13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
We said before that Paul is talking about the whole armor of God because any one piece of this armor by itself does not properly equip the man for the defense of his soul. In verse 13 he began with ‘therefore,’ which would mean he is adding a conclusion or consequence to what was previously said. The previous message we have already learned. There is a battle going on. It is not against flesh and blood, but against a diabolical, spiritual enemy who wants to destroy our souls. We have also said that these pieces of armor are designed to defend us on all sides; to protect us from every angle of attack.
But Paul repeats the word 'stand' here 4 times, signifying our battle stance. We are not lying down. We are not on our backs. We are not sitting, we are not reclining. We are to be in a constant state of readiness, on our feet, ready to do battle.
Perhaps the military strategist would disagree. We need to keep a low profile. We need to crouch or to lie in wait. We need to put on our spiritual Ghillie suits and wait for the enemy to show his silhouette. However, we have no spiritual sniper rifle. We cannot do battle from afar. Our weapons are close combat weapons. When we do battle, it is up close and personal. Whenever battle is this close, we cannot be on our backs. We have to be standing, dug in, ready.
One of the best ways to defeat a knight was to use his heavy armor and weapons against him. The victor was usually the one who could bear his armor and the other man’s blows and still remain standing, while making the other man tired, worn out, and off balance. With that much physical battle it was difficult to remain on your feet after striking blows and taking them as well. The good news for us is that our armor is perfectly balanced so that the enemy cannot knock us down, though we are perfectly able of falling down on our own - remember pride?
But the other piece of this is our source of strength, which we contemplated at length previously, as the power of Christ in His Holy Spirit. And, we should say further, our source is the Holy Spirit, but it is not like a battery that runs dry or a power source that dissipates into nothing. The Holy Spirit in us is a renewable energy source. In physical battle, if a man is not well nourished and well hydrated, and if he is in poor physical condition, he will not last very long. His strength may only be renewed by rest and nourishment. Hollywood usually portrays battles to continue for what seems to be hours, and we do not see our heroes rest and get food and drink. But our strength is renewed. The prophet Isaiah wrote so poetically,
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might He increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31
How is it that our strength will be renewed? We said for physical battle we need rest and sustenance. Isaiah says here that those who wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength. What does it mean to wait? The LORD knows our frailty and He knows that we are weak to continue to stand firm. He knows we get faint of faith and weary of doing good. But He, in His infinite wisdom, has given us both rest and sustenance in this life. He gives us one day in seven to rest, and provides us heavenly food in both Word and Sacrament on that day. To wait upon Him means to worship Him in spirit and truth, and to believe that He gives good gifts to us in the gospel, and in the outward and sensible signs; these are the very means of grace and great strength. He washes our battle wounds with the water of the Word, He cleanses us from head to foot of all of our sin and unrighteousness, and He strengthens us in the inner man by the table He sets before us.
With this kind of rest and sustenance, even as we are worn down from standing firm and being ready at all times, we will not be caught completely unawares, our souls will not be dealt mortal blows, and we will certainly not be abandoned by the Captain of our Salvation, but we will be equipped with great strength when the attack comes most fiercely. And we shall overcome. We are promised that we shall be more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Rom 8:37).
Therefore… we shall stand, and stand firmly.
Assignment:
1. Continue to read and memorize Ephesians 6:13-17, but also review 10-12.
2. Read the full chapter of Isaiah 40. It may be familiar to you because of Handel’s Messiah, as several of the arias and choruses are taken from this chapter. If you have this music, listen to it and contemplate the great message of the gospel. Journal about the different attributes of God in chapter 40. Hint: There are several themes here: strength, tender care, almighty power, infinite wisdom.
3. Memorize also Isaiah 40:28-31.
4. Journal about how you may be looking at worship and the Lord’s Day differently now that we have discussed our renewal of strength in the Holy Spirit.
