Armor
Take up the full armor of God
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%206&version=EHV>
When St Paul wrote these words, I imagine him chained between two Roman centurions, under house arrest. I also imagine St Paul having a cordial relationship with his guards. I think there may have even been a time or two Paul asked his guards to “have a look” at the Roman uniforms. The picture in my mind is a little, old, Jewish rabbi putting on a hulk of a Roman soldier’s armor. Even playfully doing battle against the mighty soldier. And still an ambassador in chains. (Ephesians 6:20, see also Psalm 107:10)
David had a similar experience just before he faced off against Goliath.
Saul dressed David in his own gear. He placed a bronze helmet on his head and dressed him in scaled body armor. David strapped his sword over his gear. David tried to walk around in them, since he had never trained with this kind of equipment before. David said to Saul, “I cannot go in these, because I have never trained with them.” So David took them off.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2017&version=EHV>
I ran across an interesting thought: The armor of God is God’s armor, not our armor. Much like David with Saul’s armor, we can take God’s armor, try it on, walk around in it, attempt to use it, and take it off; ultimately, it is God’s armor. We want to put on God’s armor to gear up for battle. We would take up the sword of the Spirit to wield it against all enemies. An ambassador in chains? How silly do we look? The armor does not fit us, we flail wildly, we trip over the Gospel of peace tied to our feet like sandals (v 15). We take off the armor, we’ve never trained with it.
“Wait,” you may be thinking: “Didn’t St Paul tell us to put on the armor for battle?” Actually, he says to put on the armor and stand; not go to battle, not walk around, just stand with the protection of the armor of God. We are not like David going out to slay Goliath. We are like Saul and all Israel who heard the “Philistine, [and] they lost their courage and were terrified.“
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2017&version=EHV>
The son of David, Jesus, has gone into battle and defeated our enemies: the world, the devil, and the power of death. (Hebrews 2:14) A mighty fortress is our God. Stand in his armor.
Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2013&version=EHV>
Trust the Promises,
Steve Skiver