Sword and Shovel | Yesterday Was Easy - Episode 2

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Everything I do is well thought out and is bathed in purpose and intention, whether it be a specific route

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I take driving somewhere, or the order in which I brush my teeth, put in my socks and shoes, or even go to the bathroom.

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Welcome to Yesterday Was Easy. I am very much aware that this level of anality drives my friends and family nuts at times, especially my wife.

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On the flip side, it is maddening to me when people meander through life all willy nilly, with no purpose or thought out intent, especially while driving or pushing a cart at the grocery store.

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But I digress. The point I want to get to in this second episode of Yesterday Was Easy is that just like the rest of my life, every detail of this show will be well thought out, including the logo, which is what

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I specifically want to discuss today. I deliberately chose a sword and shovel not only because what it represents accurately reflects how

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I try to live my life, but also what I believe it means to be a godly man. I will admit that I stole the idea from our good friends at New St.

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Andrew's College in Moscow, Idaho, although I'm sure the idea wasn't original to them either.

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It originates from Nehemiah chapter 4, where the Jews were attempting to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem while also preparing to be attacked on all sides by three different enemies that hated their guts and wanted to eradicate them off the face of the earth.

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Nehemiah 4 .15 -18 says, When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work.

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From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail.

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And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other.

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And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

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The portion I want to zero in on here is the latter half of verse 17. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other.

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Now these were men. They were ready to work, and they were ready to fight. And not just fight for the sake of fighting, but defensively fight for the sake of continuing the work.

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There are a number of implications we can pull from this example, but the point is this. The men were busy with their work.

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They weren't lazy nor idle. They were working, sweating, and bleeding, tool in one hand and sword in the other, and they were ready to defend themselves in the process.

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They didn't work timidly or cowardly, but courageously as brave men. The work can represent anything, whether you're a contractor, a pastor, a surgeon, a banker, or a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker.

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You're performing the work God has given you to do, all to his glory. This could also represent kingdom work, which we, as men, should all be doing.

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It absolutely should not be relegated only to those in full -time ministry. We are all commissioned by Christ in Matthew 28 to go into all the world with his authority, making disciples, baptizing them in the name of the

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Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them all that he commanded. Of course, this isn't limited to only men, but I will say that if you are a man and you claim the name of Christ, and you are not doing this, then you need to check yourself right now.

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Likewise, the working tool being used can also represent whatever line of work God has sovereignly placed you in.

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It could be a hammer, a Bible, a scalpel, a calculator, or a cleaver, spatula, or whatever is used to make candles.

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I have seen others take this imagery and use a trowel, which, to be honest, is probably the most historically accurate tool.

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The Israelites were repairing a broken wall. They were most likely working with mortar and a trowel.

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Theologically speaking, this is also pretty accurate, since we, as Christians, are called to repair a broken world, not abandon it.

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I personally like the image of a shovel, since we were also given the dominion mandate in Genesis chapter 1, and considering the fact that God placed

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Adam in the garden in Genesis 2 to work and keep it. Technically, you could use a rake or a hoe as well, but even before the fall,

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God had created man to work. Using a shovel means you are moving earth or material.

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You are digging and filling. You are building calluses through blisters. You are accumulating scars from splinters.

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You are changing what was already there into something new. You are literally building, ground up, one shovel full at a time.

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When it comes to the defensive side of things, we can also go a number of directions. These men were literally defending themselves from physically violent, offensive attacks so they could continue the task at hand.

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We as men need to be able to defend ourselves and our families from attack, whether it be physically or spiritually.

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I'll get more into the physical defense of our families in future episodes, so for now, let's just say that this is something you should take seriously and be prepared for.

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Note that it is defensive, not offensive. We should take the Gadsden flag, don't tread on me approach.

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We are not looking for trouble, but are ready should trouble arise. Spiritually speaking,

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Paul commands us in 1 Peter 3 .15 that after sanctifying Christ as Lord in our hearts, we should be always ready or always prepared to give a defense for the hope that lies within us.

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Once again, if you are a Christian man and are not always ready, you are failing. Study up, know the word, be ready to defend it.

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We could also list all manner of defensive tools. In Nehemiah, the men held spears, shields, bows, coats of mail, and of course, swords.

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In modern times, it could be a firearm, a blade, mace, or even a pair of brass knuckles. For the logo,

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I chose a specific sword for a very specific reason. This is a Scottish Claymore, the very sword one of my heroes carried.

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John Knox, a Scottish Covenanter and leader of the Scottish Reformation, carried this sword as he stood bodyguard for George Wishart, while he courageously preached the gospel under the threat of imprisonment and death.

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If you don't know your history, and you should, these are the same faithful Christians that eventually founded our nation.

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For me, this sword represents the freedoms and liberty God once blessed us with, which are quickly eroding if we do not raise up courageous men to once again defend these

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God -given rights. Again, I will spend much more time on this later on, but just like working tools, as men, if we are going to carry defensive tools, we better know how to use them.

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If you daily keep one of these tools on your person, and have spent no time familiarizing yourself with them, you are a fool.

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You are more dangerous to yourself and or your family than you are to any potential threat.

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Do not take this lightly. John Knox once said this, I will keep the ground that God has given me, and perhaps in His grace

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He will ignite me again. But ignite me or not, in His grace and His powers I will hold the ground.