Genesis 46 - "Israel moves to Egypt"

 

We learn that God has mysterious ways to keep His people safe in His domain. In this 46th  chapter  of Genesis we continue to learn of God’s surprising means of providence, as He Jacob (Israel) and his family to Egypt, and there in a region called Goshen He keeps them provided and protected until the fourth generation -  the time when the iniquity of the Amorites (Canaanites) will be complete (Gen 15:16). Here we are at the beginning of the fulfilment of that word.  The nation of Israel was conceived in Canaan, but Egypt will be the womb in which the nation will develop, until God sends her back to Canaan 400+ years later.

There is ultimately no  safe place in this fallen world. That is why God moves His people from place  to place. The only safe place will be  our heavenly Canaan.  

The re-union between Joseph and his brothers happened in Chapter 45 – a chapter of tremendous importance and perspective – particularly 45:4-8. now it is time to fetch their father from  the land of Canaan.   

OUTLINE

(i)                 46:1-4  Encounter with God  at Beersheba

(ii)               46:5-7 Leaving Beersheba

(iii)           46:8-27  Genealogy of  Jacob’s children, divided  into 4 groups, according to their mothers.  

(iv)          46: 28-34  Reunion of Joseph and Jacob. Preparation for the audience with Pharaoh.

 1.      6:1-7  An encounter with God  at Beersheba

Israel /Jacob   having heard the astonishing news of  Joseph’s  life and position in Egypt – the fulfilment of Chapter 37,  is now on his way to Egypt.  He is an old man by now. He knew that he was going to die there (45:28; 46:4). That in itself was a huge step for Jacob, since he knew that Egypt was not the land of promise. Canaan was.  But since this was in response to the providence, the leading  of God, Israel was now prepared to leave.  In Genesis 15:13, God had said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.” God’s mills grind slowly indeed. His purposes stretch across many generations. That humbles us greatly.  Jacob knows that this is God’s plan.  He knew that this was not going to be a short  family outing. We are told that he took all he had (46:1).   

And so in response to God's word and God's providence, he makes his way down into Egypt. When he comes to Beersheba, on the southern border of Canaan, we read that  “he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac”. Beersheba was the place of  Isaac's  own encounter with God (26:23-25). It is here in 46:3,4 that  God  speaks  to Jacob/ Israel in visions of the night, reaffirming the promise given to Abraham and to Isaac.  Here God   says six things  to Israel,

(i)           I am God, the God of your father. God Himself, is always our greatest comfort. At Beersheba, on leaving the promised, the God of his father Isaac and of Abraham his grandfather  reminds him  concerning the covenant promises.  

(ii)     “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt”. Despite all misgivings and evil associations  concerning the place,  God  encourages  him  to go to  Egypt.  

(iii)        “There  I will make you into a great nation” – fulfilment  of  promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2.

(iv)         “I myself will go down with you to Egypt.” -  God’s reassuring presence with His people. God is not located or restricted  to a temple.  He is located among His people. The significance of the tabernacle later  was that God was moving with His people.   

(v)          “I will  bring you up again”. Israel himself will die in Egypt.  But  Israel /Jacob is the federal head of the family, and he lives on in His family. The covenant extends further than Israel Himself.   God is not going to leave the children of  Israel  in Egypt forever. But in faithfulness to His promise, made to Abram in Genesis 15:13ff, God was going to bring  the children of Israelback to the land of promise.  [Incidentally, Egypt is the picture of the world. The church is born in  bondage and affliction; her destiny is the heavenly Canaan] 

(vi)         ”Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”  The one son  Jacob thought he'd  never see again, he will see, and  he will close his eyes in death.  

2.      46: 5-7  Leaving Beersheba

“Jacob set out from Beersheba…”. Having been in the presence of God  and having obtained the promise of God, Israel  has the assurance of God.

“The sons of Israel carried Jacob their  father”. The phrase, 'the sons of Israel' or ‘children of Israel’ becomes a standard phrase   for the people of God – the people chosen by God.   In one sense this movement is the beginning of the formation of the nation.  God is taking Israel into Egypt in order to create a nation. He will forge  this nation in the furnace of affliction. Character is created in adversity. It is God specifically and personally working to shape the character of His people individually and collectively. Whom the Lord loves, He disciplines (Hebr.12:6). God's  providential plan in the lives of His people included an Egypt experience. 

