Chereb of the Saints
Therefore, I shall give unto thee my sword, that I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with the many wonders which I will do in the midst thereof; and after that Pharaoh will let you go, and I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians.” –3 Moses 29-30
One thing I noticed while reading the scriptures growing up, which seemed to be bypassed or ignored at church, is that prophets and holy men in scripture carry around a surprising number of unusual objects. Moses had a staff, Lehi had the Liahona, Joseph Smith had a Seer Stone, etc. When I would ask about it, people would say that was how things were, if they answered at all. As a child, that pacified me, and I grew into a similar opinion, that they were just a subpart of the stories. The answer is actually much deeper, and far less strange, than it first appears.