Shalom,

Today I want to share a portion from Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems From The Greek" devotional:


The Shield of Faith!

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. -- Ephesians 6:16

Rick explains the type of shield that Paul had in his mind when he wrote this:

With the imagery of a Roman soldier before him, Paul used the Roman soldier's shield to illustrate the shield of faith that God has provided for you and me. The word "shield" is the Greek word thureos, which was used by the Greeks and Romans to depict an oblong door that was wide in width and long in length. The reason the Roman soldiers used this word to describe their battle shields was that the shields were door-shaped. They were wide in width and long in length; just like the door of a house.Because it was wide and long, this shield completely covered the Roman soldier! This is why the Holy Spirit chose to use the word thureos as the illustration of faith. He is telling us that God has given us enough faith to make certain we are completely covered for every situation - just like the shield that completely covered a Roman soldier! 

So we see that these Roman shields were big enough to cover a man! Now we will see how strong they were:

In the majority of cases, the Roman soldier's shield was composed of multiple layers of thick animal hide that had been tightly woven together. Usually six layers of animal hide were specially tanned and then woven together so tightly that they became nearly as strong as steel. One piece of leather is tough, but imagine how tough and durable six layers of leather would be! Because of how it was made, the shield of the Roman soldier was extremely tough and exceptionally durable! 

Very strong! Just like the faith that comes to us from the Word of God is stronger than any force that could ever come against it! He also covers the fact that these shields had to be cared for in  order to maintain the ability to protect:

In order to keep those shields in good shape, the soldiers were given a daily schedule to maintain excellent condition of their shields. Each morning when the soldier was awakened, he would reach for a small vial of oil. After saturating a piece of cloth with oil, he would begin to rub, rub, and rub that heavy ointment into the leather portion of the shield to keep it soft, supple, and pliable. Any soldier who neglected this daily application of oil and allowed his shield to go without the necessary care was in effect inviting certain death. If not correctly cared for and properly maintained, the leather portion of the shield would harden, crack when put under pressure, and finally fall to pieces. Therefore, the end result of a soldier's failure to care for his shield was the loss of his own life. 

Oil in the Word of God always refers to the Holy Spirit! What are we told about this? Look at Jude 20:

20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit; AMP

We also know from Romans 10:17 where faith comes from:

17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. KJV

So, we see that there are NO shortcuts to developing and maintaining our "Shield Of Faith"! It takes diligence and commitment, but it is SO well worth our time and effort! AMEN! Here is Hillsong Kids with a fun armor of God song called "On The March"! Lyrics follow!

ON THE MARCH LYRICS

I straighten up, I stand my ground
I'm in the army of God now
I'm not alone there's many more
We're gonna change the world.

I'm not afraid, How can I be?
My God is here, He's with me
I shine a light a light for you
In everything I do.

We're gonna change the world, We're gonna change the world
The army of God is on the march again
Hey, Hey
We're on the march again.

Have you got your belt of truth?(I've got that)
The breastplate of righteousness?(I've got that)
On your feet put the gospel of peace(I've got that)
Hold up the shield of faith(I've got that)
Put on the helmet of salvation(I've got that)
Lift high the sword of the spirit(I've got that)
Now you're wearing the Armour of God
'Cause we're a part of the army now

Shalom in Him!