Ephesians #12 "Armor of God"
November 26, 2023Pastor Josh Starnes presented this morning's message, "Armor of God." It was the 12th message in a series studying the book of Ephesians. A video of the message is here.
It shouldn't surprise me any more to find that New Testament quotes and meanings have roots in the Old Testament. Today's scripture about the Armor of God is no exception. Jews of the day would have been very familiar with these ideas from the OT. It is quite possible these are what brought these metaphors to Paul's mind as well as seeing Roman soldiers.
It starts in Genesis 15:1, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." Though this text doesn't mention faith as Pastor Josh did, it's clear that it's a shield and that God is the shield. And it's not a hug3e leap to think of the reward as faith, or vice versa. See also Psalm 3:3.
God clearly shielded his people in the Torah. Two clear examples are the shielding of the Hebrews in Egypt, and the guiding of them by day and night with pillars of fire and cloud in the wilderness.
See also Proverbs 30:5b, "He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him."
Exodus 28:4a, "These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash." Here God is instructing how the priests should be dressed, and a breastpiece is a key element. Exodus 28: 15a, "Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions." Again, the "what for" doesn't line up exactly, but can be related. By the way, if you were wondering as was I what an ephod is, it's the apron-like part of the Priest's vestments.
A breastplate is also referenced in Exodus 28:15, "You shall make the breastplate of judgment." Righteousness, in the sense of being morally correct and justified, certainly relates to making decisions and judgements. Righteousness and judgement are linked again in Leviticus 19:15, "In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor."
Likewise, in Leviticus 8:7, we read of a sash and decorative waistband for the priests. We would call these a belt, as did Paul. The OT often uses the word gird (as in "girded him") which also implies a belt, as does sash and waistband.
It may be a stretch, but Aaron's priestly vestments included a turban on his head or forehead "that he shall bear the iniquity of the holy gifts he'll be given." In other words, a helmet.
Other references:
Isaiah 11:5, "Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins."
Isaiah 59:17, "He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak."
In reference to feet (Ephesians 6:15), Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'" Iain Duguid notes that these two passages are the only passages in the entire Bible that bring together feet, good news, and peace.
This armor is also referred to as Armor of Light (e.g. Romans 13:12).
A number of sources pointed out that armor is not just defensive, it can also be offensive. Both can be appropriate. Also, "armor" can include or also mean weapons (in the Greek).
For much more detail on the Armor of God, try this article. For some more detail on the Armor of Light and other "of"s, try this article, including a reference to verses in Solomon (the "Book of Wisdom").
Bonus
Journey to Bethlehem (movie)
By chance, Lynn and I saw a movie at Icon Cinemas this past weekend: Journey to Bethlehem. Turned out to be quite good, too. It's a live-action musical, and the music was well written and performed. Some melodies were written new for the show, some were familiar Christmas classics. (It's a musical like Wizard of Oz, not like Hamilton which is more opera-like.)
The story was true to the Biblical account, with one exception. A significant new character was included in the movie that is not Biblical, at least not regarding this particular story. It added to the story, however, without detracting. See if you can pick out this story's new character by name and/or relationship to other character(s).