Do not be surprised when God sends you into  deserts and other un-thought-of  places to form you.

3.      46:8-27  A Genealogy of Israel 

Here we find a list [1] of the descendants  of  Israel (46:8)  [sons of Israel (46:5)], as they make  their way to Egypt.  This is the small number of people which will grow and prosper. They will come out in a few hundred years as a great multitude- well over a million people.  The list is divided  according to the four mothers (Leah, Zilpah, Rachel, Bilhah)  of Jacob’s sons. 

A few observations…

(i)Leah’s sons  (46:8-15) : 

• Leah’s 6 sons   Reuben (the first-born of all), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun are  mentioned along with their sons. 
• Two of Judah’s sons, Er and Onan died in Canaan (38:6-10). 
• One of Simeon’s sons, Shaul (46:10) came from a Canaanite woman. 
• Judah himself also took  Shua, a Canaanite wife (38:2) and after  she died  he had  a set of twins from his  daughter in law Tamar (the wife if  Er, whom the Lord put to death because of his wickedness)  to whom Perez and Zerah were born.  
• This is an illustration, that despite  clear instructions  by God,  the covenant race falls  short (sins) time   and again.  No wonder that God will say to Israel in Deuteronomy 7:7,  on the verge of going into the land of Canaan, 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
• The daughter Dinah (Ch. 34) is mentioned along with her brothers. Remember that this society was patri- linear, by God’s design.  

(ii) Zilphah’s sons  (46:16-18)  

• She was Leah’s servant who bore Gad and Asher. 
• Note the mention  of Serah – the sister of the offspring of Asher.

(iii)             Rachel's sons  (46:19-22)

• Only Rachel is described as Jacob’s wife in this list.  
• She bore Joseph (now Egypt’s prime minister) and Benjamin, the youngest brother.  
• She died  as  a result of complications with his birth.  
• Special mention is made of Joseph’s sons,  Manasseh and  Ephraim. 
• Joseph’s Egyptian wife Asenath is the only wife mentioned  in the list. 
• Benjamin, the last-born is also  the most fruitful. He has 10 sons!

The  grand total of 70 persons given  cannot  be taken literally.  Joseph was in Egypt; His sons Manasseh and Ephraim were born in Egypt.  Er and Onan died in Canaan. The explanation is that  this number is limited to  those who came from Jacob’s  body  which includes grand -children and great grand- children. 

(iv)             Bilhah's sons  (46:23-25)

• Rachel’s servant who gave birth to Dan and Naphtali. 
• Dan is the least fruitful of the sons. He only had one son.

4.      Reunion of Joseph and Israel (46:28-34)

·    Judah is given the honour to prepare for the meeting with Joseph (46:28). This  is remarkable since Judah was responsible for  the debacle  of Joseph  when he was sold to the Ishmaelites,  who took him to  Egypt (37:27). 

•         46:29 What an emotional reunion. They did not see each other for  22 years. He never thought that he would see him again. Now he was ready to die (46:30). This is reminiscent of Simeon  in Lk 2:29-30.   Thank God for such happy moments in this life.

•         46:31-34  Preparations for meeting Pharaoh: Joseph  instructs  his family in view of their meeting with Pharaoh. He explains to them that shepherds are an abomination  to the Egyptians.   This will lead them into the land of Goshen. Goshen is located in the north-eastern Nile Delta region of Egypt, also referred to as the land of Rameses (47:11). Here they would essentially be separated from Egyptian culture. There will be no attempt on the part of Pharaoh to integrate them into the mainstream of Egyptian culture.  This is  God's hand of providence protecting Israel from integrating with the false gods of Egypt. He prepares the way for Israel to be secluded and protected in Egypt until the time of strong oppression and opposition comes – when the time  for the Exodus comes.

Thank God for His strong hand upon His people. 

This is our  confidence, both now, and for evermore. 

The doctrine of God’s providence, coupled with His steadfast, faithful love is a key doctrine for the believer to hold on to. 

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[1] See a list of the 12 sons of Israel repeated in Exodus  1:1-5

Ephesians 6:17b-20 The Word of God and Prayer in Spiritual Warfare

 

This is our last sermon on the Christian’s full armour with respect to this war, which is far greater and weightier and far-reaching than all the wars in the world. Today, we will reflect on the power of God’s Word and Prayer as we use this part of our armour  in this war.

