Topical Bible: Arrows: Discharged: Against Enemies

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical narrative, arrows are frequently depicted as instruments of warfare, symbolizing both physical and spiritual conflict. The use of arrows against enemies is a recurring theme, illustrating the divine empowerment of God's people in battle and the execution of divine judgment.

Old Testament Context

Arrows are often mentioned in the context of ancient warfare, where they served as a primary weapon for archers. The Israelites, like many ancient Near Eastern cultures, utilized arrows in their military campaigns. The discharge of arrows against enemies is portrayed as a strategic and divinely sanctioned act.

In 1 Samuel 20:36-37, Jonathan uses arrows as a signal to David, but the broader context of arrows in Samuel includes their use in battle. In 1 Samuel 31:3, during the battle against the Philistines, "the archers overtook Saul, and wounded him critically." This highlights the lethal effectiveness of arrows in combat.

Divine Empowerment and Protection

The Bible often attributes the success of Israelite warriors to divine intervention. In 2 Samuel 22:15, David sings of God's deliverance: "He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them." Here, arrows symbolize God's power to defeat enemies, emphasizing that victory comes from the Lord.

Similarly, in Psalm 18:14, the psalmist declares, "He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them." This repetition underscores the belief that God actively participates in the battles of His people, using arrows as a metaphor for His might and judgment.

Prophetic Imagery

Arrows also appear in prophetic literature, symbolizing impending judgment and divine retribution. In Jeremiah 50:9, the prophet speaks of a nation coming against Babylon: "For behold, I will stir up and bring against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the land of the north. They will line up against her; from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed." This imagery conveys the certainty and precision of God's judgment through the metaphor of arrows.

Spiritual Warfare

In a spiritual context, arrows are used metaphorically to describe the attacks of the wicked or the forces of evil. Psalm 64:3 speaks of those "who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows." This metaphor extends to the New Testament, where Ephesians 6:16 advises believers to take up "the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

Conclusion

Throughout the Bible, arrows discharged against enemies serve as a powerful symbol of both physical warfare and spiritual conflict. They represent the divine empowerment of God's people, the execution of His judgment, and the reality of spiritual warfare faced by believers.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Kings 19:32
Therefore thus said the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 50:14
Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all you that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she has sinned against the LORD.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Death and Life in Christ
... he has nothing against us; our substitute is discharged; we are discharged. ... one who
proclaims the truth as well as protests against error. ... Prepare your arrows! ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 9 1863/death and life in christ.htm

Trinidad
... warlike dances, the Indians, at a given signal, discharged a flight of arrows, which
killed ... clamoured for arms, and demanded to be led against the enemy ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter iii trinidad.htm

The Burning of Athens.
... They could not defend them, they said, against such a host ... This combustible envelopment
of the arrows was set on fire before the weapon was discharged, and a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/xerxes/chapter x the burning of.htm

The Two-Horned Beast.
... and iron, or darted in arrows and javelins ... they retorted an invention, contrived
against themselves, on the ... of the mischievous engine that discharged a torrent ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the two-horned beast.htm

The Seven Trumpets.
... incessant volleys of lances and arrows were accompanied ... thirty guns, or that it
discharged one hundred ... judgments predicted in the Scriptures against all their ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the seven trumpets.htm

Our Stronghold
... and to be mailed against the arrows of slander ... make a man an insolvent "it is discharged,
it has ... a very sharp, bitter, and cutting letter against the minister ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/our stronghold.htm

Of the Necessity of Divine Influences to Produce Regeneration in ...
... were most skillfully aimed, and most vigorously discharged. ... of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness ... as a mark for those arrows, (Lamentations 3 ...
/.../practical discourses on regeneration/discourse vii of the necessity.htm

The Life of Mr. James Renwick.
... even when his enemies were shooting their arrows at him ... Whereupon he discharged a
pistol which made the assailants ... did much allay their rage against him; and ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of mr james 6.htm

Gethsemane
... drops of the tremendous shower which discharged itself upon ... night, and we will spare
no arrows, we will ... supplication if you would prevail against the adversary ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 9 1863/gethsemane.htm

The First Christmas Carol
... him when they flash his brightness in arrows of light ... How many solemn obligations
are this hour discharged? ... forbid I should say a word against the sincerity of ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the first christmas carol.htm