1S13-14: Israel’s Military Victories Were Due To God And NOT Superior Weaponry

“Now there was no metalsmith to be found anywhere in all the land of Israel, because the P’lishtim had said, ‘We don’t want the Hebrews making themselves swords or spears.'”-1 Samuel 13:19

I’m blown away by how events that occurred thousands of years ago in Scripture connect directly to what’s happening in Israel today…

Especially, the current war Israel finds itself in as they battle against the terrorist group Hamas who so viciously and brutally attacked innocent Israeli citizens last Shabbat.

And by the way, there were citizens from all around the world who were killed or taken hostage last Shabbat.

So Hamas didn’t just attack Israel, they attacked the whole world.

Now, if you’re wondering how I’m gonna connect today’s post to our current study of 1 Samuel Chapter 13, well, just kick back and keep reading friend while I lay it all out for you.

Verse 19 tells us that Israel was at a severe disadvantage in terms of weaponry.

Specifically, they possessed very few metal-edged weapons.

On the other hand, their arch-enemies, the Philistines were quite advanced in metal technology and they applied that knowledge to their weapons.

At this stage in history, iron weapons were a relatively new thing.

But they were far superior to bronze weapons which were much softer by comparison.

To give you an idea of what I mean, a Philistine could swing his iron sword and literally break a Hebrew soldier’s bronze sword into two pieces.

This is why the Philistines were able to achieve dominance over certain areas of the Promised Land.

For sure, a bronze sword was a million times better than a weapon made out of wood…

But it was still far inferior to iron…

And what made matters worse, is that if a Hebrew wanted to purchase, sharpen, or repair any farm tool they had made out of metal, guess who they had to go.

That’s right.

They had to go to the Philistines since they were barred from making anything out of metal.

This was how the Philistines kept the Israelites under their control in certain territories.

So from the outset, the Israelites were at a severe weapons disadvantage.

There was one exception, however.

Read verse 22:

“Thus when the time came to fight, no one in the army of Sha’ul and Y’honatan was equipped with either sword or spear; although Sha’ul and Y’honatan his son did have them.”

Thus, it seems like Israel’s senior leaders were given metal swords and spears that I’m guessing they had to have gotten from the enemy, the Philistines.

So let’s transition over to the takeaway for today.

I just talked about how Israel was at a severe disadvantage because their army only possessed bronze weapons as opposed to the iron swords the Philistines wielded.

However, in the current conflict Israel finds herself in with Hamas, the opposite is true.

Israel holds the upper hand in terms of weapon superiority.

Yet, in spite of all their advanced military technology and weaponry, their modern Philistine enemies (remember, Palestinian is simply the Greek word for Philistine, just like Christ is simply the Greek word for Messiah), were able to find a weakness in Israel’s borders and exploit it to its full advantage.

This is quite similar to the 9/11 terror attacks if you think about it.

The terrorists didn’t use any advanced weaponry.

They simply gotta hold of a couple of our commercial aircraft, and we all know the horrors that unfolded from that point.

So I’m getting a little rambly here, but the point I wanna make is Israel’s victory over her enemies, whether it be the ancient or modern-day Philistines will come from God and God alone.

Are you feeling me?

Right now, Israel is pummelling Gaza with bombs from the air, and it looks like a ground invasion is soon to follow.

They do by far possess superior weaponry compared to Hamas…

Yet, I contend that Israel’s victory will ultimately come from God and NOT their military power.

It was that way when Gideon fought the Midianites (recall God reduced his army to a mere 300 men)…

It was that way when the young David slew Goliath with a simple slingshot and a well-targeted stone.

It was that way in 1948 when all the Arab nations rose up to fight the young Jewish state…

And it will be that way today…

At the end of the day, it will be Adonai who will give Israel the victory.

And it will be Adonai who will give you the victories in your life, not superior intelligence, political connections, a ton of savings in the bank, or whatever the heck else you’re relying on besides God for your security.

That’s your takeaway for today, and I don’t think I could’ve come up with a better one.

NEXT TIME WE BEGIN FIRST SAMUEL CHAPTER FOURTEEN

P.S. By the way, if Hezbollah decides to jump into the current conflict, we’re really gonna need prayer.  And if Iran, jumps in.  Oh boy, this could be the start of Armageddon folks.  May God bless Israel, and those who stand with Israel.