“Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.” Numbers 22:31
In the book of Numbers, we find a story that calls our attention to the matter of “the sword of the Lord.” It is the story of a prophet who was hired by Balak, the king of Moab, that he might curse the Israelites. This was due to the fact that the king saw that God’s blessing was upon the Israelites, as they were successful in their conflicts with their enemies. Baalam was the prophet that Balak was seeking to hire. However, in route to meet with Balak, Balaam, riding on his donkey, was confronted by the angel of the Lord, holding a drawn sword, blocking his way. The donkey saw the angel and sought several times to turn aside to avoid disaster. Balaam did not see the angel until it became apparent that something was very wrong in this scenario, especially when the donkey actually talked to him. It was then that the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes to see this angel with sword drawn. Most certainly, the Lord gave Balaam this vision, not to kill him, but to warn him of the impending consequences of not obeying Him. Balak wanted to curse Israel. The Lord made it clear to Balaam that Israel were not to be cursed, as they were blessed by God. The vision of the angel, and in particular of the sword, brought Balaam to immediately bow down his head, and fall flat on his face. There was in that sword the revealed authority and power to take his life, if God willed. Nothing on earth could keep Him from doing so.
The second time we see the angel of the Lord with a sword drawn, was when Joshua and the people were camped before Jericho, awaiting the Lord’s instructions as to how to take the city. It is at this time that Joshua “…saw a man over against him, with his sword drawn in his hand.” (Joshua 5:13) The man would identify Himself to Joshua as the “…captain of the host of the Lord.” (v.14) Why the appearance of this “captain,” and why the sword? This captain, most certainly the Lord Jesus, had been sent by God the Father to confront the powers of darkness protecting Jericho. The fact that he was the “captain” reveals how significant the issues were, and how difficult and yet important, the conquest of Jericho was. The sword again speaks of God’s power and spiritual authority, that which determines life or death.
The third mention of the “sword of the Lord,” is found in the book of Judges, when Gideon’s men, on the verge of conquering the Midianites, did cry out: “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.” (7:20) How could these men with absolute confidence cry, and declare their faith, in such a certain manner? It was because of the assurance that God had given Gideon, after he had heard the interpretation of a dream by his enemies at the edge of their camp. One of the men had said to the other, “This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.” (7:14) Again, the “sword of the Lord” would speak of God’s power and authority over life and death, this being committed in this instance to Gideon, God’s servant. The realization of the victory would be realized by the God’s revelation, implementing the sword of the Lord.
Lastly, the last great picture of the “sword of the Lord” is that found in the revelation of the glorified, exalted Christ, as seen in the book of Revelation. John writes that,”…and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.” (1:16) That “sword,” according to Paul is the authoritative, powerful, word of God.
Dear Father, Speak O blessed Master. In Jesus’ name, Amen.