The Shield of Faith
In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith (by) which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:16
The other day I was out walking our little dog Sparkey in our back yard when I noticed that he had met someone new when he turned the corner of the house-a little turtle! Well, Sparkey proceeded to sniff the turtle, who went back into his shell, but after the novelty wore off, he trotted away from his armored friend.
Paul likened a Roman soldier’s shield to that of a Christian’s faith for a reason.
The Roman soldier’s shield he carried was as big as a door of a house so that it completely covered him in battle. The shield was constructed of 6 layers of animal hide affixed to a wooden base held in place by a metal clamp that surrounded the edge of the shield. Before battle, the soldier would dip his shield into a tub of water so that when it was stricken by an enemy’s arrow designed to burst into flames upon contact, the water-soaked shield would immediately quench the flames and the arrow would be rendered ineffective.
Also, Roman soldiers’ shields were equipped with little hinges on the side so they could be connected to form a wall of shields: front, back, and on the sides when approaching the enemy. Interestingly, those soldiers on the inside would place their shield overhead and this roof was called (as translated) the tortoise.
We can learn a lot from the little creature called the turtle, the gear of the Roman soldier, and most of all Paul’s treatment of the Armor of God. What fiery missile has the enemy been shooting towards your mind, emotions, and heart! Take heart! Lift your shield of faith in victory this day! (See Romans 10:7)
Trusting God’s Faithfulness and Exercising My Faith in Him!
Pastor Louie