“Wisdom is better than weapons of war…” (Part One)

It’s easy to go to war, especially when you have been fighting all your life. But the Bible teaches us that there is one thing better than war… it is called, “WISDOM.”

Ecclesiastes 9:18 says, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war…” It’s easy to get mad and lose our temper; many times, we are really justified in doing that. Someone backs into your car and takes off, or someone gets you in trouble, or you have a neighbor that is driving you crazy! We have all been in these circumstances. We may stay awake all night thinking about how we can “get even.” King David must have gone through this too…

In 1st Samuel 25, we see the story of David and his men running in fear from King Saul. David could have killed King Saul before, but because David said that King Saul was anointed of God, he could not touch God’s anointed. So, this left David and his men running, hiding, and avoiding Saul. They were “renegades” sleeping where they could and eating where someone would give them food. David remembers a man named Nabal. You could say that he was a “good-for-nothing” angry old man. He hated David because Nabal was loyal to Saul. However, David’s men had protected Nabal’s men when they were keeping sheep. The herdsmen robbers came to steal the sheep, but David’s men had chased them off and protected Nabal’s men and sheep.

So, now, David and his men are hungry, and he knows Nabal owes him a favor. David sends his men to ask for food and water; anything he can give them. But when Nabal came out, he yelled at David’s men and humiliated them and said, “Shall I take my bread and water and give it to you? Or my animal meat that I have killed and give it to you for David and his men?” When his men came back and told David, he was furious. David got his men together, put his sword on, and took his 400 men, leaving 200 behind to watch everything! David was headed out to get Nabal with a vengeance! David was on the “warpath!!” David, who slew Goliath with a sling, and killed thousands of Philistines, was now on his horse headed zero to 100, dust flying, and his sword in his hand! He was headed to a foolish man named Nabal, and nothing could save Nabal now. Hundreds of horses were pounding, and dust flew, as David whipped at the horse, and the ground thundered!

But the Bible says that “wisdom is better than weapons of war.” Be sure to read our post tomorrow morning for the “rest of the story!”

Sherry