Psalms 18:30
God is a Shield to all those who take refuge and put their trust in Him.
Psalms 18:30 “As for God, His way is perfect! The Word of the Lord is tested and tried; He is a shield to all those who take refuge and put their trust in Him.”
God is our Shield
There is no better comfort in this dreary old world of ours than to be assured of the fact that Almighty God, the Lord of lords and King of kings is protecting us, His beloved children, at all times from the power of the enemy!
When I think of a shield, I envision the shepherd boy, David, stepping out in faith to engage in battle with Goliath. (1 Samuel 17) He was wearing no armor, and certainly didn’t have a shield. His only armor, his only shield was God Himself.
Goliath was nearly 10 feet tall and was decked-out in armor from head to toe. He was also surrounded by armorbearers, soldiers whose main job was to hold his weapons. David’s only weapon was a slingshot with five small stones from a nearby stream, to use in his encounter with Goliath. Is it possible that he considered the presence of the giant's armorbearers as well when he chose 5 stones? And here’s an interesting titbit. I have read that a shield was made for the individual specifically. It was exactly the size of the warrior who carried it. Goliath’s shield stood 10 ft. tall! I love to visualize what the confrontation with Goliath must have really looked like from young David’s point of view.
On the other hand, David’s armor, his only protection was the Name of the One and Only God of the entire Universe. God Himself was his protection to cover him completely as his Shield. (Psalms 18:30)
1 Samuel 17:45 “Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the Name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied.46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will smite you and cut off your head. And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.”
What a proclamation! The most important point, though, is that David knew that God was his shield. He was basing his survival on the fact that God was his protection.
Another excellent example also comes to my mind. The three Hebrew men in the Book of Daniel, defied the King when they boldly proclaimed faith in the Living God. You can read their entire exciting adventure in Daniel the third chapter. But when the king demanded that these young men bow to his idol, they replied, “ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, it is not necessary for us to answer you on this point.17 If our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up!” What a statement! And look what the Lord did for them! God was their protection against the fire. Their confession of faith was their shield against the fiery furnace. All witnessed that there was a Fourth Man in the fire with them. They didn’t even smell of smoke when they came out the furnace unharmed! What an outstanding miracle!
Here’s a modern-day example-When we were lived in Tanzania, we met many Maasai warriors, who have an astonishing reputation of being fearless lion-killers. When we were on safari, we saw for ourselves, four young Maasai boys guarding their father’s herd of cattle, where only a few feet away, two lions were relaxing in the grass. These boys weren’t old enough to be warriors. But the lions recognized the Maasai robes the boys wore. The garments worn by Maasai warriors became their shield, their protection.
Ephesians 6:10 “In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].”
It's important to recognize the enemy of our soul, but most important of all is to remember the One to Whom we belong, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s remember that just like the Maasai children that guard their father’s cattle- we wear the robes our Heavenly Father has given us- the Robes of Righteousness. Isaiah 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” As believers we are beautifully dressed in Robes of Righteousness that our Heavenly Father has given us! And demons tremble in fear! Today let’s remember and meditate on the verses in Psalms and Isaiah with joy and thanksgiving in our hearts for the magnificent protection that our Loving Heavenly Father provides for us His beloved children.