Anyone Know a Good Blacksmith?

Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!"

1 Samuel 13:19

Because of disobedience, the Israelites found themselves enslaved to other nations many times. They were in a terrible pattern; disobedience, slavery, deliverance, repeat.

While the Israelites were in slavery to the Philistines in 1 Samuel they couldn't even sharpen their own tools used for farming but had to travel to the Philistines and pay them to do it for them! Isn't that just like the enemy to take you into captivity and make you pay him to be there!

When we are enslaved to something we give it our time, our allegiance, our every thought, our devotion, and our money.

The enemy gets fat at our expense because we are giving to him what we should be giving to God!

During this time of captivity Israel had a Prophet ( a person chosen to speak for God and to guide the people of Israel ) and they had a King (the chief authority over a country and people. ) But the Philistines didn't fear them. The Philistines didn't fear them because they did not have a Blacksmith! No one who knew how to form a weapon. The Israelites were so bound up in captivity that they didn't even have the spirit to oppose the Philistines or care enough to put forth the effort to learn and revive the trade of blacksmith among themselves! No one had the fortitude to stand in a hot dirty place and beat out a weapon to fight their enemy with! God has given us many weapons in His Word to use against our enemy but so many of us are without the Spirit to beat out those weapons and use them!

Speak out the Word of God over your life and beat out a weapon! Weep and pray at the altar of God as long as you need to and beat out a weapon! Submit to God, resist the devil and beat out a weapon! Teach those behind you how to beat out a weapon.

God has given us every resource we need, let's use them.