In Judges chapter 20 we read about 400,000 footmen of Israel that drew the sword who went to attack 26,000 men of the tribe of Benjamin who drew the sword. The emphasis in Judges 20:2, 15, 17, 25, and 46 is not so much about carrying or bearing the sword, but rather drawing the sword.
Almost anyone can carry a sword, but there are not so many these days who know how to effectively draw the sword. The most important task in training ancient armies was how to draw the sword and successfully use it. The sword had to be positioned conveniently in order to draw it with ease and utmost speed. They needed many hours of practice.
We are told to hide God’s Word in our hearts which is the believer’s real sheath (Psalm 119:9). Carrying a Bible is not as important as hiding God’s Word in our hearts. The Word has to be in our hearts in order for the Holy Spirit to draw it from our mouths. In Revelation 1:16 we read a description of Jesus: “Out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword.” Jesus kept the Word in His heart so He could draw it from His mouth
The heart and the mouth are closely linked in the Scriptures. Romans 10:9, 10 states: “That if thou shalt confess with thy MOUTH the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine HEART that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the HEART man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth CONFESSION is made unto salvation.”
Deuteronomy 30:14 states: “The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy MOUTH, and in thy HEART, that thou mayest do it.”
Isaiah 59:21 (ESV): “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your MOUTH, shall not depart out of your MOUTH, or out of the MOUTH of your offspring, or out of the MOUTH of your children’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from this time forth and forevermore.”
Men, it is our prime responsibility to ensure we put God’s Word into the hearts of all our children. Only then, will they be able to deliver it from their mouths. Jesus said in Matthew 12:34: “Out of the abundance of the HEART the mouth speaketh.”
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell