HOW SAFE COULD A NATION BE, WHOSE TRUST IS IN GOD?

HOW SAFE COULD A NATION BE, WHOSE TRUST IS IN GOD?

In reading the following verses from the thirteenth chapter of the book of First Samuel, we can learn some valuable principles with regards to the security of a nation and the need for a leader who respects God’s specific commands. 19 Now there was no smith [a metal worker] found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: 20 But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share [sharp steel wedge of a plow], and his coulter [blade of a plow], and his axe, and his mattock [digging hand tool]. 21 Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads [pointy stick to urge animals to move]. 22 So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found. During the period of time in which the prophet Samuel served Israel, they had no smith in the land. The Philistines had a corner on this market until the time of King David’s reign. (I Chron. 22:30) This forced the farmers to travel to the Philistines’s to sharpen their instruments used in building and farming, but prevented them from producing their own weapons for defense. Not long after Saul was anointed king by Samuel the prophet, they were threatened by their neighbors, the Philistines. Our text indicates that the people were unarmed and, therefore, were considered an easy prey to their nearby enemies. Only King Saul and his son Jonathan were equipped for battle. If you continue reading the text you learn that the Lord intervenes on behalf of His chosen people, Israel, saving them from their enemies. Sadly, King Saul only half-heartedly sought after God and failed to fully obey His commands, which would have secured a certain and swift victory over all of their enemies. There are some lessons to be gleaned from this passage. 1) When an enemy nation (or individual) perceives that a nation (or person) is weak, they open the door of vulnerability to attack. 2) When a nation is weak, they can easily become overcome by those who would take advantage of them by suppressing and oppressing them. 3) When a people are unarmed and, therefore, unable to defend themselves in the event of an attack, they are at the mercy of their government to protect them. King Saul had not yet built an army capable of such protection. 4) We see the importance of a people putting their trust in God, His Word and in seeking out His divine will and protection in times of distress. In the passage above and the following chapters, King Saul’s half-hearted obedience to the LORD delayed victory and increased anxiety and hardship for his own people, over whom he reigned. The psalmist David wrote, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7) This must not be interpreted to mean that a nation should not equip itself with an army or machinery capable of preserving the lives of their people. What it does mean is that a nation’s or their leaders’ trust is not solely in their army tanks and air force jets, but rests in the Lord their God. How safe would a nation be whose motto truly is “In God We Trust,” and meant it? - by David Cosma, January 2013