THE SHIELD OF FAITH AND FLAMING DARTS

In the last several weeks we’ve looked at the first three pieces of the armor that the apostle Paul instructs us to “put on.” These first three are what we are to be wearing all the time. The next three are what we are to have nearby so that they are ready to be used as needed.

This brings us to the shield of faith.

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

What Paul had in mind when he instructed us to “take up the shield of faith” was much like the shield that a Roman soldier carried. It was about four and a half feet long and two feet wide. The Romans introduced a strategy into warfare that, at its time, revolutionized warfare: A company of 150 men, each carrying a sword or spear and shield, would go into battle in a tight, rectangular formation. When they came under attack, each man would put his shield in place—some to the side, some to the front, some to the back and some over the top. The company then became a solid block, covered on all sides and over the top, and then they moved forward or backward in unison. This maneuver had never been seen before and by using it, the Roman legions devastated enemy armies everywhere they went.

The shields were wooden but were covered in leather. Before going into battle, the Romans soaked their shields in water so that when the enemy shot fiery arrows at them, the wet leather would not burn.

When Paul speaks of “fiery darts,” he is speaking from a first century Roman context. The “fiery darts” were not exactly arrows. They were more like very thin, hollow pieces of reed or bamboo. Flammable liquid was inserted into the hollow portion and somehow sealed in. Into one end of the hollow portion a wick was inserted, and just before the dart was to be used, the wick was set afire. The soldiers then threw or launched the liquid-filled dart at the enemy. When the projectile hit, it shattered, splashing the liquid, and the burning wick set it on fire. This was a first century equivalent of a “Molotov cocktail” or an incendiary bomb.

It was to protect against these fiery darts that the Romans got rid of the small, metal shields usually used in warfare and moved to the larger, wooden shield covered in leather. The water-soaked leather extinguished the flaming darts of the enemy.

We are to raise our “soaked” shields of faith so that when the attacks come, we are ready! Worship, prayer, study of His Word—all are acts of faith that result in our being “soaked.”

“No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:20-21, ESV).

The “fiery darts” are not primarily going to be attacks of sickness or disease. In fact, the majority will be attacks of temptation, lust, greed, disappointment, discouragement, jealousy. The attacks will be against your faith, your mind or your emotions.

The fiery darts of Roman warfare did not look all that lethal, all that menacing. If launched in daylight, you could hardly see the long, thin projectiles coming. However, while looking innocent in flight, when they impacted and shattered, pain and death were released.

How many times have I heard people say that they didn’t understand how dangerous and hurtful a problem would become until it was too late? Thousands and thousands of men and women in the church today are hooked and devastated under the control of pornography because they thought it would be no problem to spend a few minutes of personal time viewing porn. That quick look was the launching of a seemingly harmless projectile that exploded in their mind with devastating consequences. Current polls indicate that up to 50 percent of church-going men and 20 percent of women are addicted to pornography.

When the enemy attacks and attempts to cripple your spirit and control your mind and emotions, it is time to take your stand in faith—it’s time to raise the shield.

Each time we engage in worship, each time we pray in faith, each time we open the Word of God believing that God is going to speak to us, we are performing an act of faith. And each time we activate our faith like this, we are taking up the “shield of faith.”

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand” (Romans 5:1-2, ESV).