps more German speakers would utilize.  But Bible Gateway may well face licensing and availability issues with many audio foreign language versions, and the ones that are given are appreciated.

If you are using English, going to the Audio Bible page allows you to choose among the different versions available such as straight reading or dramatized versions.   It’s worth spending a few minutes to try the available versions to see which one works best for you. We particularly like the readings by Max McLean, but your auditory preferences/mileage may differ.

One thing is certain, even if you like to read the Bible on the printed page, listening to the words being read out can be extremely profitable.  After all, that’s how the biblical books were originally intended to be experienced – as the spoken word – but simply hearing the words rather than reading them can often help you “hear” things in the text that you had not noticed in reading.  Sometimes it’s a matter of the stress evident in the spoken word or the effect of getting the message in a different way, as though someone is speaking directly to us, but it can be profitable as well as relaxing to hear the Bible through speakers or headphones.

In addition to the audio Bibles they have available, Bible Gateway also offers several audio devotionals and the short audio resource “Sound Bites” from The Book – a one-minute radio program done in partnership with the Museum of the Bible that features unusual stories, news items and interesting facts about the Scriptures.

Bible Gateway offers a good number of resources to help you in your study of the Bible.  If you are a regular visitor to the TacticalChristianity.org and LivingWithFaith.org websites, you know that we have several articles pointing out the advantages of utilizing some of these aids (click on the Bible Study category on the right margin of this page to see those articles).  The BibleGateway audio Bible page is no exception.  If you haven’t used it yet, be sure to try it –  you may be surprised how often physically hearing the Bible can help us in our quest to spiritually hear it. 

Guarding Our Way

Guarding Our Way

by | May 15, 2016 | Knowledge & Wisdom, Obedience

Something to think about: “The highway of the upright avoids evil,
he who guards his way guards his life“ (Proverbs 16:17).

Many biblical verses promising God’s protection are favorites with Christians everywhere.  We can find them placed on everything from clothing to jewelry and from letter-opener swords to digital screen savers. 

But, wonderful as those verses are  – and central to our faith in God’s frequent protection for his people, according to his will – Proverbs 16:17 reminds us that there is another aspect to the matter of our protection: our own behavior.

In saying “the highway of the upright avoids evil,” we are reminded by the proverb that where we go in life, morally and spiritually, often determines what evil we may come in contact with.  In saying “he who guards his way guards his life,” we are reminded that our protection may begin and end with God, but in between we are responsible for where we go in life and many of the dangers we may experience.  

Another biblical proverb – Proverbs 22:3 – expounds that thought: “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.”  Our protection is not just a matter of our faith in God’s care wherever we may choose to go; it is also often a matter of how well we follow the “road map” of life we are given in God’s word. 
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Proverbs 16:17 reminds us that although we can’t always choose what we will meet on the road of life, the road we choose will often determine what we do encounter.

Asking for Wisdom –Wisely

Asking for Wisdom –Wisely

by | May 8, 2016 | Prayer

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“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).

It’s a verse we all know and love. It seems to promise unbounded wisdom and that if we just ask for it, God will generously give it to us. But is that what this verse means?

Certainly, it is in God’s power to grant unbounded and universal wisdom to anyone he wishes, but does God really work that way?  Put the question in human terms. If you walk into your local bank branch and tell the manager “I want a big loan, just give me money” – is the banker likely to help or will he or she ask “How much do you need and for what purpose?”

What we often miss in James’ words on asking for wisdom is their context. If we look carefully at the immediately preceding verses, we see James is writing about a very specific situation. He says:  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

James’ context is one of persecution.  He tells believers that trials can bring about spiritual maturity in which we do not lack anything needed to deal with such problems (vs. 4). But if we do lack wisdom – implying wisdom in dealing with matters of persecution and patience – we can ask God and he will help us.

Take another example – that of the archetypal story of God granting wisdom to King Solomon.  When God appeared to Solomon and offered him anything he wanted, Solomon did not simply ask for wisdom. Notice his request to God: “give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 7:9). Because Solomon asked for wisdom in a specific context – to do the work of ruling Israel – God was well pleased and granted him great wisdom (1 Kings 7:12, 29-34) as well as other blessings.
 
But we should remember that Solomon asked for the wisdom he needed in a specific situation. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that in the compositions believed to be written by Solomon, he often ties wisdom to particular contexts. Notice the wording of just one example: “Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure” (Ecclesiastes 8:5).    Here, we see wisdom relating to “proper times” and “procedures,” and in many of the proverbs of Solomon, wisdom is tied to other specific needs and circumstances. 

So when we consider the wider biblical context, the words of James regarding wisdom become clear.  God rarely, if ever, gives unneeded gifts.  If we desire wisdom, his word indicates we should not ask to be funnel fed wisdom without specific purpose.  But we can humbly take our needs to God and ask for wisdom in the areas of life where we need it in order to best fulfill his will and our calling – and then, as James affirms, God will gladly give it to us. 

The Importance of ALL the Psalms

The Importance of ALL the Psalms

by | May 1, 2016 | Bible Study

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A recent Christianity Today article by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra (posted 4/29/2016) discusses “The Most Searched and Shared Psalms.”   The article begins by talking about the widespread effect of the Psalms on people today – ranging from the rock band U2’s front man Bono to Eugene Peterson, author of Bible paraphrase The Message.

Zylstra’s article then quotes BibleGateway.com statistics showing that Psalms was the most popular book of the Bible last year, and that almost a quarter of the 100 most popular Bible verses searched for online in 2015 came from that book.  Additionally, about a quarter of Americans have a favorite scripture, and for a quarter of those people that favorite scripture came from the Psalms – far more than from any other book.  

Conversely, however, the article also highlighted another important recent finding on Psalms. Data compiled from social media show that the Book of Psalms also contains half of the least-popular Bible verses circulated on Twitter, with 13 of them receiving only a single tweet in 2015. Psalms that seem to speak of vengeance and violence are just not as popular.  

Psalms is the book of the Old Testament most quoted by Jesus, and it was one of the most important books in the Bible for the early Church.  It is enduringly important even today and has a tremendous ongoing impact on people in every walk of life.  Yet Psalms is a book which many people do not know well – or only know parts of it well.  We tend to know the comforting parts and often avoid, misunderstand, or miss the point of other parts.

If you would like to better know this important biblical book – including the “hard” parts – download our new, free e-book Spotlight on the Psalms.  By providing insights into all the major categories of psalms, this book shows how even difficult psalms, such as those apparently promoting violence, can be better understood, as well as shedding light on the better known and well-loved psalms.

Spotlight on the Psalms is available in three formats (including PDF which can be read on any computer) and if you have not already done so, you can download your free copy here.  You already know the importance of the psalms; why not get to know and understand them much better?