swords to plowshares
Mar 6th, 2008 by Nathanael
During the reign of king Saul over the nation of
“…there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, ‘Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.’ But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle…”
(I Samuel13:19-20 ESV), which they then used in warfare against the Philistines.
About 300 years later, the prophet Micah, in prophesying of the coming kingdom, made this statement in verses 3 and 4 of chapter 4,
“…they shall beat their swords into
plowshares,
and their spears into pruning
hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against
nation,
neither shall they learn war
anymore;
but they shall sit every man under
his vine and under his fig tree,
and no one shall make them
afraid,
for the mouth of the LORD of hosts
has spoken”
And then Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting…” (John 18:36).
