creation care

When Swords Become Plowshares: Sowing Seeds of Peace

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Editor's Note

This article is a part of our series, The Way of Christ in Technology.

From a young age, I have been captivated by history. Over the years, this passion of mine has led me to gather a modest collection of documents and relics from various historical periods. Each artifact that I have collected serves as a tangible connection to the past, a whisper from another time that speaks to the experiences of those who came before me. Recently, while browsing one of my favorite relic dealer’s websites, I stumbled upon an item that impacted me in an unexpected way.

This dealer had posted for sale a remarkable piece of history: a Confederate battle pike that had been repurposed into a hoe after the Civil War. At first glance, it was a strange and moving object—an artifact that combined both violence and peace. The pike’s once sharp spearhead, designed for battle and bloodshed, had been bent at a nearly ninety-degree angle. The blade, once poised to kill, now bore the marks of time, its edges worn smooth from years of plowing fields and working the land. It was no longer a weapon of destruction, but a humble tool of cultivation.

One day, the reign of Christ will bring an end to all conflict, when the instruments of war will be transformed into tools that cultivate.

Despite its age and the rusted patina, the pike-turned-hoe exuded a kind of beauty. Its transformation, from a deadly instrument to one of life-giving work, felt poetic. There was something profound in the way this weapon had been redefined. It was a reminder of the painstaking process of rebuilding after a period of intense conflict. It stood as a symbol not only of combat, but also of redemption—of the possibility of peace emerging from the ruins of war.

As I scanned through the dealer’s pictures of the relic, I was reminded of a passage from the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 2:4, the prophet speaks of a time when God, the ultimate judge, will “decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” This passage provides a profound promise: one day, the reign of Christ will bring an end to all conflict, when the instruments of war will be transformed into tools that cultivate. Isaiah describes a peace that surpasses anything human politics has achieved or will ever achieve.

As we face the ongoing troubles of this world—wars and rumors of wars, the endless cycle of violence and suffering—it can be easy to lose hope. Every day, we hear reports of conflict, from the bloodshed in Gaza to the devastation in Ukraine, and the toll of these wars seems unending. Modern conflicts often demonstrate that humans pay little attention to the relics of warfare past, that human sinfulness breeds conflict with ease. But the image of the pike-turned-hoe delivers a powerful reminder that ultimate peace is on the horizon.

Isaiah offers hope for a future that is free from violence, a future where the nations no longer lift swords against one another. This everlasting peace, foreshadowed in Isaiah, is found only through Christ. As Paul writes in Ephesians 2:14-22, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” Christ’s reign, both now and in the future, is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision: a reign that breaks down barriers, ends hostility, and brings about true, lasting peace.

Until that day comes, we should strive to be peacemakers, seeking to live in a way that shapes tools of conflict into instruments of peace. Just as the Confederate battle pike was transformed into a gardening tool, may we also repurpose our energy, our efforts, and our hearts toward cultivating peace. In living like Christ, may we work the soil of reconciliation, sowing seeds of justice, mercy, and kindness.

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Photo of field retrieved from Unsplash

Photo of hoe provided by Stephen Howard

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MA Ethics, Theology, and Culture

The Master of Arts Ethics, Theology, and Culture is a Seminary program providing specialized academic training that prepares men and women to impact the culture for Christ through prophetic moral witness, training in cultural engagement, and service in a variety of settings.

  • creation care
  • history
  • technology
Stephen Howard

Stephen Howard

Stephen is an attorney and M.Div. student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He holds degrees from the Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson School of Law and North Greenville University. He resides in Enola, Pennsylvania with his wife, Abby, and their two children. If you need to find Stephen, he is probably fishing at the river.

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