Shield

Eph 6:16 Shields Up 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

Attacker of the Saints the evil one; It is not an impersonal evil force that attacks us, but a personal powerful entity, Satan himself. Here he is specifically mentioned to identify the source of this overwhelming onslaught. He is the great author of error, not only because he is “the father of lies ( John 8:44),” and “the deceiver of the world (Rev 12:9.],” but because the spreaders of error are expressly called his children (Acts 13:10), and his ministers (2 Corinthians 11:15) and those who have embraced error, are said to have been “tempted of the tempter (1 Thess 3:5),” and to have “turned aside after Satan (1 Tim 5:15),” and to be “of the synagogue of Satan (Rev 3:9.).” (Simeon). Here the intensity of the battle is expressed, because of the initiator of the attacks.

Attack upon the Saints the flaming darts

Several things can be considered regarding the “flaming arrows” hurled at us. These darts are the temptations of the great adversary, which are like fiery darts; or those furious suggestions of evil, and excitements to sin, which he may throw into the mind like fiery darts. They are - blasphemous thoughts, unbelief, sudden temptation to do wrong, or thoughts that wound and torment the soul. The analogy between darts and temptation is evident. A dart wounds suddenly; so does temptation. A dart is thrown by some invisible hand; so for the most part are, temptations. A dart may pierce through the very smallest aperture, may penetrate even between the joints of the harness; so also will temptation. The eye, the ear, the smallest inlet or avenue to the soul, may admit a death wound by admitting one of these fiery darts of the wicked. (Moore) Temptations set the soul on fire, and enkindle the worst passions, as fiery darts do to a ship or an army against which they are sent. (Barnes)

The attacks are external. Notice the arrows are shot at us, they do not originate within us. (Jeffery). So, Satan will fire these arrows at us and that will stimulate evil thoughts and fleshly desires that were deeply buried with in our heart and mind (Mark 7:21-23) The arrows can cause the flesh to rise as we become lured and enticed by our own desires and we begin to despair (James 1:12-15, Rom 7:15-20). These arrows are temptations that are shot at us to entice our will (heart) (Acts 5:3, John 13:2) and thoughts (mind) (Mark 8:31-32; Luke 22:31) to follow our evil desires and sin, rather than delight in God and stand. How, then, does faith enable us to quench these darts? by teaching us to keep a watchful eye against the first approach of temptation, to guard against the beginning of sin, to be on the look out for its stealthy advances, to preserve with unslumbering vigilance all those sources of thought and feeling out of which are the issues of life. (1 Pet 5:8) (Moore)

The attacks are enormous. Burning arrows not only pierced but set on fire what they pierced, they are doubly dangerous. They serve here therefore as the symbol of the fierce onsets of Satan. He showers arrows of fire on the soul of the believer; who, if unprotected by the shield of faith, would soon perish. Sometimes the barrage of arrows

is so overwhelming that it causes the solider to retreat for fear that they will not be able to stand in the midst of the attack. Satan fires shafts of impurity, shafts of selfishness, doubt, fear, disappointment, lust, greed, vanity, covetousness – it all comes down to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. (1 John 2:16). He literally bombards the believer with the arrows, the fiery darts of seductive temptation, to elicit out of us ungodly, non-Christlike, evil responses. And the only defense we have at this point, Paul says, is the shield of faith, because sometimes it just rains temptation. We live in a world where it really does – it really does, all around us, and we must have the shield of faith. (Mac Arthur)

