The Weapons of War

Last Christmas (2008), my parents gave me a set of Charles H. Spurgeon's Morning by Morning and Evening by Evening devotionals.  Although it's written in a daily format, I haven't kept up with it, and so I found myself on the June 11th entry in the Evening book a few days ago!  No matter what time of year, it is still applicable and I thought these words may encourage some of you as they did me.  Italics mine.

The introductory quote from the Bible:
"There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war."  Psalm 76:3

And Spurgeon's thoughts:
"Our Redeemer's glorious cry of 'It is finished' was the death-knell of all the adversaries of His people, the breaking of 'the weapons of war.'  Behold the hero of Golgotha using His cross as an anvil, and His wounds as a hammer, dashing to pieces bundle after bundle of our sins, those poisoned 'flashing arrows,' trampling on every indictment and destroying every accusation.  What glorious blows the mighty Breaker gives with a hammer far more powerful than the fabled weapon of Thor!  How the diabolical darts break in pieces, and the infernal swords are broken like old clay pots!  Consider how He draws from its sheath of hellish workmanship the dreadful sword of satanic power!  He snaps it across His knee as a man breaks dry sticks and throws it into the fire.  Beloved, no sin of a believer can now be an arrow bringing death, no condemnation can now be a sword to kill him, for the punishment of our sin was borne by Christ, and a full atonement was made for all our iniquities by our blessed Substitute and Surety.  Who now accuses?  Who now condemns?  Christ has died, yes, has risen again.  Jesus has removed the weapons of hell, has quenched every fiery dart, and has broken the head off every arrow of wrath; the ground is covered with the splinters and relics of the weapons of hell's warfare, which are only visible to us to remind us of our former danger and of our great deliverance.  Sin no longer has dominion over us.  Jesus has made an end of it and put it away forever.  Our enemy's destructions have come to a perpetual end.  Declare all the wonderful works of the Lord, all you who make mention of His name; do not be silent, neither by day, nor when the sun goes down.  Bless the Lord, O my soul."