In Jeremiah our Lord said, "Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms" (Jeremiah 51:20). Most biblical historians would conjecture that the person being spoken of is Cyrus. Some believe that it is Israel. Whoever he is, he has had something awesome said about him. One authority says, “Among the many weapons used for battle during medieval times, none was more popular and widely used than the Battle Axe, or War Axe. The highly sharpened blades on these formidable weapons could easily pierce armor and shred chain mail worn by opposing knights. The axe was relatively light-weight, allowing it to be an ideal weapon for one-handed battle either on the ground or atop horseback. In the ancient setting of the Greco-Roman world, the battle-axe is defined as a mallet or heavy war-club.

        I see a message applicable in our day and age in a spiritual way, let me explain:

 1. The battle axe extends human reach beyond human capacity.

        God ever uses men, women, boys and girls as His instruments. “That does not seem much of a sword,” said one, as he looked upon the treasured weapon of a great national hero and valiant soldier. “Ah! But you do not see the hand that wielded it,” was the reply. Even as we study the lives of people God uses, I am always overwhelmed at the humanness of those people. They have feet of clay, like all of us. In the same way, the one who uses a battle axe has extended his reach, and with greater power than he has with his own hand, so also the Lord is in the business of taking ordinary people to accomplish His purposes. "That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (I Corinthians 1:29-31).

        A man armed with a battle axe in ancient warfare found a friend in the weapon, as he now had the power to neutralize the effect of a mighty foe. Make no mistake about it, we have a formidable foe. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8). The battle axe had the capacity to pierce armor and shred chain mail of the opponent. In an analogous way when a person surrenders their all to Christ, they become, in God’s hand, a vessel unto honor, meet and prepared for service that evens the odds. "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work" (II Timothy 2:20,21). 

        Although the battle axe could pack some weight, it was light enough to be used on foot or horseback with one or two hands. It was portable and could travel with the warrior though the valley or on the mountaintop. When in battle it could strike from virtually any position. If you could get the weapon flying into the direction of the opponent, it would definitely do damage when contact is made. When a person is filled with God’s spirit, clothed with the whole armor of God, and equipped with the Word of God, there is no limit of good this person can do. "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" (Jeremiah 23:29).

         A young couple was unable to have children. The young lady named Marlene made a simple enquiry, “Why can’t we adopt an embryo?” This would be one of the many having been placed in a frozen state awaiting maturity. These are the youngsters that recently Senator Bill Frist has approved the annihilation of in the name of stem cell experimentation. Marlene and her husband now have the privilege of being the first parents to help rescue one of the little ones by adopting it, carrying it to full term and giving it the opportunity to mature to the level God has ordained. While attending a play, Marlene, the founder of “Snowflake Children”, heard this line, “In the intricate detail of each flake of snow, we find the Creator reflecting the individual human heart.” Thus, these words served as stimulus to name this recent phenomenon, the adoption agency for little embryos. Last year President Bush had an audience with a group of Snowflake Children and their parents. Thank the Lord, our president was in favor of giving these little ones a chance! Marlene and Hannah (the first Snowflake Child) went from office to office of senators and representatives in an attempt to show the politicians the result of viable life. Hannah at only six years of age spoke with wisdom as she told her mom, “I have something I want to say to those men.” Her mom asked, “What would that be?” And the little girl said, “Don’t kill the Snowflakes; we are kids and we want to grow up.” As of now there are eighty three children, brought out of a frozen state, alive and well on planet earth. There will be more yet to come. The oldest one is only six. I want to make a delightful prediction that once these children begin to grow to the point where they can articulate their life, the argument in favor of taking live baby stem cells and sacrificing them in the name of pseudo-science will soon dissipate. My prayer is that God will use these Snowflakes to be the battle axe to help win the cause for God and for good.

        In closing, little Hannah drew a picture with three embryos. On each one, she placed a face. The first one was a happy face; she named that one “Me”, because she found a home. The second one was a sad face, because Hannah said this one was still waiting to be adopted. The third face had a line through it, with these words beside it, “Hmmm, are you going to kill me?” It sounds like “a little child shall lead us” (Isaiah 11:6), as already we see a little girl becoming God’s mighty battle axe.           

- Pastor Pope -

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