Arsenal for the Saints the shield of faith Traits of God Truth of God

This shield is not for the defense of any particular part of the body—as almost all the other pieces are—the helmet fitted for the head, the plate designed for the breast, and so others having their several parts which they are fastened to—but the shield is intended for the defense of the whole body. It was used therefore to be made very large (4 ft by 2.5 ft) for its broadness is called a gate or door, because so long and large as in a manner to cover the whole body.(Ps. 5:12) And if the shield were not large enough at once to cover every part, yet, being a movable piece of armor, the skillful soldier might turn it this way or that way, to latch the blow or arrow from lighting on any part they were directed to. And this indeed doth excellently well set forth the universal use that faith is of to the Christian. It defends the whole man; every part of the Christian by it preserved. Faith is thus placed between the Christian and the arrow. The shield was prized above all other pieces by soldiers. They would not part with it but esteemed it an honor to die with their shield in their hand. A mother would say to her son ‘that he should either bring his shield home with him or be brought home upon his shield.’ (Gurnall) The idea is, that as the shield covered or protected the other parts of the armor, so faith had a similar importance in the Christian virtues It protects all, and is indispensable to the security of all, as is the case with the shield. The shield was an ingenious device by which blows and arrows might be parried off, and the whole body defended. It could be made to protect the head, or the heart, or thrown behind to meet all attack there. As long as the soldier had his shield, he felt secure; and as long as a Christian has faith, he is safe. (Barnes) Faith means believing God, and that is the bottom line of the Christian faith. That is the bottom line of everything we believe, everything we hold to, everything we have our confidence in. The whole of Christianity is an act of believing that God is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6). Believing that He wrote the Bible, believing that Christ is God, believing that He died, believing that He rose, believing that He’s coming, believing that by believing we can enter into His Kingdom – the whole thing. (Mac Arthur) Our personal faith is only as good as the object of your faith. Everything depends not just on the fact that we believe, but on what we believe. Taking up the shield means personally appropriating by faith all that God is for us in Jesus Christ. To take up the shield of faith is to lay hold of everything that is true about God, about Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, his word and about his promises for life and godliness. (Borgman) Faith always points to God to the character of God. He ison on whom we can rely. Faith points to all of his promises. Get to know them and then ou will be able to hold up the shield of faith. The moment the enemy comes and the darts are flying around you, you will be able to hold up a statement of Scripture, a promise of God, a truth knowing that it is always true, and always faithful because God is unchangeable. (Jones) What are you to hold up when the enemy fires his flaming darts is to hold up the truth (Borgman) Many who go to battle have flimsy small shields that do not cover the body and will not protect them from any flaming darts. They will fall to every temptation that is shoot at them and will consistently lose the skirmishes of their faith. You shield will only be as big as your saturation in the scripture. The more time you are in the word will lead to great victory in warfare. Faith is strengthened only by faithfulness to time invested in scripture. The bigger your thoughts about God the bigger your shield (Brogman). It is in Scripture that we discover more of the character and attributes of the God who is our shield (Gen 15:1, Ps 3:3, 18:2, 84:11, 119:14, Prov 30:5). It is in Scripture that we learn of the person and work of Christ on our behalf. (2 cor 5:21) It is in Scripture that we find the precious promises that can extinguish the flaming arrows shot at us and enable us to stand in the toughest temptations. (2 Pet 1:3-10). Steadfast in faith; you resist the devil by believing God. The shield of faith is the consistent application of what we believe about God to the issues of life. The Lord God is a shield.” He’s on your side, and He wants to bless you, and He wants to give you victory over Satan, but you’ve got to believe Him, and do it His way. Keep His Word, and obey it. What God said is true. If you believe it and obey it, it’ll be a shield; As long as you believe God, your shield is up. Satan lies, you believe his lie, the shield comes down, you get it. Trust God in everything. (1 John 5:4) (Mac Arthur) Listen, you stand upon the Word of God which is a shield of faith. Take the Word of God and say, "This is what God says. This is what God says. This is what God says." I don't care what Satan says. He is a liar, a liar from the beginning. You take what God says. Comfort your heart and take the Word of God. This is what God says. Take the shield of faith. (Mitchell) Through faith we came to Christ for redemption through His blood (Rom 3:25) and receive assurance in our hearts. Through faith we receive the Spirit (Gal 3:5-6; 3:14) and experience Christ dwelling in our hearts (Ephs 3:17). And through faith we must defend ourselves against the attacks of the Enemy by holding up the shield of God’s promises. As he attacks every attack can be met by a promise of God, in the same way as Jesus thwarted him during His time of temptation. So we must hold up as our shield, faith in the promises of God. This was the weapon that Jesus used when tempted by Satan in the wilderness, and there is no better. To each attack He replied with a quotation from Scripture, confounding the Enemy, and we must do the same. (Matt 4:1-11). Thus every Scripture verse that we take to our hearts is another weapon in our armory. For every attack of Satan there is a reply in Scripture. There is our means of combating his lies. It thus behoves us to study the Scriptures assiduously, and to hold it in our hearts, so as to be able to produce it at the opportune moment. Our faith in the God of the Scriptures will then act as a defensive shield on the basis of His promises. arrows are turned away by the shield of faith in the promises of God. (Pett)

Action of the Saints In all circumstances take up in all things taking the shield of faith, i.e. in all duties, enterprises, temptations, or afflictions—in whatever you are called to do or suffer, take faith. (Gurnall) When the arrows are shot we need to lift up the shield of faith in order to stop the arrows and extinguish the arrows. God has given us something to nullify the efforts of the enemy. God by his grace has equipped us with something to nullify every evil intent the devil has in our life. When we realize the fierceness of the enemy, and the wickedness of the war and the utmost destruction of your soul as the aim, you need to realize that God has given you something that will nullify everything the devil can throw at you. So lift up what God is given you to find victory. So when the battle is fierce don’t panic because of the onslaught of flaming arrows at you, but pick up the shield of faith, by shifting your focus to God himself. Lifting up the shield of faith means that you are not focusing on the fiery darts, or the intention of the enemy, but you begin to focus your attention by faith on all that God is for you and has done for you in Jesus Christ. You focus on him and then take the posture of dependence as your shield. When you hold up the shield of faith you are holding up all that God has promised to be for you in Jesus. You latch on to him. No need to panic or run or cower, you simply hold up the shield of faith and focus on all that God is for you in Christ (Brogman).

Assurance of the Saints with which you can extinguish

Abraham was told “fear not for I am your Shield” (Gen 15:1) The Psalmists says The Lord is my shield in him my heart trusts and I am helped (Ps 28:7) My faith is nothing except for what it puts in front of me, and it is God who is truly my shield; my faith is only called a shield, because it brings me behind the Almighty buckler, against which no man can run a incline, or into which no man can strike his lance, nor any devil either. God is a defense; and my trust, which is nothing in itself, is everything because of that with which it brings me into connection. Faith is the condition, and the only condition, of God’s power flowing into me, and working in me. And when that power flows into me, and works in me, then I can laugh at the fiery darts, because ‘greater is He that is with us than all they that are with them.’ (1 John 4:4) there is no defense in the act of trust except what comes into it from the object of trust; and my faith is a shield only because it grasps the God who is the shield. My faith will quench, as nothing else will, these sudden impulses of fiery desires, because my faith brings me into the conscious presence of God, and of the unseen realities where He dwells. Then the fiery darts fizzle out, and the points drop off them. No temptation continues to flame when we see God. The Shield is impregnable as long as we hide our self behind it then we have the victory over the devil and his darts (1 John 5:4) (MacLaren)