Women of the Bible Lesson 7 Jael: A Story of Courage Part 5 Armor of God

Today we will continue talking about the armor we have been provided through the Holy Spirit to protect us in our spiritual battles. 

Ephesians 6:14-18 gives us a list of the armor we have been provided through the Holy Spirit. “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (NLT) 

This week’s piece of armor is the Shield of Faith. “For a Roman soldier, a shield was used as a form of protection. It was worn strapped to one’s arm and, at any time, it could be held up to deflect attacks. In addition, it could be used as an offensive weapon to knock enemies over with force.”i 

The scutum is one of three shields used by Roman soldiers.  The scutum was approximately 41 inches tall, 16 inches wide, and 2 inches thick.  In the center front of the shield there was a shield boss, umbo, or central raised portion that protected the soldier’s hand from the force of blows made by enemy swords.  

The scutum had curved edges.  The edges were curved for two main reasons.  The curved edge along with the umbo caused blows from enemy swords to slide off the shield, thus deflecting the force, causing less impact to the soldier’s left arm. The curve also allowed the edges to overlap with the shield of the soldier next to them, creating an almost impenetrable barrier for those soldiers on the front line.    

A typical scutum shield was made from three sheets of wood glued together and covered with canvas and leather. Later versions also had metal edges to improve the protection and make the scutum less likely to splinter and break from an enemy blow to the edge.ii  

Some say the soldiers dipped their shields in water before the battle. Doing so would protect the shield from catching fire, thereby, “quenching the fiery arrows (darts) of the enemy.”  

There is much debate on the use of flaming arrows during the time of the Roman Legionary, however, most agree that if flaming arrows were used, their primary purpose was to cause distraction.   

With that foundation we will look at three things: Faith – what it is? The Shield of Faith- how do we use it? How does my faith benefit/impact other believers? 

First, Faith – what is it? Merriam Webster online dictionary defines faith as: belief and trust in and loyalty to God; firm belief in something for which there is no proof; complete trust. 

Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. (AMP)  

“Verse 1 is not really a formal definition of faith; rather it is a description of what faith does for us. It makes things hoped for as real as if we already had them, and it provides unshakable evidence that the unseen, spiritual blessings of Christianity are absolutely certain and real. In other words, it brings the future within the present and makes the invisible seen. 

“Faith is confidence in the trustworthiness of God. It is the conviction that what God says is true and that what He promises will come to pass.” 

“Faith must have some revelation from God, some promise of God as its foundation. It is not a leap in the dark. It demands the surest evidence in the universe, and finds it in the word of God. It is not limited to possibilities but invades the realm of the impossible.”iii 

As stated above, faith is not deciding arbitrarily you want to believe for something and then “trusting” God to perform.  It is staking a claim to the promises already given to us in the Word or in a word spoken to you by the Father and believing that God is faithful and able to fulfill His Word for you.  Just a word of caution here, God is still speaking to His children today, however, He will never tell us something that goes contrary to His written Word.  We must check every word we hear against the Bible every time!!! 

There is an old song that says, “Evey promise in the Book is mine, every chapter, every verse, every line...” Faith is standing on those promises and not allowing anything to shake our trust in God. 

Second, The Shield of Faith – how do I use it?  

“For the Christian this protective shield is "faith". We should regard faith here both as our faith in action and as the objective content of faith. Believing cannot be divorced from what is believed, and no rigid line should be drawn between these two aspects. Here only does Paul indicate the effect of a particular piece of armor. With such a shield believers can extinguish all the incendiary devices flung by the devil (v.11). In ancient warfare cane darts were sometimes tipped with tow, dipped in pitch, and then ignited. The Christian's shield effectively counteracts such diabolical missiles not merely by arresting or deflecting them, but by actually quenching the flames to prevent them from spreading.”iv 

In his commentary, Matthew Henry states, “Faith is the shield with which we must quench these fiery darts, wherein we should receive them, and so render them ineffectual, that they may not hit us, or at least that they may not hurt us.” 

To use the shield of faith we must first know what we believe about God.  We cannot stand in faith without knowing what we believe. Our belief is based on the Word of God and our relationship with God.  As we spend time with God in intimacy, He speaks His truth into our hearts.  Our intimacy coupled with our experience of God’s moving in our lives grows our faith.  As our faith grows our shield becomes more effective.v

Once we know what we believe, we must apply that belief (faith) to every situation we face. 2 Corinthians 5:7, For we walk by faith, not by sight. (KJV) 

“Faith here is firm confidence in the Lord and in His word. When temptations burn, when circumstances are adverse, when doubts assail, when shipwreck threatens, faith looks up and says, “I believe God.””vi 

Remember, the fiery darts are meant to distract us from our intimacy and our calling.  Holding onto the promises and applying our faith will prevent us from being distracted! 

Finally, how does my faith benefit/impact other believers? As I wrote last week, our trials, circumstances, and struggles might not be just for our growth.  Revelation 12:11a, And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. (NLT) In this passage John is talking about persecuted Jewsvii, however, the same holds true for us today.  As we share the testimony of God‘s victories in our lives, others will see the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord and their faith will grow.  As their faith grows, they will apply their own shield of faith, thus allowing God to demonstrate His goodness and faithfulness in their lives. They will have testimonies to share, and the cycle of faith growth will continue to spread.   

Another way our faith impacts others is through our praying in faith for them.  To illustrate, I want to look at the encounter Jesus had with the man who was lowered down through the roof by his friends.  The scripture tells us in Luke 5, that the friends had heard Jesus was in town and they wanted him to heal their friend.  Finding no way to enter the house where he was preaching, the friends took drastic steps to ensure their friend got healed.  They dug a hole in the roof and lowered their friend down right in front of where Jesus was standing.  

The first act of faith we see is that the four men carried their friend to see Jesus.  We have no record of how far they traveled, however, Luke 5:17b tells us, “They had come from every town in the countries of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was there to heal them.” (NLV) It is quite possible that these men traveled a great distance to see Jesus. 

The second act of faith is that finding no way to enter the house they carried their friend up to the roof and dug a hole in the roof.  Their faith was so great that they were undeterred by the obstacle of the crowded house.  They took action and began digging through the roof to make a way to Jesus.  

I have an active imagination and I laugh every time I think about the rain of debris falling down the on heads of the Pharisees and teachers of religious law.  Imagine coming to hear Jesus in order to find fault him and reason to disprove his claims and ministry and being assaulted by the falling pieces of the roof. These men who prided themselves on their outward appearance are now covered with dust and debris.   

The final act of faith is that after making a hole in the roof, the friends lowered their friend down right in front of Jesus.  Luke 5:20a, Seeing their faith... (NLT) Jesus acted to heal the man because he saw the faith of his friends.   

James 5:16, Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (NLT) Our faith on behalf of others is powerful and productive.   

To conclude, faith is believing God is faithful and trustworthy and that He will do what He says He will do.  When we know what we believe about God we can stand strong holding our shield of faith in a firm grip, and say, “I believe God!!” And finally, we can stand in faith on behalf of others and see powerful results!  

 Works Cited: 

i https://www.gcu.edu/blog/spiritual-life/weekly-devotional-armor-god-shield-faith 

ii https://www.unrv.com/military/scutum.php 

iii Believer's Bible Commentary Copyright © 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2016 by William MacDonald. 

iv Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament Copyright 2004. 

v Believer's Bible Commentary Copyright © 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2016 by William MacDonald. 

vi Believer's Bible Commentary Copyright © 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2016 by William MacDonald. 

vii Believer's Bible Commentary Copyright © 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2016 by William MacDonald.