Tuesday 26 February, 2013

16 Saul and his son Jonathan were staying in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. What was left of the army was there with them. At the same time, the Philistines camped at Micmash. 17 Three groups of soldiers went out from the Philistine camp to attack Israel. One group turned and went toward Ophrah in the area of Shual. 18 Another went toward Beth Horon. The third went toward the border that looked out over the Valley of Zeboim. That valley faces the desert. 19 There weren’t any blacksmiths in the whole land of Israel. That’s because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews might hire them to make swords or spears!” 20 So all of the people of Israel had to go down to the Philistines. They had to go to them to get their plows, hoes, axes and sickles sharpened. 21 It cost a fourth of an ounce of silver to sharpen a plow or a hoe. It cost an eighth of an ounce to sharpen a pitchfork or an axe. That’s also what it cost to put new tips on large sticks that were used to drive oxen. 22 So not one of Saul’s or Jonathan’s soldiers had a sword or spear in his hand when he went out to battle. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had those weapons.

The Philistines were smart.  They had denied the Israelites, who were an ‘occupied’ nation, the right to swords and spears and even the means of making them through blacksmiths.  This meant that the Israelites had to even go the Philistines for their tools to be sharpened, for which the Philistines charged them an exorbitant price!

This is part of the nature of the enemy’s work in our life.  The enemy restricts our access to what is necessary

for our lives, and then charges exorbitantly for it, while eliminating our capacity to defend ourselves.

So good questions from this passage are:

Where have I accepted the lie of the enemy that I cannot overcome in a situation?

Where have I let go the means of my defence – God’s Word and prayer?

Where is the enemy robbing me – in time, treasure and talent so that I cannot fulfil the calling on my life?

Applying this passage to our lives may cause us to squirm but ensuring that the enemy, the devil, doesn’t gain advantage over us by us believing his lies is crucial!

Father I pray that you would help me to lowest price viagra overseas see the schemes the enemy has against me which rob me of all that you are and do in my life!

Written by Ps. Richard Botta