1.      THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD (6:17b)

The final part of the Roman soldier’s armour as described by Paul is the Sword. The “machaira” was a short sword and it was carried in a sheath at the soldier’s side, and it was usually used in hand to hand combat. The sword differs from the other parts of the armour in that it acts as an offensive weapon.

Application to the Christian soldier

Paul sees the sword of the Roman soldier as analogous to the Word of God in the hands of the Christian soldier. The Word of God is the Bible. But it is more than a word. Behind the written word of God is the Living Word of God. It is of great significance that one of Jesus’ frequent titles is the Word of God[1]. Here the word of God is specifically described as the sword of the Spirit.  How is the Spirit of God associated with the word of God?

1.                  He inspired it. “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19 – 21). The Spirit of God gave chosen men His revelation, and guided them in the recording of this revelation.  Whilst the Bible is written by human hands this does not mean that it merely is a human book.  The Holy Spirit inspired men who wrote these words in their own language and cultural setting. Since it is the Holy Spirit that inspired them we may know that the written Word of God is without error. It does not mislead us and therefore it is utterly trustworthy. It is entirely sufficient for all that we need to know in this life.

2.                  The Holy Spirit alone enables us to understand the Bible. Truth is spiritually discerned. “12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:12). The Holy Spirit helps us to interpret the Bible in its intended sense. However able a person may be in the natural sense, that ability does not help them to interpret Scripture.  The Holy Spirit must be our Teacher. He must help us to use this word properly. It is one thing to know the contents of this book; it is another thing to use it rightly in the wisdom and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives.

The Spirit of God and the Word are linked. If a wedge is driven between these two, people fall into one of two extremes,

a.      An emphasis on the Holy Spirit apart from His inspired Word often results in revelations that are not checked by the Word.

b.      A stress on the Word without dependence upon the  Holy Spirit results in dead orthodoxy – mere intellectual, academic knowledge of the Scriptures.

The balance is found when the Word and the Holy Spirit operate together. The Spirit of God must open our hearts and minds to the truths of the Word, for He is the promised Teacher of John 14:26. He will remind us of Jesus’ teachings. He will never say or do anything that is in contradiction to His written word. If we fail to take seriously the indissoluble bond between the Word and the Spirit, we quickly lose ground in our fight against Satan. This has frequently happened in the history of the Christian church. The 19^th century, the age of reason killed the supernatural element in the Bible, The 20^th century, the age of subjectivism and experientialism swung the pendulum  the other way, when the emphasis on experiencing the Holy Spirit  apart from His Word gave rise to the charismatic chaos. That is why we must maintain, that if anybody comes to us with a dream, a vision or a prophecy, we will test that prayerfully against the touchstone of Scripture. And if we have no way of immediately testing whether a prophecy is true, then we will feel absolutely free to remain sceptical, until it is proven true. The Bible gives us a clear mandate to test everything (1 Thess. 5:21).

How is the Word of God – the sword of the Spirit applied in spiritual warfare?

Here we need to be reminded of the text in Matthew 4:1 – 11 where we have an example how Jesus used the word of God to deal with the attacks of Satan. The devil comes to Jesus (after His 40 day fast) with three temptations:

a.      Matt. 4:3 Jesus was hungry; the devil tempts Him to make bread out of stones. He is effectively saying, “Don’t trust God; don’t wait for God to supply your needs!” See Jesus’ response in Matt. 4:4 which is a quote from the Word of God in Deut. 8:3.

b.      Matt. 4:5 The devil tempts Jesus to throw Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. Satan here tempts Jesus to put God arbitrarily to the test. Jesus will not do this, for he who tests God in such a manner proves that he does not actually trust God. Does God need to be tested to see whether He is faithful? So Jesus answers Satan with Scripture in 4:7 quoting from Deut. 1:16.

c.  Matt. 4:8 – the devil tempts Jesus to worship him. He wants to bribe Jesus with worldly possessions. Jesus resists again (4:10) by quoting Deut. 6:16 once again.

