Friday, May 29, 2020

God is Our Armor


“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the
power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that
you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness
in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor 
of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, 
and having done all, to stand. 

"Stand, therefore, having girded your waist with truth, 
having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having
shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be 
able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take 
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God.”
     Ephesians 6:10-17 (NKJV)

 I’ve heard a number of sermons on the armor of God over the years, so when our pastor announced this passage as his sermon text this past Sunday, I assumed it would be like the others.  That is, explaining the armor pieces in NT terms such that a Roman soldier would use, which is a fine application. But I was pleasantly surprised to have a new take on it (at least new to me), when the sermon instead was based on OT references.  It sure blessed me so I thought I’d share the high points with you.

Girding the waist:  Isaiah speaks of the Rod that shall come from the stem of Jesse and that “Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.” (Isaiah 11:5, NKJV)

Breastplate of righteousness:  Isaiah again tells of the Redeemer of Zion and says “He puts on righteousness as a breastplate.”  (Isaiah 59:17, NKJV)

Feet of the gospel of peace:  “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7, NKJV) 

Shield of faith: There are many references in the Old Testament that proclaim God is our shield (e.g., Gen. 15:1, Psalm 84:11, Psalm 91:4) and faith is a gift from God (e.g., Eph. 2:8).

Helmet of salvation:  Isaiah declares that the coming Messiah will have “a helmet of salvation on His head.” (Isaiah 59:17, NKJV)

Word of God:  In addition, Isaiah speaks of the holiness of God and the power of His word:  “He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.” (Isaiah 11:4, NKJV)

Stand firmly upon God:  One of the most striking examples of this is in the account of the Red Sea crossing by the children of Israel: “And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:13)

This brief study reinforces that it is God who is our armor and every piece of it.  God is our strength and everything we need. He is our righteousness and our peace; He is our shield and our salvation; He has given us faith; His word is powerful and unchanging.  Therefore, we can be strong in the Lord and stand firmly upon Him and Him alone.

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