Introduction: According to Wikipedia, Armed Forces Day was established in 1949 and first celebrated in 1950. Since then Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May as a way to honor all branches of the military. As a military retiree myself, I rejoice in seeing some of our best take the call to defend our nation and pray the Lord keeps them safe so that these who serve might return to their homes in peace.
As believers, though, we have been and always will be in conflict with enemies we don’t even see. Paul had some words for us, found in the last chapter of Ephesians. Let’s look there:
Text, Ephesians 6:10-17, NASV: 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
1 The Admonition
--Paul had begun a series of admonitions and encouragements beginning in the last half of chapter 4. Now he’s zeroing in on a summary for all believers.
--First he says to be strong in the Lord. Someone once remarked that weak soldiers become easy targets or victims. He could be speaking of both physical strength as well as spiritual.
--He then prepares to describe the coming, as well as current, battle every believer faces.
2 The Adversaries
--Paul first says “put on the full (complete) armor of God”. The picture he may have had in mind was a fully-equipped Roman soldier. Since he was in prison, did he have a guard standing near?
--He next warns believers that our struggle is not against “flesh and blood”, although it may seem that way. There is an old saying, “God has no hands but ours . . .” and by the same token, the Devil has no hands except those of his followers.
--Paul lists these adversaries (all spiritual beings, followers of Satan): the rulers, highest in rank or at least mentioned first.
--Second in the list: ”powers”. These seem to be a lower rank and less power but still enemies.
--Third is “world forces of this darkness”. Daniel had received a visit from one of God’s Messengers (Daniel 10:10-14) but only after a 21-day struggle against the evil, spiritual “prince of Persia”. Evil, spiritual beings could be of this class in influencing various kinds of human activity, not just limited to government.
--Last mentioned: “spiritual forces of wickedness in high places.” This could include any number of evil spirits but Paul doesn’t elaborate here. The point he’s making is that even though people are the agents or instruments, they aren’t the problem: the evil spirits are the problem and it’s vital to take a once-and-for-all stand against them.
3 The Armor
--Paul says to not only get the armor but PUT IT ON.
--A story I heard many years ago about some World War II soldiers: one tank crew member says there wasn’t really much armor to protect against German shells. An infantryman rubbed his shirt and said, “You have more than we do!”
--Another way to describe armor, again from many years ago: “Looks good-works better.”
--Again, the command to “take up the full (complete) armor” so that you can resist and stand firm. Retreat, or surrender, are never options for a believer, even if the world demands this. Al Mohler of the Southern Baptist Convention wrote an article some time ago about how the world system demands unconditional surrender from everyone else (https://albertmohler.com/2016/05/12/the-moral-revolutionaries-present-their-demands-unconditional-surrender )
--Now Paul lists the various items a Roman soldier might carry. First he mentions “belt[ing] your waist with truth”. Various items seemed to be used there. This was to protect the vital organs in the middle of the body. Think of where and how bayonets were used:
--The breastplate of righteousness is next. This item covered the heart and lungs. Joab killed Abner by stabbing him there (2 Samuel 3:26-27). These had various types of construction but the least opening might have been enough for an arrow, dagger, or sword to kill you.
--Shoes and foot gear are always important. When it came time for combat, Roman soldiers would strap on hob-nail boots (per a college course’s textbook called “Designed to Be like Him”) instead of the light sandals or similar gear worn while traveling.
--The shield of faith: Roman soldiers seemed to have two shields. One was maybe 2-3 feet across and was designed for close combat. There was another, roughly 4-6 feet, which provided even more protection. Soldiers could kneel behind these and be covered from flaming arrows or other weapons the enemy used against them.
--Paul next mentions the helmet of salvation. The helmet would of course protect the soldier wearing it from arrows or similar damage but also deflect a sword stroke. Various resources have photos and other art showing the numerous designs of helmets through history.
--The last item is the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and is the only weapon for offense. It has always been important to know the Word and a couple of hours a week in worship and study is no substitute for a regular time of reading the Word for yourself! I know this! Don’t let what happened to me, namely the waste of several years when I seldom if ever read the Bible except at church, happen to you! Read it—know it—and live it. But none of us can do this unless we open the pages and open our eyes to read and heed the Word of God.
Conclusion: every believer has enemies. These enemies are increasingly on the attack, trying to destroy us or at least our faith. The Lord has given us all the gear we need to stand up, stand firm, and fight back. Now it’s up to us, each and every believer, to do just that. Stand firm and stand up for Jesus—that’s my prayer.
Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Version of the Bible (NASV)