Jesus resists Satan at every turn by using the Word of God! And so we read in 4:11, “then the devil left Him…”. This is what James 4:7 means when he says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  The use of Scripture in proper context is an effective weapon to resist Satan, causing him to flee. Satan cannot resist the truth (cf. the belt of truth).  Satan possesses a knowledge of Scripture, but he uses it, and twists it to suit his own purposes. He abuses the Bible like so many cults and false teachers do. All these can easily unsettle the believer who does not have a firm grasp of scripture.  All Christians must possess a detailed knowledge of the Word of God. It is important to hide God’s Word in our heart (Psalm 119: 11). Once it is stored there, the  Holy Spirit  will use our knowledge of the Bible, at the appropriate time, and bring to mind Scripture in its proper context. When Satan  comes with his twisted  Scripture texts, we need to immediately recognise the  misrepresentation and tell him the truth! Furthermore, we must live a life that speaks of the truth. Our detailed knowledge of the Word must be matched by a detailed application of the truth in our lives.  This is where Satan cannot follow us or imitate us.

This brings us back to where we have started. The weapons of our warfare are all spiritual commodities: truth, righteousness, faith, standing on the basis of our salvation, the gospel of God’s Word and prayer. How are we to resist Satan? Not simply by quoting Bible verses, or by rebuking Satan! Winning against Satan is not a question of claiming some kind of imagined authority over him. If we do not use the truth, live the truth, believe the truth – if we do not have clear consciences that come from holy living, and if we are not disentangled from the world, doing the will of God – it doesn’t matter what we say to the powers and principalities. They are not impressed by words. Not even the words of the Bible. But if you come against Satan as an obedient Christian, Satan is repelled! He’s got no answer for a holy lifestyle! Weak doctrine and sinful living will make a person vulnerable  to  Satan. The battle plan is simple. Submit to  God and resist the devil.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER (6:18-20)

We have been reminded of the nature of full armour, and now in closing Paul reminds us of the importance of prayer. Prayer is not mentioned here as part of the armour, because it needs to be woven into the armour. That is precisely the thought that the Hymn Writer George Duffield (1818 – 1888) expressed in the hymn, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus”. He writes,    “…put on the gospel armour, each piece put on with prayer…”

The whole process of arming ourselves with truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, the doctrine of salvation and the Word of God must be done in the spirit of prayer. 6:18 says that all these things must be done, “praying at all times in the Spirit“. Prayer that is directed in faith to God is an act of supreme confidence in God. When you pray, “Dear Lord, I cannot do battle against Satan in my own strength. You need to help me in this process of standing on your truth, your righteousness etc.. These are your tools, Lord, and I cast myself in dependence upon you, and trust you to make these tools effective in my struggle against Satan.”

Paul presents here a very comprehensive prayer strategy:  THE 4 “ALL’S” OF PRAYER

a.                  The time and source of prayer:  “Praying at all times in the Spirit”: i.e. (i)  at all times- whatever situation arises, making prayer an ongoing discipline. (ii) “Praying in the Spirit”-  the key to all true prayer.  When we pray in the Spirit  we pray by the power of the Holy Spirit. He  empowers us to offer it (Rom 8:26).  He orders our mind and helps us to pray in accordance with the will of God.

b.                  The variety of prayer:  “With all prayer and supplication : e.g. cries for help, confession of sin, profession of faith, adoration, thanksgiving, intercession.

c.             The manner of prayer: “Keep alert with all perseverance”. (i) Be alert to what is happening around you,  as you remember  biblical  principles and apply biblical wisdom and in that process (ii)  persevere- pray things through ; do not give up (Two  illustrations:  Luke 18:1 – 8 ; Luke 11: 5 – 10)

d.                 The extent of prayer: “Making supplication for all the saints”.  This relates to intercessory prayer. We need to pray for others who are together with us in the battle.  Since we are all members of one body, it follows that we are bound to one another and must therefore be concerned for one another. We try to do this in our church, and I trust that you do that for one another. If one Christian fails, everyone inevitably suffers.

All this helps us to  understand  why  Satan has such a vested interest in keeping Christians from praying together. Samuel Chadwick (1840-1932)  famously wrote,

The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.

