September 28th, 2021 – Tuesday Early Afternoon
“After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying,
‘Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.'” ~Genesis 15:1
What a precious promise Abram received in this passage! To be clear, the LORD did not say that Abram would suffer no loss, that he wouldn’t have any trouble, and that he would experience no pain; rather, the LORD promised that He would be Abram’s shield. What’s that big deal with that?
First off, the importance of a shield in ancient warfare cannot be underestimated. You may have a huge sword and be extremely skilled in archery, but if you don’t have a shield to defend yourself against your enemy’s attacks, you are at a great disadvantage. The shield served as the primary source of defense; different sized shields served different purposes, but all of them were related to defending oneself against some form of onslaught. Even today, the armoring and technological shielding of tanks, troops, ships, planes, and even of entire nations is of utmost importance.
Second, remember who it is that is giving Abram this promise. The LORD is the Creator, Sustainer, and Judge of everything that exists; if He says that He will be Abram’s shield, do you think anything is going to happen to Abram that won’t be for his own good or outside of God’s authority? Of course not! No wonder the LORD tells him that he doesn’t need to fear and that his reward will be very great! Abram could live in perfect peace and security (which is a great reward in itself!) because the LORD would be his source of defense and protection.
That’s great for Abram and all, but what about us? Well, do you know that there are many, many references to the LORD’s shielding of His people throughout His Word and throughout history? It is not just the direct word “shield” that is used in Scripture, but also “refuge”, “Rock”, “defense”, etc. Over and over and over again, the LORD has shown Himself to be the faithful defense of those who trust in Him – both physically and spiritually. Mind you, it is not that we won’t suffer – Jesus Himself told His disciples that they would suffer – rather, even in the suffering there is a protection and shield against the fiery darts of Satan himself.
My dear friends, we have a shield – THE Shield – in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us live with His perfect peace as our rest and rejoice in the very great reward we have found in Him! He is the sure defense of those who trust in Him, and no one who puts their trust in Him will EVER be ashamed!