Walk Of Life – Day 2, December 2020, Thoughts From The Book Of Proverbs
JESUS CHRIST – OUR SHIELD
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly. Proverbs 2:7
A person’s true personality is reflected when he is weak and is under high pressure. Our lord Jesus Christ was in the weakest position in the garden of Gethsemane and even in such a situation he was a perfect shield to His people. Peter, who was afraid to stand before a maid, takes up his sword and swung the ears of the soldier when Jesus Christ was with him.
What is a shield? It is an instrument that takes all the bad effects of a war. It is meant to take all the wounds and the pain and the most gruesome attacks. It protects the most important organ of man, the heart.
The only shield that saved us, protected us, and will make us reach eternity is Jesus Christ. Even in the Bible, we come across many characters who had been like shields but they have been broken or re framed during the times of utter extremity. They were supposed to be shields but they did not function as they have to function.
For example, Moses the meekest of all, was called by the Lord to lead the Great hosts of Israelite from Egypt, and he is also the one who has seen the wonderful hand and guidance of God but when there was a situation, that he was tortured by the people he broke down as we read in Numbers 11: 11-15. He shouts at God very angrily when the people asked for meat. He questions very harshly “Are these my children? Have I borne them? How will I give them meat? This is too heavy for me and why I should I carry this burden? How much heart-breaking this situation is. Moses is abruptly washing off His hands. Whereas, Jesus Christ though he knew no sin, though there is no need for Him to suffer, he has borne all our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was smitten by God, afflicted, wounded, bruised and chastised which we read in Isaiah 53:4,5. He was made to carry all our burdens and iniquities, He was oppressed and affected, yet he did not open His mouth.
For instance, if Jesus our Lord would have complained back to the Father, that this burden is very hard for Him to carry what would have been our state. He had no compulsion to come into this world of immorality and injustice, leaving his throne, authority and power. Still He made a commitment to God the Father, that he will surely fulfill the promise given to Abraham as in Genesis 15:1 “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield;”
Deuteronomy 34: 7 clearly says “Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.”
Moses was neither wounded nor stricken. He was not touched physically and still he complained so rudely to the Lord. But Jesus Christ as an answer to Moses question would have said, “Yes, Moses. You are right. They are not your children but they are mine. You need not carry them. I will carry them. You need not be troubled because of them, I will take the trouble.” Saying so, at the age of thirty-three and a half gave his life for us on that rugged cross of Calvary. He is our shield not only through the cross but till now He guards us and protects us from all snares of the devil.
Dear brothers and sisters, if you would have forgotten about this shield who has made the sinners like us as the upright ones, will you grab this opportunity to come back to Him. You will be protected. You will be delivered.
Lord Jesus, thank you for being our shield. Help us not to find refuge in any other shield as they will break. We have come back to be hidden under you. Embrace us Lord. We ask this prayer through Christ our Shield. Amen.