Prayer does unbelievable damage to Satan’s kingdom, because it engages God. God has ordained faithful and believing prayer. He has chosen to work through and by the prayer and petition of His saints. The parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8 teaches us that  God will bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him night and day. Will  He keep putting them off?  In conclusion of this parable Jesus says, “I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However when the Son of man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Beloved people, we find ourselves in a war that is far, far  greater  and profounder than the current Russian – Ukrainian war. And every day the devil and his army are assaulting the work of God,  and the image of God in man,  through unspeakably sinful temptations  and behaviour, causing many, many  people  to slide into the  eternal pit of hell -  everyday (!) and  Jesus says to you, “I have given you the keys of the kingdom. I have given you my great commission, and you will do nothing to resist Satan and to defend the honour of my Name?”    

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[1] See John 1:1, Hebrews 4:12 , Revelation 1:16 ; 2:12 

EPHESIANS 6:15-17 - SPIRITUAL WARFARE - Defending Ourselves #2

 

Here we are again this morning to hear the Word of God. The Bible speaks truth to audiences that have settled into safe and unexamined opinions. And one of those unexamined truths is this greater war. Yes, whilst we are anxiously watching the Russian- Ukrainian conflict, the Bible teaches us that there is an ever greater war on. All the wars of the world are essentially a subset of this Great War, which is fought in the realm of the unseen, but the effects of its evil schemes are felt keenly (6:12). Its great mastermind is the devil (6:11).  We are called to engage in this war, but not with conventional armour and weapons.  The key to engaging in this war is to be “strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”  (6:10). With this in mind   Paul identifies 6 pieces of the Roman soldier’s armour, and applies it to the Christian soldier. 

So far we have considered 2 pieces of armour: (i) Belt of truth: The belt is a foundational garment. It holds everything together. The belt of truth is the foundational armour of the Christian. Satan, who is in his nature a liar and the father of lies (Jn. 8:44) has no effective substitute against truth. Truth is greater than lie. Truth therefore kills Satan. (ii) Breastplate of righteousness: The Roman soldier’s breastplate protected his vital organs. Applying this to the Christian soldier’s armour we noted that the heart, will and the emotions (located in Hebrew understanding in the chest or ’guts’) are aspects of our personality which are vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. The Christian’s breastplate is called “righteousness”. We saw that the Christian withstands Satan, by standing   on the righteousness of Christ, and by living righteously. The righteousness of Christ effectively defeats the strategies and power of Satan.

We will now consider the 3^rd, 4th and 5^th parts of the Christian soldier’s armour. Next (D.V) we shall deal with the only offensive armour piece: the Word of God:

1.        THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER’S FOOTWEAR 

Ephesians 6:15: “Stand firm then … with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”  The best way to understand the meaning of this somewhat strange phrase is to understand the importance of the Roman soldiers shoe in warfare.  The Roman soldier wore a sandal. It consisted of a sole with straps that held firmly on to the foot. This sandal had hobnails or studs on its soles. This enabled the soldier to have a firm grip of the ground over which he moved, enabling great mobility.  Military strategists will tell you that in warfare nothing is more important than speed and mobility. The Romans were very interested in this kind of warfare,  modelling themselves on Alexander the Great, the great Greek general of the 4th Century (B.C.) - one of the greatest military commanders of ancient history. His great success lay in the fact that he was able to move his forces quickly, and so to strike his enemies unexpectedly. One of the keys to his success was the fact that he provided his soldiers with the right kind of footwear. With that in mind we consider,

(i)                 The importance of standing firm:  The book of Proverbs repeatedly warns us against walking on wrong paths or standing on unstable ground. In Proverbs 1:15, 16 we find a father warning his son: 15 my son, do not go along with them (sinners), do not set foot on their paths; 16 for their feet rush into sin…”  Positively he encourages his son in Prov. 3:23 to “walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble; Prov. 4:26 “Ponder the paths of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.”

(ii)              …With readiness / preparedness:  “Stand firm… with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace”.   The key word is ‘readiness’.  In this spiritual warfare we need to be ready and prepared to meet our enemy.  That means that we need to know the ground on which we stand.   In May 2003 I stood on that famous battleground at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, USA. This was known as the American civil war, where brother fought against brother. Over a period of 3 days in June 1863, fifty one thousand men had lost their lives. Why did so many men lose their lives? There may be many answers to that, among them … pride, foolishness, which is always a bad ground to stand on! From a tactical point of view, I observed that it mostly happened in an open field, where they literally massacred each other! I kept on thinking to myself … what a poor ground to have stood on …your chances of survival were very slim. There was nothing to hide behind!   With that in mind we must ask: What ground must we stand on in this spiritual war?

