“Must the Sword Devour Forever?” by Nancy and Mark Kreitzer

Since the Fall, there has been a perpetual war between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15). At the moment Adam and Eve chose to eat from the forbidden tree, their hearts were darkened, and they were no longer able to walk in righteousness and peace with God (Romans 6:20). Sin infected not only their relationship with God but with each other — and infiltrated the entire human race, leading to conflict, war, and every kind of evil (Genesis 6:5). 

Amid this ongoing conflict, God raised up leaders like King David—men empowered by His Holy Spirit to love and serve Him and pursue peace with others. Yet even David, who was a man after God’s own heart, was incapable of breaking the curse and was only a shadow of the greater Prince of Peace to come (Isaiah 9:6).

David was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel to serve as king. Led by the Spirit, he assumed leadership after almost 15 years — seven of which he endured intense suffering from Saul’s bitter envy. When it was time for him to rule, Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, rebelled against God’s instructions just as Saul had done. Instead of seeking peace, he anointed Ish-Bosheth, Saul’s last son, as king. 

As a result, a battle ensued between the men of Judah and the Israelites, with David and his troops killing many Benjamites, the smallest of the tribes allied by blood to Saul and his family. This tragedy moved Abner to ask a profound question that is relevant for us today: “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?” (2 Samuel 2:26).

These armies were comprised of men all from the same family—descendants of Jacob—who were now fighting and opposing one another. The promise in Scripture that “a house divided cannot stand” proved true, as their constant division kept them from taking the Promised Land and eventually resulted in their exile (Matthew 12:25). Jesus also said in Matthew 10:36 that often our enemies will be in our own household. 

This scene from David’s life serves as a summarizing snapshot of the dire consequences of Adam’s refusal to trust and obey. It reveals the total depravity of human sin, where God’s established family—the 12 tribes—were to represent the Kingdom of God and yet were “biting and devouring” one another (Galatians 5:15).

Jesus promises eternal hope and peace

And it did not end there. Throughout the Old Testament, God provided hundreds of prophecies about King Jesus, who would come as the Victor promised in the first proclamation of the Gospel to destroy the work of the devil and bring peace (1 John 3:8). 

It was foretold that he would reign in righteousness and establish an everlasting Kingdom of harmony and shalom. Isaiah saw this in a vision declaring: “They will beat their swords into plowshares …” (Isaiah 2:4). He also prophesied that Jesus would be called the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), and all who live with him in this eternal kingdom will be people of peace—free from sin, sorrow, and fighting (Revelation 21:4). 

Of course, this is a picture of the new heavens and the new earth, but it’s also a beautiful reminder of what Jesus has already accomplished for us at the cross and through His resurrection. The promises and prophecies are the indicative—what God has given to us in Christ—and we are now to take hold of them and live out the imperatives to be people of peace in action. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:3 that we are to be “with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

We now live in eschatological tension as we wait for the consummation of the Kingdom of God, when opposition from the kingdom of darkness will forever end. Until that day, Jesus calls us to keep advancing Christ’s Kingdom in the strength of His might. 

He has not left us as orphans to figure this out on our own (John 14:18). Instead, He has given us “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit” whom He sent in his name (John 14:26). This is the same Spirit who empowered David and his kingdom to proclaim the Good News to the nations and pursue peace (Psalm 96:1 3). 

In the meantime, He calls us to take up the whole armor of God, standing in our identity in union with Christ and advancing against the enemy. In His power, we boldly declare the Good News with the Gospel sword in our mouths (Ephesians 6:17). While many will oppose us and the message of peace, others will repent and put their trust in Christ — joining the ranks of the ever-increasing, expanding Kingdom of God.

What seemed, according to Abner, to be a perpetual sword, devouring and ending in bitterness, has given way in King Jesus to a life-giving sword of the Gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15, 17). He promises, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…” (John 14:27). And the end of the divine drama is even more glorious and hope filled: “After this I looked and saw a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages … standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9). 

David's Alabaster Jar Breaking Love

It’s one thing to withhold speaking evil of someone who has hurt us, and quite another to speak well of them. But that’s what David did regarding Saul, who hated him and sought to end his life. In 2 Samuel 1, we read his beautifully written lament, grieving the loss of King Saul and honoring him and Jonathan before the people of Judah. David’s relationship with the Lord cultivated in him a mindset that reflected the very heart of the Father, who pours out blessings on both the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).

When King Saul was killed in battle and word reached David, he and all his leaders tore their clothes, grieved, wept, and fasted (2 Samuel 1:12). He executed the Amalekite who brought news of Saul’s death after he boasted that he had struck Saul with the blow that ended his life. In anger, David asked, “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” (2 Samuel 1:14). His commitment was to Saul’s position as the King of Israel—the one commissioned to rule by the God of Israel and the nations.

While such honor was a natural response to their king’s tragic death, David moved beyond this expectation by lavishly blessing the man who had mercilessly hunted him down like a dog for over seven years (1 Samuel 24:14). He wrote a lament honoring Saul and Jonathan, commanding the people of Judah to learn and recite it like a funeral song (1 Samuel 1:18). Shockingly absent in his poem is any mention of Saul’s harmful actions or the evil he committed against God and David. Instead, David publicly honored him, calling for the “daughters of Israel to weep” for him (v. 24). He used rich metaphors— comparing Saul to a gazelle, declaring he was faster than an eagle and stronger than a lion (v. 23). He referred to Saul and Jonathan as “mighty…in battle” (v. 25), proclaiming that they were both loved and admired.

