Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and brings out a weapon for its work. --Isaiah 54:16(a)The men's group I attend at church was watching a video. A graphic of this verse, Isaiah 54:16, appeared on the screen. As the music swelled, the scene shifted to a swordsmith heating the metal, then beating the white-hot molten mass with a hammer, shaping it into an instrument of war. The voice-over was saying something about God taking us and molding us into His will, so that we can be used mightily (like a sword) in His hand. It finished with an image of the white-hot metal being plunged into a barrel of water, while the voice-over artist said something about us being immersed in God's mercy and grace.
Powerful stuff. Very inspiring. Gets the blood pumping. Makes a roomful of men want to stand up and with one voice shout, "HOO-RAH!"
It inspired me to go home and look up the verse, to study it and apply it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that's not what the verse says at all. Here is the full text of verse 16 of Isaiah chapter 54:
Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and brings out a weapon for its work; and I have created the destroyer to ruin.Oh. My. That last phrase puts the verse in a whole different light.
You see, that's not something that gets preached from very many pulpits on very many Sundays. I have heard preachers dance around this subject. They say that God did not create evil, but that He gave men free will to do evil if they choose. According to my reading of this verse, that is only half the story. When people consider the problem of evil, they want to leave God out of it, because God is good all the time, and He cannot possibly be connected with evil, can He? Social justice warriors decry war and the means of war, as if it came from the depths of hell itself.
But look at the verse closely. What did God say He created? He created the smith who fashions the sword. To what end? Last time I checked, the purpose of a weapon was to kill, maim, or destroy. Yes, you say you would only use it in self defense, but the outcome is the same--if you had to use a weapon against an enemy or an intruder, that enemy would be either dead or injured. That last phrase in the verse sums it up nicely. "I have created the destroyer." To what end? To destroy, or to bring to ruin.
People forget that Satan is a created being. Who created him? Why, God did, of course. Did God create the devil not knowing that he would fall from heaven and take a third of the angels with him? Was God not aware that Satan would turn against Him, to fight Him tooth and nail? Did God overlook the fact that Satan, once fallen from Heaven, would make Earth his domain? That's not the God I know. The God I know is omniscient. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows all things, sees all things, understands all things. God made Satan, just like He made you and me. The difference is that we are made for a better purpose.
Fear not, friends. This is a lesson in context. Unlike the producers of that men's video that took the first part of the verse out of context, I want to show you what comes before and after that verse. Let's look at verse 17:
No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me, declares the Lord. --Isaiah 54:17So while "every thought in the heart of man is evil all of the time" (Genesis 6:5), God will uphold the righteous. This is how the Church has survived for two centuries, when governments, religions, laws, armies and even the gates of hell have arrayed against it.
I want us to do a little word study here. I think this is fascinating. Follow me here. The same Hebrew word is used in both these verses, the word that my NASB translates "weapon." The KJV translates the word "instrument" in verse 16, as in "I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work." In context, I believe that this would be an instrument of war, as the very same word is translated "weapon" in verse 17.
The Hebrew word is keliy, and it is used a number of times in the Old Testament. Sometimes it is translated "vessel", as in something used to hold your stuff. In Genesis 42 we read the story of how Joseph, who was prime minister of Egypt, saw his brothers come to buy food. He commanded that the men's money be put into their sacks of grain; the word "sacks" is this same word keliy. In other places this same word is translated "weapons" or "armor", "furniture" or "thing", and my favorite, "stuff." In Genesis 45:20, Joseph brings his whole family to Egypt, and tells them "also regard not your stuff, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours." (KJV).
Why is this important? I think it puts it all into perspective. God created men, who make the stuff of war. Are the creations of men more powerful than God? Of course not. God made the men, the men made the stuff. The same God who can snuff out the men can crush the stuff that men make. Look at it another way: God made Satan, Satan makes trouble. Is the trouble that Satan makes more powerful than God? Of course not. God is greater than the trouble Satan brings into our lives.
Want more context clues? Back up one verse, to Isaiah 54:15: "If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you will fall because of you." Remain faithful, and God's got your back. Even if you know of someone who was martyred for the sake of the Gospel, do not be discouraged--they are in a better place, and you still have a story to tell. "No weapon that is formed against you will prosper." It's just stuff.
I love the song Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) by Chris Tomlin, but I especially love it when he comes to the bridge, and says "Nothing formed against me will stand, You hold the whole world in Your hands."
You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the lightWhom shall I fearYou crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though troubles linger stillWhom shall I fearI know who goes before me
I know who stands behindThe God of angel armies
Is always by my sideThe one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mineThe God of angel armies
Is always by my sideMy strength is in your name
For you alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victoryWhom shall I fear
Whom shall I fearI know who goes before me
I know who stands behindThe God of angel armies
Is always by my sideThe one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mineThe God of angel armies
Is always by my sideAnd nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in your hands
I'm holding on to your promises
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