(iii)            Standing upon the gospel of peace: How does this help us to effectively stand and withstand against Satan?  In two ways: through knowing the gospel on which you stand, and through sharing the gospel on which you stand. 

a. Know the gospel on which you stand: The gospel is the good news that God has purchased peace for sinners through the death of His Son. This peace comes to us in an experiential way when we receive Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord by faith through grace (Eph. 2:8).  It is strange that Paul should mention a ‘gospel of peace’ right in the middle of a passage dealing with spiritual warfare. But there is nothing strange about that. In this world so infested with Satan and his demons, who constantly   promote war, we need to preach the gospel that brings peace with God and between men. The gospel robs Satan of one of his most effective tools to destabilize this world, which is war.

b. Share the message of the gospel on which you stand. Nothing causes more defeat to Satan and his kingdom than the proclamation of the gospel. The gospel brings   freedom and peace to men. Share the gospel and rob Satan of his subjects.  See how Paul develops our understanding of the ‘gospel of peace’ for us in Eph. 2:13 – 18: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 for he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Christ by His death overcame two kinds of barriers:  (i) the barrier between God and sinners. (ii)  the enmity between people torn apart through racism, ethnicity and culture. Christ has become our peace. That is the gospel of peace. Satan divides people, Jesus unites people. The gospel brings peace. The gospel destroys Satan’s work! The gospel prevents war.

2. THE SHIELD OF FAITH   

6:16  “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which  you can extinguish  all the flaming darts of the evil one.”

The Roman shield was about 1.2 meters in length and about 90 cm’s wide. It consisted of two layers of wood glued together, and covered in iron. So, if the front line of the soldiers advanced with these shields which went all the way to the ground, the whole platoon would be armour-plated. If the enemy fired their arrows they would bounce off the shields. Enemy archers would sometimes put cotton material on the tip of their arrows, soak it in pitch (which burned slowly and was very hot), and shoot it. The pitch would splatter and start little fires on the clothing. Groups of soldiers would then put their shields together, above, in front and at the side. That manoeuvre made the group of soldiers look like a giant tortoise – protected all round, and whatever the enemy fired at them had no effect. The fiery darts just bounced off, and remained ineffective.  This provides the illustration for our Christian shield. The Christian shield which protects from the flaming arrows of the devil is called ‘faith’. But what are we to understand by these “flaming arrows”? And how does our faith cause them to bounce off us?(i)                What are the flaming arrows?  They are best described as a sudden, unexpected attack on the mind, thoughts and emotions of the believer. Are you not sometimes appalled at the wickedness of your own thoughts, when they come to you – uninvited? Where do they come from? Are you not amazed that even in prayer, you struggle with all sorts of thoughts ?How is it that when you are reading the Bible, that you battle to concentrate, but that when you are reading the newspaper or watching T.V., that  you do not have such a problem? How it is that suddenly the memory of past sins unsettles you?  How is it that at one moment you feel the secure in God’s love and the next moment you become unsure of your status before God, even doubting your salvation?  It is important that we should understand the origin of all this.

(ii)               How faith reflects these darts:  We need to remember that the object of our faith, Jesus Christ is greater than Satan. (1 John 4:4). Therefore we can resist Satan effectively by looking to Jesus:  James 4:7: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you…” ; 1 Peter 5:8, 9: 8 “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith,” 1 John 5:4 “… for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith…” Rev 12: 10, 11 “the faith by which they overcame the accuser (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” . An illustration from Pilgrim’s Progress:  Christian is on the road to the heavenly city when he meets Apollyon, who threatens:  “I will destroy your soul right here!”  Then we read: “And at that he hurled a flaming arrow at Christian’s heart, but Christian had a shield in his hand with which he blocked the arrow…” 

(iii)             The shield of faith  has three wonderful attributes:   a.it covers every part of our  person –  nothing is left exposed. b. It links up with the faith of other believers (just as the Roman soldier links up with his fellow soldiers), mutually strengthening and encouraging so that together you stand stronger  c. Faith  extinguishes  the flaming darts which Satan hurls at you.  Faith is the ability to apply quickly what we believe,  and so  repel everything that  the devil attempts to do to us.  

