Welcome And The Sword Of Spirit

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Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

Why The Third Crusade Begins

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All right, good to have you all back today. This week on the Daily Blade, we're going back to the Crusade era. We're looking at five men who stood against Islam when the rest of the world was folding. The source material comes from one of the sharpest minds writing on the subject today, and that's Raymond Ibrahim in his book, Defenders of the West. So yesterday we focused on the Sid, and today we're looking at my favorite historical figure from this time period, Richard the Lionheart.

Saladin’s Victory And Christian Losses

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So in the year 1187, the great Muslim war leader Saladin absolutely destroyed the Christian army in the Battle of Hatton. He held the most sacred Christian relic at the time, which was supposedly the true cross, and he paraded it through the streets upside down, dragging it through excrement while the Muslims jeered. He ordered that the Christian warrior monks, which were the Templars and the Hospitalers, to be beheaded in front of him. He took Jerusalem and 15,000 Christians were sold into slavery. When the news reached Pope Urban III, he reportedly died of shock. I mean, the grief literally killed him. Europe responded to this by launching what came, what became known as the Third Crusade. And at the tip of the spear for this war was the 38-year-old English king named Richard. And I mean the dude was just a tank. He was six foot five, reportedly built like a Greek god, was supposedly very handsome. And in addition to that, he spoke multiple languages and wrote poetry between his war campaigns, like a literal warrior poet. His Muslim enemies called him the Accursed One. So the nickname was considered a high honor because it came out of their fear of him. And here is a direct quote from one Muslim emir in reference to King Richard. There's something especially amazing about one of them. He threw our people into disorder and destroyed them. We have never seen his like nor known anyone similar. No one can stand against him, and when he seizes anyone, no one can rescue them from his hands. They call him in their language King Richard.

Richard’s Arrival And Battlefield Discipline

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Now, when King Richard arrived at the Siege of Acker, he found the crusaders in a terribly desperate place. So many of them had already died, and the ones left living were completely exhausted and run down. And the moment his banner appeared on the horizon, apparently the Christian camp just erupted. So simultaneously, the Muslim garrison inside the city was absolutely terrified at the sight of King Richard coming their direction, and the city of Acher fell just within a few weeks. At the Battle of Arsif, King Richard went up against the full force of Saladin's immense army, and Richard was very patient during this battle. So he actually gave strict orders to his men to not break formation regardless of provocation until he gave the word to attack. And then he waited. And he waited and he waited. And then he unleashed a cavalry charge that shattered Saladin's army, which was considered to be almost impossible at this time in history. And he forced the great Sultan to retreat. So the great Saladin actually never regained control of the coast. Now Richard never took the city of Jerusalem, but he did leave a crusader presence that would endure for another century. He personally negotiated a treaty that let Christian pilgrims visit the holy city safely, something that no one had previously thought possible.

Afraid Of God Not Enemies

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Now you might be wondering, how could he be such a great warrior and leader and not take Jerusalem? Well, as history shows us, he was afraid. But he wasn't afraid of the Muslims. He was afraid of God. He reportedly said that he was unworthy to enter the city he had not yet liberated. He actually wept when he saw it from a distance and covered his eyes with the shield, saying that he would not even look upon Jerusalem because he had not yet delivered her. So guys, that's not weakness. That is a man feeling the weight of a mission taken seriously. So Richard's discipline at Arsith and his raw emotions reminds me of some of the writings of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3. For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven, a time for war and a time for peace. And in the urgency he felt inside of him, and in the grief over the circumstances of Jerusalem, it also reminds me of one of my favorite books of the Old Testament and one of my favorite people in the entire Bible, Nehemiah. And we see this quote from Nehemiah chapter 1, verse 4. As soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days. And I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. So look, guys, real men, manly men, mourn real losses. King Richard the Lionheart wept over Jerusalem. The great Nehemiah wept over the broken walls of Jerusalem, but their grief wasn't used as an excuse to roll over and die. It was the fuel that drove their future actions. And detaching from our real emotions is not strength. As men of God, we should care very deeply. We should care about the things of God and about the people that God loves, those that were made in his image. That is where righteous action is born.

Let Grief Fuel Righteous Action

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And some of you have been driven to grief and it's causing you not to stand firm. I mean, ask yourself, where should you be holding the line right now? Where is your discipline lacking? In your marriage, in your business, in your faith, with your kids, with your close friends? Like, where do you know that you should be holding the line when everything in you seems to tell you to break away early? I mean, King Richard the Lionheart held his cavalry at Arsif under arrows until the moment was right for his attack. He was very disciplined in his approach, and his discipline and patience turned a potential route into a decisive victory for his side. So are you allowing the grief over your circumstances to cloud your judgment? Have you lost the discipline that has sustained you up to now? And to be fair, did you ever even have the discipline that could even allow you to sustain yourself? Guys, let your grief and your angst fuel your charge. Don't just cover your eyes and ride away. Pick up the sword and stand ready for the right moment.

Share The Show And Stay Sharp

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Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.