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The Balanced Sword, PO Box 200, Fouke, AR (2026)

06/13/2025

Gossip is a problem in our society. We share the "secrets" of others with whoever is willing to listen. Even consider many of our news networks that share "celebrity gossip." Who is getting a divorce? Who has a drug problem? Who is in a relationship with whom? Our society gobbles up that sort of media. Why? We love juicy news about others.

Yet, the scriptures tell us a few things about gossip. While Prov. 11:3, 20:19, 26:20, and other verses speak of this topic, we want to focus on Prov. 17:9 to remind us of one of the outcomes of gossip. It will sever bonds. There are those who "cover" a matter. That is, this person knows some information is sensitive and does not need to be shared with anyone willing to listen. Why is this one unwilling to share with others? He seeks love. He wants friendship and love with the one with the secret to abound more and more. He wants to continue being trustworthy with whom his loved one can confide.

But the wicked, here called the one who "repeateth a matter." He repeats the secret information to whoever will listen, and does so at the severing of bonds. The friendship will most likely come to an end. Other bonds are likely to break. After all, who wants to share information with one who will tell anything?

06/10/2025

Can we take a moment to address the importance of attendance? The Hebrews writer seeks to encourage his audience to further faithfulness during a time of persecution. While, historically, the saints gathered daily for prayer, exhortation, learning scripture, and fellowship (Acts 2:46-47) some of the writer's audience stopped doing that. In Hebrews 10, the writer reminds them of the Christians ability to enter into holiest by means of the New Covenant purchased with the blood of Christ and our High Priest (v. 19-21). With that reminder, he commands a few things:

1. Christians are to draw near to the Christ without hypocrisy (v. 22).

2. Continue in faithfulness. After all, He is faithful to us (v. 23).

3. Excite within each other the emotions that would lead us to love and good works (v. 24).

4. Do not forsake the assembly, as some were habitually doing (v. 25).

The writer proceeds to remind his audience that the unfaithful have nothing positive to look forward to (v. 26-31). Have we ever taken notice of the first three in that list as compared to the last? How can we draw near to Christ without proper attendance? Can we call ourselves faithful if we are not worshipping with the saints? No emotions can be stirred if we have no fellowship with our brethren.

It is an impossible to perform the first three if we are not involved in the last. Furthermore, the Hebrews writer makes it quite plain. A refusal to commit to this finds us in the unenviable position of being in the vengeful hands of the living God. I do not think any of us want that.

05/29/2025

Psalm 36 says a great deal about the imaginations of the wicked. They believe there is no God or at least live as if there is not one (v. 1). Verse 2 states he flattereth himself with his own eyes. The general idea is that he builds himself up in his sins. Another way of saying it is that he applies a gloss to smooth out his sins as if his iniquities are nothing serious.

While David's focus is on the wicked person, we must be aware that we could be guilty of the same activity if:

1. We view our sins as "not as bad" as someone else's sin.
2. We try to twist scriptures to make our iniquities seem good.
3. We overestimate our virtues and ability to resist temptation.
4. We believe there are no consequences to our actions.

When we do any of these things, we are guilty of "flattering" ourselves in our own eyes.

Rather, we should listen to the example of David when he sinned.
Psa 51:2-4 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. (3) For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. (4) Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

05/28/2025

A calm response is the best response.

05/27/2025

Lately, I have noticed Christians have been a bit ruder over social media. Name calling, rude language, and other such remarks are unbecoming of God's people. Worse still, we will be judged by these typed words on the final day. Do you really want to stand condemned by God because of your social media activities?

05/21/2025

Saul's name means "desire" or "desired." This is a fitting name for Saul of Tarsus for a few reasons.

Saul desired to be pleasing to God before becoming a Christian. While his actions might seem harsh and terrible, we must be reminded that he did so because he thought he ought to do things contrary to Christ (Acts 26:9). His actions very much echoed the statement by Christ in John 16:2. Those who killed Christians thought they were doing the will of God. Later, though, Saul was confronted with the truth. He had been wrong about Christ and Christianity.

