Do you ever say things which—without consideration of the times and circumstances—would seem to be contradictory? So does the Bible. Consider the following Old Testament examples:
Isaiah 2:4: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.” (Micah 4:3 is identical).
Joel 3:10: “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears.”
So, which is it? Weapons of war turned into agricultural implements, or the other way around? As is often the case, the context illuminates the meaning.
The Biblical prophecy about beating swords and spears into plowshares and pruning hooks is relatively well known. The significance of the symbolism is that war will be turned to peace. Some Millennialists claim that this imagery pictures the Millennium, a thousand-year period during which believers will enjoy perfect peace and prosperity—a “heaven on earth.” However, the context proves that interpretation to be incorrect.
This Isaiah passage is using prophetic symbolism to picture the Holy Christian Church. It is that about which Isaiah prophesied. Seven centuries before the birth of Christ, he was by divine revelation picturing the Messianic age to come. Isaiah was characterizing the entire New Testament era, a period when the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached to all nations and peoples. Look at the context! Verse 2 speaks of the “latter days,” in which the establishment of the Lord’s house will have “all nations” flow to it, and verse 3 then goes on to describe how it is the Word of the Lord, proclaimed by His people, that brings “all nations” (verse 2) into this Kingdom. It is God’s Word, the Gospel in word and sacrament, that the Holy Spirit uses to bring people into God’s kingdom, the Holy Christian Church, through faith in Christ.
Some might argue that Isaiah 2:4 can’t be speaking of the Holy Christian Church because we find conflicts and troubles all around us. Yes, we do; but those adversities are external to our status as God’s children in Christ. Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us that as we commit ourselves and our circumstances to God, our hearts will experience “the peace which surpasses all understanding.” Sometimes people say that they are “okay, under the circumstances.” Insofar as our being God’s children through faith in Christ, however, we are above those troubling circumstances.
But what then about the Joel passage that says to “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears”? At first, we might think that this is a reminder that in this world we are soldiers in the Church Militant, exhorted to use “the whole armor of God” against the wickedness of the ungodly world. (Ephesians 6:10-17) It’s certainly true that God calls us to war against evil, but that’s just not what Joel is prophesying in this passage. Again, we must consider the context to rightly understand what God is telling us.
Joel is not here addressing believers at all—just the opposite! Before the “Beat your plowshares . . .” part of verse 10, God says, “Proclaim this among the nations: ‘Prepare for war!'” In the KJV, nations is translated as “Gentiles.” Joel’s prophetic admonition is to unbelievers. The Lutheran Study Bible says of verse 9, “The Lord summons all the enemies of His people to prepare for battle” and of verse 10, “God incites His people’s enemies to rise and arm themselves with whatever is available.” The context of the rest of the chapter shows clearly that this pertains to the Day of Judgment. Verse 12 says, “Let the nations [the Gentiles; unbelievers] be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations,” and Verse 13 follows with “Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Context, context, context! In the Bible, Judgment Day is often pictured as a harvest, with a sickle being used for the reaping. Consider, as just two examples, Revelation 14:15 -18 and Matthew 13:30 & 39.
These “contradictory” Bible prophecies proclaim that as God’s child, you have “the peace which surpasses all understanding,” and you also have the assurance of the final victory, a victory won for you by the Savior Jesus Christ. Praise be to God!
is a retired teacher and serves as assistant editor of the Lutheran Spokesman. He lives in Cape Coral, Florida.
