He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. (Psalm 18:34-35)

The Bow Of Bronze

David was the psalmist of Israel, writing thousands of psalms extolling the power and majesty of the God he served faithfully. He faced great trials in life as a shepherd to his father and a leader for the people of God. Sadly, he was sought by King Saul, who tried to kill David because of intense jealousy. Enemies were surrounding David during his life. The Lord prohibited David from building the Temple because he was a man of war and shed much blood. His life was filled with violence. There came a day when the Lord delivered David from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He was at peace. The God he served brought peace and safety. His life rested on the promises of the Lord to keep him safe.

The victories of David were not by the power of his own might or wisdom. Facing Goliath, David told the Philistine he came in the name of the Lord. As God had delivered him from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, the victory would be to the glory of God. Everything in the life of David was measured by the trust in the might of the Almighty. After many years of conflict, David reflected on the power of the Lord in his life. The rock of David was the Lord. He was the fortress, deliverer, strength, and the shield and horn of his salvation. God had enabled David with the power to have victory over all his foes as a man would bend a bow of bronze.

Bows were an early instrument of war. The tribe of Benjamin was legendary for the use of the bow. David declares through the power of God; he is able to bend a bow of bronze. This takes extraordinary strength as if he were able to break a bow made of metal. He could not do this without the power of God. The victories David had in life he attributes to the power of God. Many times, it seemed hopeless to David, but his continual trust and devotion to the Lord gave him the victory. Attributing the power of God to the force of bending a bow of bronze shows the heart of David trusting not in his own wisdom but in the grace of God.

The same power David extols in his psalm is the same power given to the saints of God in the kingdom of Christ. There is a striking parallel between the psalm of David and Paul’s description of the armor of God to the Ephesian church. With the armor of God, the Christian can stand against the wiles of the devil. There is nothing in the wisdom of men that can defeat Satan. No power in the arsenal of human strength can defeat the forces of the rulers of the darkness of this age. Standing against the spiritual hosts of wickedness can only be done through the power of the armor of God. With the strength of the Lord, any Christian can bend a bow of bronze and stand against the fiery darts of the wicked one. Bending a bow of bronze is the strength that comes from God. By God’s might, the forces of Satan and Satan himself are defeated. There is no greater victory than that which is given by the power of God.

Bending a bow of bronze takes faith and courage. Through prayer, the bow is bent. By faith, the arrows of righteousness fly from the bow of bronze. No power can withstand the strength of a bow of bronze. God has equipped His army with the greatest power known to men. David knew the feel of a bronze bow. He had used it many times to defeat the foes of his God. No Christian should awaken the day without the bow of God by his side. Through the power of the word of God, the bronze bow can be used to gain eternal victory. The joy of Heaven is when the archers of the Lord stand before their king, ready to lay their bows of bronze at the feet of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Like David, the saint will find rest from all his enemies. Let’s go to war with our bows of bronze.