Take Up the Shield of Faith
I wanted to respond to a comment made by Elaine a couple days ago when I posted about faith. She talked about throwing down the shield of faith and I thought that was such an incredible word picture. I have plans to write more about the armor of God in the next issue of Intentional Living! so watch for that.
Let’s explore the phrase “shield of faith,” but first, allow me to put it in context.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. Eph 6:13-20 (KJV)
I don’t know about you, but it is hard for me to really grasp the concept of “the whole armor of God” and specifically “the shield of faith.” Of course, I know what a shield is, but it’s hard for me to imagine a situation in which I would need something to protect my physical life. I just don’t have experiential knowledge of armor and warfare, so I needed to go and read about it.
Interestingly, the shield referred to here by Paul was most likely the Roman shield that a soldier carried into battle which was about four feet by two feet. I don’t know about you, but when I think of a shield, I don’t think of something that is four by two feet. That’s really big! The Greek definition is actually “a large shield (as door shaped).”
I didn’t specifically find what material this shield would have been made of, but I’m assuming wood, leather, and metal, or a combination of those materials. It must have been heavy. But, it was necessary to protect them from arrows and javelins and spears.
I like verse 16 in the American Standard Version because it specifically says that we must take up the shield of faith.
…withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil (one). Eph 6:16 (ASV)
And, if we are commanded to take up the shield of faith, we are able to throw it down as Elaine commented.
For me, this brings up two points:
- What is faith and how is it like a shield that we must take up?
- What is this shield protecting us from? what are the “fiery darts of the evil one”?
And, those are the questions that I am going to be meditating on for the day. 
Tune in tomorrow as I try and answer those questions.
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Tamera, I really want to hear more detail on this as well.
I think God created ducks in a very amazing way….were water rolls off then instead of saturating and drowning them. I think in the same way God wants our shield of faith to repel the things that could otherwise soak in or (penetrate) and destroy us. Like offenses or disappointments or the like. I can’t wait to hear what Your thoughts are on the Faith Shield.
I’ve really been getting a lot out of reading Your Blog!
Tamar
May 18th, 2007 | #
Tamar,
That is a great thought! I really like the way you put it “God wants our shield of faith to repel the things that could otherwise soak in or (penetrate) and destroy us.”
(Thank your for the compliment, by the way.
)
May 18th, 2007 | #
Thank you for sharing this Tamera. Very well put. I am also very interested on your thoughts of how faith is like the shield and what the shield protects us of.
May 18th, 2007 | #
Dear Tamera,
Hey! What a compliment to be featured on your blog. I have been thinking about the question ..what is faith. One of my favorite Bible teachers says that in the Old Testament, you will only see the word faith once or twice. One is where it says in Habakkuk that the just shall live by faith. He explained that a better understanding of the word faith is the word courage. He went on to say that it means to not back off, quit, or doubt. I love that interpretation so much better, because I can do that one. Faith always has seemed so nebulous and unobtainable like something we are waiting on for God to give to us , or drop on us out of heaven. But , like you so wisely pointed out, we have already been given a measure of faith. God has laid out the rules, saying it takes faith to please Him and that to even come to Him requires faith. So, the ball is now in our court. We either believe God or we don’t (faith). GOD LEAVES THE NEXT MOVE UP TO US! I think, one day when I read that faith operates through love, then the light came on. When we are deficit in our understanding of love, then we will be limited in our excercising of faith. So, let’s pray for a greater revelation of God’s love (using faith to beflieve He will answer this) and then grow in understanding of God’s love and faith! The reason for faith is so obvious, to draw us closer to the Lord!
love in Christ,
Elaine
May 18th, 2007 | #
Elaine,
You are correct that the word “faith” only appears twice in the OT. The OT talks about faithfulness more. There is a difference between OT faith and NT faith. In the OT, they couldn’t have the kind of faith that we have because Christ had not yet died to attain it for us. What we call faith today was not available to the OT believer.
Very good insight.
You mentioned the scripture that “faith operates through love.” That is found in Gal 5:6. It certainly is life-changing when you realize that faith and love are so connected.
God Bless You! Your contribution is such a blessing to me and everyone who reads here!
May 19th, 2007 | #
Dear Tamera,
Thank you for your kind words and thank YOU for being a catalyst to bring us all together and for teaching us from your walk with the Lord and for studying God’s Word! I appreciate how much you want to do this , as I remember you have responsibilities of wife, mom, homeschooling teacher as well as having responsibilites for runninng a farm!!! I appreciate you and the wonderful women in this group who love the Lord and love contributing to what God is doing in this group!
Much love in Christ,
Elaine
May 20th, 2007 | #