“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16
The Roman army used small round shields and large rectangular ones. The large curved shield which Paul refers to in the Ephesian letter was about four feet tall by two feet wide. It was made of layers of laminated wood covered by linen and leather. A brass or bronze rim covered every edge as protection against sword attacks. It was generally painted with traditional Roman symbols such as eagle’s wings and lighting bolts.
As a walled city was being attacked by the Romans, archers along the wall would rain down flaming arrows. The Roman soldiers with overlapping (think of a turtle’s shell) shields could continue advancing toward the gates of the city despite the arrows.
The only protection against the flaming arrows that rained down from the sky in ancient warfare was the shield. If used correctly, it was a trustworthy piece of equipment. If dropped, it became useless and soldier’s fate rested with himself. Game over!
Notice that this piece of armor is called “the shield of faith.”
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Verse 6 stresses the importance of faith: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Satan’s attacks can sometimes cause us to doubt God. Faith prompts us to believe God. We give in to temptation when we believe what it has to offer is better than what God has promised. Faith reminds us that, though fulfillment of God’s promise may not be readily visible to us, God is true to His Word. When Satan attempts to plague us with doubt or entice us with instant gratification, faith recognizes the deceptiveness of his tactics and quickly extinguishes the arrows. When Satan accuses us, faith chooses to believe that Jesus has redeemed us and that there is no more condemnation (Romans 8:1, 34; Revelation 12:10–12).
We trust in Jesus alone as our shield. We cannot rely on our own abilities in this battle.
So pick up the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit (two days from now) along with putting on the rest of the armor of God and go out into the world and have a great day!