3. THE HELMET OF SALVATION

The Roman helmet: A leather cap strengthened and ornamented with plates of metal. The purpose was to add to the protective covering of the head.

Application to the Christian soldier:  the head, the mind, the brain, the understanding, the thinking processes of the Christian.  How does Satan   attack the mind? By causing you to doubt :  “What are you trying to achieve? You have been battling for your truth! You have sought to live a righteous life in the power which you say that your Christ gives! You have tried to avoid all wrong paths (you should have had a little bit of worldly fun – as I have always been trying to tell you). See where that has got you! You’re tired, and worn out. You are too fanatical about this Christ and His Word. Look at you – you haven’t gained anything. Your friends and other people are going ahead and having fun – and you are always looking troubled.  Your prayers aren’t been answered. Give up man, give up! This God of yours is nowhere! He is a figment of your imagination. He doesn’t exist!” 

The danger of battle weariness is that we become discouraged. 

A case study in Psalm 73:  Here is a godly man who really struggles. He looks at the ungodly and he sees them prosper (see Psalm 73:4-11), whilst he is not experiencing the blessing of God. Therefore He comes to this conclusion, “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. 14 All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. “   

Discouragement and doubt are a very old problem. God’s people have experienced this in every generation.  It is the oldest trick that the devil has up his sleeve.  Cause a man/woman to doubt the God and the Bible, cause them to feel that they are unforgiven, to   doubt the ground that they stand on, and they turn inward, and they become introspective. They lose perspective.  They forget the greater picture, namely that the victory is ours in Christ – that the church will  survive until the end of times. (Matt.16:18). The Psalmist understood this in Ps 73 when he entered into the sanctuary of God (Ps. 73:17ff).

We need to remember that we do not have peace in this world. This world is constantly at war,  and the Christian especially is always at war.  This can be challenging  and produce fatigue.That may have been the trouble with Timothy. He always had the feeling that everything was too much for him. Paul, reminded him,  “God did not give us a spirit of timidity , but a spirit of power , of love and of self-discipline.”  (2 Tim 1:7). Therefore he encouraged Timothy,  “You then , my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus… endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus…” . (2 Tim 2:1ff)

The Prescription: “take the helmet of salvation….”  How do we deal with this attack on the mind? The apostle tells us that there is only one way –clothe your mind with the doctrine of salvation!  The “doctrine of salvation”  refers to  the saving work of Christ. Remind yourself that you have  been  plucked out of   Satan’s grip. You have been saved to belong to God. You are God’s  dearly beloved and chosen children.  Remind yourself and remind Satan what Christ has done for you and stand your ground . Tell him that you  have been to the cross. Tell him that  Romans 8:1  and 31 – 35  is true of you. When Satan comes to you and says,  “You’re no good – you’re a sinner “, you  tell him,  “I know that I am not perfect – there is still work going on in my soul . The Holy Spirit is sanctifying me”, but more than that -  Jesus has died for me. He has made me righteous.

 SUMMARY

(i)           Belt of truth - a foundational part of the Roman soldier’s clothing, reminding us of the fact that truth is a foundational matter. Truth defeats the devil’s methods. 

(ii)         Breastplate of righteousness: The breastplate protected the Roman soldier’s vital organs; the breastplate of righteousness protects the Christian soldier’s ‘inner vitals’ (the heart/ mind / emotions). This breastplate helps us to stand on Christ’s imputed righteousness.

(iii)        Shoes of the gospel of peace: The ground on which the Christian soldier stands is gospel ground. We must to know the gospel and share the gospel. Nothing defeats Satan’s regime of lie and deceit like the gospel truth. The gospel saves people from Satan’s clutches.

(iv)             Shield of faith  - The  Christian shield  called ‘faith‘ protects  from the arrows of the devil aimed  at our  inner person  and emotions, hurting us, weakening  us, creating shame, spiritual paralysis. Faith causes these  arrows  to bounce off us. 

(v)               Helmet of Salvation – protection of the mind against untrue and subversive  thoughts by reminding ourselves  of the  nature of the salvation  that we have received  by grace through faith in Christ.