The Sword of the LORD

"Where there is no vision, the people perish..." (Proverbs 29:18). "And the word of the Lord was precious [valuable, prized, and rare] in those days: there was no open vision ." (1 Samuel 3:1).  It is important that we, the people of God, maintain a clear vision of God’s will and of His plan for us.   Without it we are like the blind, groping along the wall, and trying to feel our way through the issues of life.   Without a clear vision, we find it difficult to discern the will of God in our personal lives, and we often find ourselves stumbling in our efforts to please Him.   The type of vision that Solomon is referring to in Proverbs is not just the seeing of the eyes.   It is a revelation of the prophetic word, a divine communication, and clearness of sight when we walk through dark places. In the first book of Samuel, we read of a time when the people of God had lost their vision.   From the beginning, God had given the children of Israel cle...

“And he said, Who art Thou, Lord?  And the Lord said, I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks .” (Acts 9:5).  “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me , lest I should be exalted above measure.” (2 Corinthians 12:7). The conversion of Saint Paul to the Christian faith was a very dramatic event.   Before his conversion, Paul was convinced that he was on the side of right and was God’s holy messenger, even though he was busy persecuting, arresting, and even responsible for the martyring of the followers of Jesus Christ.   He had been raised as a Pharisee, a Jewish religious sect, and was trained under one of the most renowned Hebrew teachers of the time.   Like most Jews of his time, Paul’s faith and confidence were in the Law, and not in any kind of personal relationship with God Himself.   ...