Hold The Line with a Line

“Every word of God [is] pure: he [is] a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” (Pr 30:5 AV)

The word ‘shield’ is of particular interest this morning.  We often see the word of God as an active agent.  We are asked a question, and we answer with the scriptures.  A doubt comes in, and we study to find an answer.  We study and write to teach or preach.  Scripture verses in greeting cards are often our choice.  We use the word of God actively.  A shield is often passive.  A shield can be held and adjusted as the threat presents itself.  Often, however, a shield is held in place, and the soldier takes cover.  The idea of some ancient cultures was to use a shield as bulwarks of sorts.  Some ancient armies would carry their shields and the upon an enemy advancement, would ram their shields into the ground, hiding behind them like a mobile wall.  They were active as long as the enemy was stagnant.  If the enemy attacked, they were passive.  This is why it is so important to fill the head and heart with the word of God.  There are times of activity.  There are also times of stillness.  It is the latter that we must consider.

Of all the years that the LORD has graciously allowed me to preach, you would think I have the vast majority of the word of God memorized.  I am a horrible memorizer.  That is, as we are accustomed to think of that gift of memorization.  Unless I know why something is the way it is, I cannot memorize it.  I associate the information with cause and purpose.  Not simple order.  You might think this is funny, but I find it hard to recall alphabetical order unless I rehearse the alphabet afresh.  Does W come before or after Y?  Does ‘M’ come before ‘N’?  Sometimes, I have to start the alphabet song to figure it out.  When it comes to the word of God, the source is supernatural and has a way of hiding in your mind and heart without knowing it.  The more stress one is under, the saint would be surprised at just how much bible he or she knows.  Verses the saint has forgotten come back to the front of the mind.  This can only occur if we are constantly reading and studying the word of God.  The ore we put into the mind and heart, the more can be recalled when needed.

I have been reminded of this recently.  Getting into a debate is not my forte.  I cannot remember all the details which I had learn decades ago.  So, when someone very intelligent challenges me, I merely plead old age and go on with life.  When the soul lays in the balance, this is quite another thing altogether.  Peter tells us to be ready to give an answer to those who notice our faith and wonder at our hope.  Shame on us if we do not know the word of God well enough to explain salvation.  What we are ruminating on this morning is something different.  The word of God is a shield. It is a shield to all those who put their trust in it.  This means the word of God must be assumed as the ultimate authority in all matters of faith and practice.  This means we defer to the Bible first.  Not when all other sources have been exhausted.  The shield was carried into battle primarily directed at the enemy.  The shield was the first thing an enemy projectile met.  It wasn’t the foot soldier.  It wasn’t their offensive weapon.  It was their shield.  The same is true with the word of God.  We may not know the exact passage that we need before we need it.  We may not think we have enough Bible memorized.  It amazes me how much the Holy Spirit will bring to my remembrance verses or bits of verses just when I need them.  This is supernatural.  This is divine leading.  This is the Comforter's way of telling us that we are loved and that God cares.  He will take care of us.  His shield is invincible.  Being acclimated toward the shield being our greatest weapon against the adversary is that which needs work.