"Spare no arrows." - John Knox
Owen Strachan posted a photo the other day of shirts with the words, "Spare No Arrows," written on the back. In his description, he mentioned this was one of John Knox's favorite phrases. I did a quick search and discovered its origins are Biblical -- not surprisingly given Knox's penchant for Scripture.
Jeremiah 50:14
Set yourselves in array against Babylon all around, all you who bend the bow; shoot at her, spare no arrows, for she has sinned against the LORD.
The admonition is to fight as hard as you can against that which you know worth fighting against. If you choose to fight, you must also choose to win. If you decide to hit, you must hit as hard as you can. It is also a charge to fight to the very end. Spare no arrows. Do not stop assaulting the enemy until you are out of ammo. And even then, one would assume to take to hand to hand combat if there were any remaining assailants.
"We will accept nothing less than full victory." - Dwight. D. Eisenhower
Christians need to adopt and employ a healthy dose of pursuit. I became familiar with this concept through reading the MCDP 1: Warfighting and Jim Wilson's Principles of War.
Pursuit is the difference between a battle won and a war ended.
Pursuit is finishing what you began. Pursuit is refusing to dampen passions at the first off ramp provided. It is follow through. It is perseverance. It is loving that which is behind you so much that you refuse to allow anything that is coming against it to survive.
"Failure to pursue frequently reveals that the objective in the campaign was not victory, but rather some version of the 'upper hand.' Once we have fought to the point where we might be left alone for a while, we stop. This often happens because Christians are peace-loving people, and this sometimes gets them into trouble. Too often we drag a problem out and make the whole thing last ten times longer than it has to last. But when the principle of pursuit is employed, it is clear that victory is the objective." -- Douglas Wilson, Rules for Reformers
"Spare no arrows!" is a battle cry for those committed to victory. It is a promise to mortify sin wherever it rears its ugly head. It is a call to keep going. It is a reminder of what's at stake.
"We are not to fight to the point of predominance, we are to fight to the point of complete victory... Pursuit is the principle neglected by the currently strong. Many wars have been prolonged because the victorious army did not press its advantage in the immediate aftermath of a critical battle." -- Douglas Wilson, Rules for Reformers
"Spare no arrows!" is a kindness to those recruited for the cause. It may seem harsh to refuse a respite, but the peace provided by the final push in pursuit is incomparable. Taking the advantage is not the time to take a break.
"Willingness to pursue when pursuit is a possibility reveals, like nothing else reveals, what the true objective was. An unwillingness to pursue is equally revelatory." -- Douglas Wilson, Rules for Reformers
Arrows spared are ulterior motives revealed. Some fight only for personal peace and quiet and stop the pursuit once they have what they want. But rest assured, that kind of peace and quiet won't last for long. Unless you pursue the enemy, he will come back. As long as he exists, he will never stop coming. He understands pursuit and never stops prowling like a lion looking for someone to devour.
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