The history of mankind chronicles a battle between good and evil. The Bible identifies good as those individuals who walk in the light as opposed to evil as those who walk in the darkness. Those who follow God are engaged in a spiritual battle with the powers of darkness. The Song of Solomon used this imagery as it described the soldiers of the King:

All of them are wielders of the sword, expert in war; each man has his sword at his side, guarding against the terrors of the night. (Song of Solomon 3:8)

First, we see that they are wielders of the sword. These men were skillful with the sword which was a soldiers primary offensive weapon. The Apostle Paul used this word picture as he described the accoutrements of a Christian soldier:

And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

The sword of the Spirit is a necessity as we are engaged in spiritual warfare. If we are to use God’s word, then we must know God’s word. In what ways are you equipping yourself to effectively wield the sword of the Spirit?

Solomon then indicated that because they were trained, they were an expert in warfare. The word expert literally means to goad and by implication it means to teach. This is the picture of one who has diligently trained and has achieved a high degree of skill and mastery. You may not feel like an expert at this time, but you must realize that every expert was once a beginner. We must be diligent and see our need for disciplined training:

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:11)

The King’s soldiers must be prepared for war because of the terrors of the night. The word night is used as a metaphor for the darkness and the terrors it contains. We must not become complacent about the evils that surround us. There is a desire to live in a world without evil and sin, but that’s not realistic. The contrast between light and darkness is a common motif in the Gospel of John:

This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

We have a responsibility to walk in the light:

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life. “(John 8:12)

Are you prepared to guard against the terrors of the night? We must effectively wield our sword so we will be good soldiers of the King.

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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