Isaiah 41:5-7 English Standard Version
5 The coastlands have seen and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come. 6 Everyone helps his neighbor and says to his brother, “Be strong!” 7 The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good”; and they strengthen it with nails so that it cannot be moved.
The advice yesterday came without supporting scripture. That was a matter of personal experience, from both sides of choking.
With this opening verse please understand that the desire to help a friend does not mean we are a craftsman that is equipped to handle every situation. Just saying “be strong” does not always give those in trouble what they need. We should have someone within our sphere of influence that has the skills to craft a better answer.
Do not try to be the hero. A drowning victim will take down the hero if the wrong approach is used.
A dear friend has written in the past about being a tool for God. Sometimes we are the hammer, sometimes the anvil.
We are not the craftsman. God has crafted us. The goldsmith is only one title used to exemplify the value of what is being worked in us. My friend is not a goldsmith, he is a wordsmith. His computer is his tool.
Soldering is a bonding operation. Solder is not a tool, it is an element. Nails are not tools, they are implements. How we see ourselves being used of God defines how we act.
See yourself as a nail and you have pierced others. Nails were used to pierce Christ to the Cross.
Some see nails as our sins that nailed Christ to the Cross.
If that image will help us to avoid sin, then it has some value.
Just remember it is the craftsman that strengthens us. He is God.