We then see that Saul desired to be pleasing to God by becoming a Christian. After Paul was blinded on the road to Damascus, Christ told him that it would be revealed what Saul MUST do. What was he told to do? Acts 9:1-16 and 22:1-16 speak of Ananias coming to Saul and saying:

Act 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Act 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

Paul was confronted with the evidence that he had been wrong. How did he respond? He obeyed the gospel of Christ because he sought to be pleasing to God. He continued in his desires as...

He desired to please God AFTER becoming a Christian. Acts 9:15-16 shows Christ laying out what Paul would do after his obedience. He would stand before the Gentiles, kings, and even the Jews, preaching the gospel of truth. This action would lead him to be hated and suffer persecution. How did Paul react to this news?

Act 26:19-20 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: (20) But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

What is the lesson for us? What should be the desire of the Christian? Doing those things which are pleasing to the LORD.

05/20/2025

Christ is a high priest greater than any to ever walk the face of the earth. Two reasons are given in this verse.

1. He is empathetic to the problems of this life. He understands the issues we face because He faced something similar. This is not to say that He experienced cancer or something of that nature, but He knows what it is like to be betrayed by friends, mistreated by the "religious," hated by those who are around Him, in the deepest pits of depression, face the temptation to sin, and more. A simpler way of saying it is that Christ experiences the whole human experience. As such, He can empathize with our problems.

2. There is one thing He never experienced that we do: sin. We are told that He was tempted like we are, but was without sin. The old high priests had to offer one sacrifice before one could offer a sacrifice for the people. One had to be offered for the high priest due to his sins. Instead, Christ can be the perfect High Priest (and sacrifice) as He never sinned.

Why is this important to us? Read the next verse:
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16)

Andrew Crowe

05/15/2025

The ability to communicate is a wonderful thing. We can make known thoughts, ideas, problems, solutions, appreciations, woes, and more. But we may not always communicate the way we should. Sometimes, it may be that the words are not spoken. So, the communication is unknown and may stay unknown unless revealed. Sometimes, the words are not fitly spoken. This means they are not spoken properly.

We might allow frustrations, anger, hatred, or some other negative emotion to control the words which exit our lips. A famous saying is, "Speak when angry and give the greatest speech you ever regret."

Both can hurt our communication, but when we are able to accomplish both, Solomon states they are like "apples of gold and pictures of silver." Commentators believe Solomon is referring to orange blooms, which, if you've never seen them, are gorgeous. Look it up on Google.

Putting all this together, Solomon wrote that when we properly communicate with each other with a word that is fitly spoken, it is beautiful.

05/14/2025

One of the key factors of successful Bible study is context. What is said before and after? What is occurring in history? Are there any geographical factors? Answers to questions like these will help a Bible student understand context.

1 Corinthians 7 is a widely misunderstood chapter as many go into a study of it without understanding the context. Paul points out in verses 26 that Christians are being persecuted. This persecution is going to be an underlying factor behind everything the apostle Paul will say in this chapter. He is not commanding people to be single. He is saying, "Since there is a persecution it might be best for a person to remain single but that person may marry. There is no command."

Always keep in mind the context.

05/13/2025

Have we ever given thought to how we treat animals? We spend much time studying as to how we treat our fellow man, but might ignore this one verse. According to this Proverb, one who is righteous regards the life of his animals. This refers to the comfort and health of the creatures he has oversight whether they be beasts of burden or our pets today. Those who are righteous are those who care for the well-being of their animals.

The wicked? He, at his most tender, is still merciless. We might think of raids where animals were rescued from starvation by their cruel masters. Our minds might even think of those who bring up a pitbull or a rooster for the purpose of fighting to the death.

It might be easy to think of animals as something for which God has no care as to how humanity treats them. The scriptures paint a different picture.

Andrew Crowe

05/13/2025

I really want to take a moment to thank Andrew for his efforts the last several weeks! Chaos has been the norm at my house! But things are settling down and I plan to start producing content soon!

May God be glorified in all we do
-David Dean

The Balanced Sword

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