Isaiah 54:1-57:13;
Ephesians 6:1-24; Psalms 70:1-5; Proverbs 24:8
I love the insight Paul brings out from the Old Testament
in his teaching to children. Now that I’m in my late 30s (gasp!), I read these
verses from the perspective of a parent. (I still need to honor my parents, but
I now think of myself primarily as a parent rather than as a child.) I want my
children to obey me and I appreciate that Paul draws out the promise that God
gave to the Israelites if they were obedient to their parents – the
commandment says, “Honor your father and mother that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land” (Ex. 20:12). This is the promise – if you honor, if you obey, things will go well for you.
We’ve talked about obedience a lot in this blog (because, as
we always say, the Bible talks a lot about obedience) and today’s passage is
another good reminder. Children are to obey their parents “for this is right”
(Eph. 6:1); slaves are to obey their earthly masters “with a sincere heart”
(vs. 5). Obviously, slavery in our nation has been abolished but the principle of
obeying not “by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of
Christ” (vs. 6) is still such a call for us in all our work. When we’re doing a
task for our employer, or even as a volunteer, we don’t do a good job only when
the boss is looking; rather we work as servants of Christ.
Of course, I have to talk about the “whole armor of God”
(Eph. 6:11) that Paul details in the final portion of our Ephesians passage. There’s
been much discussion about the six items that Paul chooses to write about, some
people looking to the Roman solider and his gear. But in one of the
commentaries I was reading, the author made an amazing connection to Isaiah,
which I thought was so interesting given that we’re also reading in Isaiah in
our OYB. Here’s a quick breakdown (Zondervan
Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, 337):
Image Reference Spiritual
Weapon
Belt Is.
11:5 Truth
Breastplate Is.
59:17 Righteousness
Feet fitted Is.
52:7 Gospel
of peace
Shield Is.
21:5 Faith
Helmet Is.
59:17 Salvation
Sword Is.
49:2 Spirit/Word
of God
Prayer
Prayer
The real point, though, isn’t the exact metaphors, but rather Paul’s
call to us to be prepared, to be aware of the spiritual warfare that we face,
and to join with other believers in praying against it. I will readily confess that
I’m not as faithful as I should be in preparing myself, either in prayer or in
mental steadiness, and I can go weeks without thinking about the “rulers,
authorities, the cosmic powers over this present darkness, the spiritual forces
of evil” (Eph. 6:12) that are at work against us. I don’t know if that’s because my
life in the US is easy and comfortable, or if the effects of these powers are subtler
and I falsely attribute them to “bad luck” or “coincidence” or some other such
thing. Either way, I am challenged afresh by this reading today and hope
something in it also struck a chord with you.
Help us, Jesus, to be prepared, to arm ourselves with your
truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation and spirit, so that we “may be
able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Eph. 6:13). We want
to stand firm, Jesus. Amen.
- Esther McCurry
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