Sharpen That Ax, Son

If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge,
then one must exert more strength;
however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.
Ecclesiastes 10:10

A young country preacher took his text on a humid Sunday morning, pleased to have been invited as a guest to speak. The church pianist had just retired the congregation to their seats after the hymn, and as tambourines were laid to the side and fans waved away the heat, the upturned faces of a spiritually well-fed congregation smiled a collective expression of holy expectancy.

The time had come for the Word.

A row of humble, suited elders dressed in their Sunday best lined the front pew. This old guard punctuated the young preacher’s sermon with shouts, hand waves, and the repeated, encouraging “Amen.”

As the message progressed, it took more than a few subtle turns away from the text, in favor of the preacher’s presumptions stated as scriptural fact. As the flock heard more opinion than Scripture, more thoughts of men than of God with conclusions that were actually offensive to the God of life, the amens died down and a hush fell over the congregation. Pages that had once rustled excitedly stopped turning, and only the handheld fans continued to wave.

The young man, sensing the shift in mood, closed his Bible and brought his sermon to a close. Having finished, he slumped in his guest seat among the elders.

The elder seated next to him kindly patted him on the arm and whispered, “It’s all right, son. I think your ax was sharp, but your handle was weak.”

Ecclesiastes tells us that the work is easier and the results better when the ax head is sharp and precise. This is true whether it’s wood chopping or surgery—a dull edge makes everyone involved suffer . . .  the craftsman, project, and patient alike. The old elder that Sunday picked up on this truth, and more: not only must our ax heads be sharp and precise, but our handles must be strong as well to rightly divide the Word, to know the truth, and to refuse its compromise; for even around the Word of God, the battle between Wisdom and Folly is joined:

Continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:13–17)

Study to show yourself approved. Therein lies the carpenter’s apprenticeship, the skills of applying God’s wisdom in the right way and at the right time, both in what we say and in what we do. To do that which pleases God and thwarts the devil and Folly’s schemes.

In truth, do we know our Bibles well? Some may know and misapply pieces because we’ve not been taught that there is one story that coheres from Genesis to Revelation, and that its proper telling and living pleases the author and finisher of our faith. Of course, in times where we are unintentionally imprecise, God’s wisdom is sure and His aim true. That the Word will still do the work it has set out to do—and that, dear students of the Word, is the Holy Spirit advantage—guaranteed to increase our skill as we learn, and promised success that His Word will not return void, even in our weakness.

There is no better time than today to begin sharpening blades and strengthening handles, to learn to wield well the wisdom that’s been placed in our hands. It’s the only weapon that cauterizes the wound as it slices through heart and souls of men.