Nehemiah Bible Study Lesson Snippet
How is the armor of God seen in the book of Nehemiah?
Neh 4:16-17 'And it came about from that day on, that half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows, and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of Judah. Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon.'
Obviously, having seen off the first two attacks, the enemy gave up, all of Nehemiah's problems went away and everyone lived happily ever after. Right? Well, not quite. For we read that "it came about from that day on, that half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows and the breastplates... Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon." (vs 16-17). They were beginning to learn the nature of the enemy and the need to constantly be alert, prepared and watchful. We can learn a couple of things from the passage above... Spiritual warfare is not just for some elite commando group within Christianity, but for all - simply because all are open to attack. Writing to the 'Saints who are at Ephesus', Paul wrote, "Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the powers... against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Eph 6:10-12) For Paul, and for Nehemiah, everyone is involved in this fight whether they want to (or know it) or not. Therefore, be ready. Nobody would rush into a battle and then try to put their armour on! Not a good plan. No, Nehemiah ensured that they all had their armour and weapons ready before the attack came. The Apostle Paul would have got on well with this man!
Of course it the same with the armor of God. It should be on BEFORE the time arises. So what is it? Well, here was Paul, chained up & guarded by Roman soldiers... and staring at them day and night he starts writing.....
- Gird your loins with the belt of truth - The belt on the Roman Soldiers was the most important piece because nearly all of the other armor was fastened onto it. It held everything together and in place. This is how important truth is. If your faith is based on error, then your armor will fall off! All of the amour is related to truth. The truth of the gospel sets us free!
- Put on the breastplate of righteousness - This guarded the heart. The righteousness that defeats the enemy is the righteousness of God, given as a gift to the believer. Satan cannot answer the work of God and all his accusations and condemnation is totally repelled by the believer who knows that thru Jesus' righteousness he is spotless and without fault.
- Shod your feet with the gospel of peace - The shoes were for grip and secure footing in the battle. The gospel of peace is that through Jesus' work we have peace and free access to God. This peace and rest gives us the assurance and stability needed for the fight. Not wavering in our salvation but standing firm, sure that our salvation is secure in God.
- Taking up the shield of faith - The shield guards us from the enemies assault. It is faith that does this. Not faith in faith, but faith in the faithfulness of God! Psalm 91:2 'His faithfulness is a shield'. Gen 15:2 'Do not fear. I am a shield to you'. It is a faith that continues to believe despite our feelings or circumstances.
- Take the helmet of salvation - Protect the head cause you don't want to lose that! Guards our mind. 1 Thess 5:8 'put on... as a helmet, the hope of salvation.' This is salvation in its fullest sense. This is the hope (confident assurance) that in whatever situation we find ourselves in, God can and will bring us through safely. This guards the mind!
- The sword of the Spirit - Our only attacking weapon. It's the word of God. The enemy cannot counter the truth of Gods word. This is of course what Jesus used when he was tempted by the Devil. The word of God is 'living and active, sharper than any two edged sword.' Again, truth is important here as even the enemy will use scripture out of context when need be.
from: Nehemiah Chapter 4:16-23 Our Stand - The Armour of God