THE SWORD OF THE LORD
Kay Keith Peebles 12/04/2020 20.46
“After that I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse [appeared]! The One Who was riding it is called Faithful (Trustworthy, Loyal, Incorruptible, Steady) and True, and He passes judgment and wages war in righteousness. His eyes like a flame of fire, and on His head are many kingly crowns; and He has a title inscribed which He alone knows. He is dressed in a robe dyed by dipping in blood, and the title by which He is called is The Word of God. And the troops of heaven clothed in fine linen, dazzling and clean, followed Him on white horses. From His mouth goes forth a sharp swordwith which He can smite the nations: and He will shepherd and control them with a staff (scepter, rod) of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath and indignation of God the All-Ruler (the Almighty, the Omnipotent). And on His garment and on His thigh He has a name inscribed, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS Revelation 19:11-16.
The sword of the Lord has several functions. It can be used as a form of protection for the people of God. (Deuteronomy 33:29; Joshua 5:13; Numbers 22:23, 31; Judges 7:20.) In the scripture above, it is a weapon of judgment. (Leviticus 26:25; Deuteronomy 32:41-42; Psalm 2:9; Isaiah 11:4-5, Revelation 1:16). Its blade fillets and separates that which is true from that which is false, and it is the weapon believers use when they wage spiritual warfare (Hebrews 4:12 and Ephesians 6:17 ).
THE SWORD OF OUR DEFENSE AND PROTECTION:
“Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, O victorious people? Yahweh is the shield that protects you and the sword that leads you to triumph. Your enemies will try to corrupt you, but you yourself will trample on their backs.” Deuteronomy 33:29.
“Now when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up, and behold, a man standing opposite him with his drawn sword in his hand and Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us or for our adversaries?’ He said, ‘No, rather I (Jesus) have come now as the captain of the army of the LORD .’ Then Joshua fell with his face toward the earth, and bowed down and said to him, ‘What does my Lord have to say to his servant?’ The captain of the LORD”S army said to Joshua, ‘Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy (set apart to the LORD).’ And Joshua did so. Now, Jericho[a fortified city with walls] was tightly closed because [of the people’s fear] of the sons of Israel; no one went out or came in. The LORD said to Joshua, ‘See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty warriors…” Joshua 5:13-6:1-21.
“God said to Balaam, ‘Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people [of Israel], for they are blessed…But God’s anger was kindled because he was going, and the Angel of the Lord (Jesus) took His stand in the way as an adversary against him…When the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way and His drawn sword in His hand, the donkey turned off the path and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back toward the path…Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and lay himself face down. The Anger of the LORD said to him, Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your behavior was obstinate and contrary to Me.” Numbers 22:1-35. Balaam the prophet was about to curse Israel for a bribe. The Lord told him no, but Balaam insisted, so the Lord said to go ahead, but the Lord Himself came with a sword to defend Israel and to keep Balaam from speaking a curse over the nation! Balaam was later judged and killed.
The Angel of the LORD (Jesus) called Gideon to gather an army of Israelites to defeat the Midianites who kept raiding their land at harvest time, taking the food and cattle for themselves. He first told Gideon to remove all the altars of idolatry the people had erected which made them vulnerable to their enemies. The Lord reduced the size of Gideon’s army to 300 against 135,000 fighting men. You can read the whole story in Judges Chapters 6-8. When Gideon’s army gave their battle cry: “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon”, the Lord caused the armies of Midian to turn on each other in confusion. “When Gideon’s men blew the three hundred trumpets, the LORD set the sword of one [Midianite] against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled.” Judges 7:20-21. All 135,000 were killed that day!
THE SWORD OF JUDMENT:
“I will bring a sword on you that will execute vengeance for [breaking] the covenant; and when you gather together in your cities, I will send pestilence (virulent disease) among you, and you shall be handed over to the enemy.” Leviticus 26:25.
“If I sharpen the lightening of My sword, and My hand takes hold of judgment, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, and I will repay those who hate Me. I will make My arrows drunk with blood, and My sword will devour flesh, with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the heads of the leaders of the enemy. Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance on His adversaries, and will atone for His land and His people.” Deuteronomy 32:41-42.
“Ask of Me, and I will give [You] the nations as Your inheritance and the ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with the rod (dart, rod, scepter) of iron; You shall shatter them [in pieces] like earthenware.” Psalm 2:8-9. Emphasis mine.
“But with righteousness and justice He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the downtrodden of the earth; and He shall strike the earth with the rod (dart, rod, scepter) of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.” Isaiah 11:4. Emphasis mine. See also 66:16, 34:5-6; Ezekiel 21:3-5, 15.
“In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its power” Revelation 2:16.
“From His mouth comes a sharp sword (His word) with which He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He will tread the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty [in judgment of the rebellious world]. Revelation 19:15.
THE SWORD (WORD) OF THE LORD IS A BLADE THAT SEPARATES THE TRUTH FROM A LIE AND IT IS OUR WEAPON OF WARFARE:
“For the word of God is living and active and full of power. It is sharper than any two edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit, and of both joints and marrow, exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12.
“In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people. Ephesians 6:10-18.
The Word of God is a sword, whether the written Word or the Rhema word of Prophetic decree or declaration, and it has the power to heal, restore, cleanse, judge or conquer! The SWORD of the LORD is with those who put their trust in the Lord. The Lord spoke to Moses and Isaiah and Jeremiah saying, “I have put My words in your mouth.” Deuteronomy 18:18, Isaiah 51:16 and Jeremiah 1:9. Jesus Himself gave every believer the power to bind on earth what is bound in heaven and loose on earth what is loosed in heaven! Matthew 16:18-19, John 20:23, Matthew 18:15-20, Ephesians 6:10-20, Acts 15:1-41 to mention a few.
He will defend, protect, guide and direct our path with His WORD/SWORD but it is up to His church, the ekklesia to declare, decree and prophesy His will and His word into the earth today! It is also the weapon He has given us to wage warfare in the spirit so that we can be free from every lie of the devil, find victory in every circumstance, and help set the oppressed and bound free from his control. When we live our lives sifting every thought, belief and judgment with the Word of God, we will walk in the discernment of the Lord. We will be able to quickly separate the truth from a lie when we hear it. We will also be able to declare and decree our future according to the will and purposes of God through His promises and the Rhema (prophetic) word from the Holy Spirit. The SWORD of the LORD that is in our mouth is our Victory and Hope!