How is this kind of love possible?

If you’re anything like me, you’re left scratching your head, wondering how on earth he did this. And, if we’re anything alike, you’re also left with a knot in your throat for all the times you’ve stopped short of such a blessing. But this is the norm for the Christian life, as exemplified by David’s attitudes and actions and seen perfectly in the life of the greater David, Jesus. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke about this radical requirement of enemy love, warning us: “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” (Matthew 5:46–47). Instead, He calls for a love beyond human capability that only the Spirit of God can work in us as we abide in Christ. This results in what my husband refers to as the LDBP principle, taken from Luke 6, one of the two versions of the Sermon on the Mount. Here, we’re commanded to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us and pray for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:27-28).

David’s lament, known as the “Song of the Bow,” testifies to the Spirit’s transforming work in his life and his submission to the will and Word of God. He understood the Father’s undeserved mercy and grace which he had received, enabling him to pour it out—rather than sprinkle it—on his greatest enemy. David trusted in the sovereign Lord for vindication, which freed him to show alabaster-jar breaking love and abundant mercy to someone who hated him without cause. Like the "sinner" who broke a costly alabaster jar of perfume to pour on Jesus’ head and feet, so David, her forefather in the faith, did the same with his words of blessing to his worst enemy.

I’m challenged today to yield my hurts to the Lord and remember His incredible love for me at the cross, where He forgave my darkest and most egregious sins and then spoke blessings over my life. I’m asking the Lord to help me continue refraining from angry thoughts and slander and to provide me with opportunities to show even greater love -- to speak truthful, kind blessings about my enemies whenever I get the chance. Praying that He will do the same for you through his transforming grace and mercy. 

Finding Strength in the Lord

As I’ve been reading a book on spiritual warfare and standing firm in the faith, I’ve been simultaneously studying 1 Samuel. Together, they have opened a window for me to see more clearly the nature of the spiritual battle, as I’ve witnessed firsthand how David learned to stand and fight in the strength of the Lord rather than in the arm of the flesh. Instead of leading him to depression or despair, the ongoing opposition led him to greater dependence on the Lord through prayer, which resulted in a humble willingness to listen and obey, and a greater ability to love and show others mercy.

Hard Pressed on Every Side

When the apostle Paul wrote 2 Corinthians 4:8–12 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he was describing the intense difficulties he and the other apostles were experiencing because of the Gospel. The same enemy of their souls was seeking to destroy David’s life with the same intensity 1,000 years earlier, revealing the timeless application of these truths. 

For seven years after being anointed king by Samuel, David was mercilessly hunted down by Saul and forced into hiding in caves and remote cities like an outlaw. During this time, he had many near-death experiences and was even rejected by his own men (1 Samuel 30:6). Like Paul, he was hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down—but not crushed or in despair, never abandoned, and not destroyed.

In 1 Samuel 30, after he and his army were sent away from fighting alongside the Philistines (because the commanders feared he might turn on them in the battle), David returned to Ziklag only to find even more trouble. The Amalekites had attacked and burned the city and taken everyone captive. David and his men were so distraught that they “wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep” (30:4). The men were so embittered by their losses that they even talked about stoning David.

Looking to the Lord for Help

In what seems to be a plot twist, David turned from focusing on the losses and threats against his life to focusing on the Lord. Rather than becoming bitter or seeking revenge, the Bible says, “David found strength in the Lord his God” (1 Samuel 30:6). This echoes the words of Psalm 28, where he declared that “the Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in him, and I am helped” (Psalm 28:7). David’s response reveals a humble heart that accepted the reality of the ongoing battle. But instead of trying to control or escape it in his own strength and wisdom, he looked to the Lord and found shelter in his presence.

The very tool the enemy was using to drive David despair, God designed to help him flourish in his faith (Psalm 119:71). These hardships, rather than turning him away from trust, drove him into the very presence of the only One who could both protect him and deliver him from evil—so much so that he could say with confidence, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).

This position of trusting dependence led him to earnestly pray and seek the Lord’s wisdom. He asked whether he should pursue the enemies who had plundered them (30:7), and the Lord answered clearly: “Pursue them… You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue” (1 Samuel 30:8). David’s reliance on God led to practical direction and wisdom, which he acted on. He trusted God's Word and obeyed it, believing God would keep His promise to help him. 

After defeating the enemy and recovering everything that had been taken, just as God said, David then chose to show mercy to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to fight in the battle, while others in the army demanded they receive nothing, David’s decision to set his gaze and his hope on the Lord had transformed his life, making him a conduit of the same supernatural love and grace he had received.

As I reflect on the spiritual battles I’ve faced over the years, I realize that my focus has too often been on the problems and opposition instead of the Lord and His promise to shield and protect me. 

By shifting my gaze back to Him—and away from the enemy’s distractions and disappointments—I hope to find renewed strength to persevere with hope, along with a quieted heart to rest in the Lord’s presence, hear his instruction and follow in his peace — pouring out the same mercy and grace to others that I’ve received. What about you? Is the enemy distracting your gaze and keeping you from looking to and trusting in the Lord? If so, today is the perfect time to turn back to Him in trust!

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him” Psalm 28:7