A Little Polish

Isaiah 49:2 ESV

He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me;

He made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away.

Preparations mean there is a plan and a purpose. Isaiah looks and sees God preparing his anointed one and notes that those preparations are not pointless. He prepares his mouth to be a sharp sword and then puts it into his hand. The anointed is likened to an arrow polished and ready in the quiver. Not needless or pointless preparations but the preparation of those that are going to battle to engage the adversary, by the will and wisdom of their head.

This last weekend I was blessed to participate in some dedicated polishing. As men are put to work for the glory of God and the growth of his kingdom. Young men are prepared for future usefulness and older men are prepared for immediate use. The preparation of a campus for the theological training of pastors was the means God used to accomplish this. The mundane is often and regularly the greatest means of our blessing. Watching as God would train my son to hard work by mundanely running a log splitter with another boy, over and over for four hours one day and eight the next. Simply learning how to work hard and do a good job.  Learning the truth of the proverbs: “Sweet is the sleep of a laborer…” (Ecclesiastes 5:12) and “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” (Proverbs 22:29) will provide him with a great deal of blessing in his life. He is being sharpened for a usefulness that I do not know because he is not being polished or sharpened to be of use to me but to God, as God will use him to combat the wickedness of a culture bent against the glory of God.

As Isaiah continues in his prophecy of the coming Christ it comes to the point that what Israel would like the Anointed One to come for is not hard enough, “It is too light a thing” merely to save Israel from her sin. The Christ must be given a challenge worthy of his polish and sharpness. Isaiah points out that Christ is not merely for Israel but for “all nations” and that salvation will reach “to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6) Looking to God as he prepares you for what lies ahead you must realize that he prepares in and through the mundane daily actions. Preparing you through daily bible reading and prayer, through weakly Sunday services and bible studies. Ordinary means to polish extraordinary arrows. Ordinary, mundane challenges of annoying people, lost spouses, frustrating children, all brought in to shine the arrow for the purpose the master has in store, and when you come to the reason you think you are being polished, you’ll find it too small a thing, and God will do infinitely more than you could have imagined when first the arrow was laid to the stone.

Coram Deo