Week 19: The Shield - Part 5: The Grand Finale

Well, we finally made it to the conclusion of our study of the armour of God. Our final piece of attire is the Shield of Faith. Now, let me remind you when we started this study that our goal was to find out why we are instructed to take the shield of faith above all the other armour pieces. Let’s read the scripture again for a refresher. Ephesians 6:16 states, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

During the day of the Roman soldier, research indicates that the shield was semicircular in shape so as to deflect arrows to one side of the other. It was usually wooden and covered with leather. Most of the shields had iron or brass rims along the edges. A soldier held to the shield with a leather strap that was secured to the back. Often, the front of the shield would sport a metal projection of some type to stun or wind an opponent so that a thrust of the sword could be applied. As soldiers approached the enemy, they would cover themselves with the shield. At times the soldiers would battle in groups and create an almost tortoise shell appearance with the shields so as to repel incoming arrows and to advance forward in the attack. However, the most intriguing aspect of the shield, was not so much a component of the shield as it was technique. Before going into battle, a soldier would soak the front of his shield in water. Now remember, I said earlier that shields were usually covered with leather. So, when soldiers had fiery arrows shot their way, the flame was snuffed out when it hit the drenched leather.

Now keeping that in mind, let’s look at the spiritual parallel of a Christian’s shield.

Why is the shield seemingly emphasized as the most important piece of battle attire? In Hebrew 11:1 we read that “faith the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In a nutshell, faith is taking God at His word. Although we can’t always know how things will turn out, we should believe and press forward regardless. After all, it is impossible to please God without faith (Heb. 11:6).

You see, the shield and the sword are really the only two pieces of the whole armour that we use to actually combat with. All of the other pieces serve more as protective coverings; however, even our sword can become ineffective if we don’t have faith in the scripture we are learning. So, you can see why everything else relies on the shield…or our faith.

We must make sure though that we do not let our shield get dried out and parched. We have to keep it saturated. How do we do that? We have to read the Bible and pray and let our senses be constantly absorbing the things of God. This saturates our shield with faith and then we are able to snuff out all fiery darts that come our way. Otherwise, if the devil gets that fiery dart into our shield and it starts to smolder there, the shield will eventually crumble and leave us exposed to all sorts of attack. That is why it was and is so important for the shield to be soaked prior to the battle.

When we are attacked, and we throw up our shield of faith, we stun the opponent and he staggers backward. As he does, we have time to counter our attack with our sword and thrust the Word of God at the devil. The shield of faith is our weapon. If we take away the shield, our whole body is exposed. Yes, we may be saved, we may know some scripture, we may be ready and willing to share the gospel, but without faith, these other areas of our spiritual life have no foundation. Scripture becomes just pretty words if there is no belief behind them. The gospel becomes just another good story but with no eternal value if not believed.

Take time to read back over all of the armour pieces we have discussed. Pray daily for the Lord to help clothe you in each piece. Above all though, take up your shield and soak yourself in the Lord. You can have complete victory in Jesus.

I John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory that overcometh the word, even our faith.




References


Holy Bible, KJV

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon, http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Eph&c=6&v=16&t=KJV#16


Shield of Faith, http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/armor-of-god-5.htm