besides all [these], having taken the shield of faith with which ye will be able to quench all the inflamed darts of the wicked one.
The armour so far has covered truth, righteousness and peace; this verse adds a piece that goes over all the rest. What is this faith, and what are these burning arrows?
Over All the Rest
The pieces before this describe a state. This one has to be actively used.
The shield was the one defence the soldier could not do without. Without it, the rest of his armour could not protect him from missiles. It is the same in our spiritual warfare. We cannot enjoy truth, righteousness or peace unless faith is in active use.
The word "over" matters here.
This is to be "over all". Faith in God, faith in His promises, faith in His Word, simple childlike faith is to cover the head and the body like a great shield.
What This Faith Is
So what is this faith? One writer traces it back to God's own nature.
This means the confidence in God Himself which the soul has every right to hold, and is encouraged to hold. I say, in Himself, because it cannot be separated from the godly and righteous state that the earlier parts of the armour show. Yet it is a confidence that springs only from what God is known to be in His own nature and character.
Another writer sums it up in a motto for the shield.
It is the full assurance of the heart in the love of God, according to the revelation which He has given of Himself. "God for us" should be written across the Christian shield… Notice, this is more than the faith that simply receives God's testimony about Christ for salvation — though of course it rests on that.
The Picture Behind the Words
Both words in the verse come from real warfare. Start with the arrows.
FIERY DARTS are darts tipped with material that catches fire in flight or on impact. They burn as well as pierce.
The shield is large, and soldiers used it side by side. The fire has a meaning of its own.
If you put down your shield in front of you, and the man next to you puts down his in front of him, and so on and so on, you have a wall. It is a position that cannot be broken. That seems to be the picture here. Notice that they are fiery darts, not just darts. In Scripture fire often pictures God in judgment: "our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29).
What the Darts Are
The name of the defence tells you the nature of the attack.
Faith can quench nothing but its opposite, which is unbelief. All the darts of the Wicked One, fiery as they are, are of that kind… The cruellest wounds the soul can suffer are suggestions of unbelief. Outward trials are nothing next to a dart that is fiery in itself, and whose heat dries up the moisture of the spirit. It does this by cutting off our view of Him who is our only confidence and joy.
These attacks come in many forms.
Satan's darts are many and varied. They include subtle deceit, insinuation, flattery, intimidation, wrong teaching or wrong emphasis, lack of balance, working on the emotions, enticements to sin, and many more. Only an active, watchful confidence in the Lord will keep us ready to meet and quench these darts as we should.
The Shield Raised in Real Life
One writer points to Job. The sharpest thrust came through his own wife.
His wife said to Job, "Curse God and die." That was a cruel thrust. But Job met it with the shield of faith, the very thing our verse describes: "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:9-10). And the fiery dart fell to the ground.
The Lord Himself used the same two weapons.
The two weapons the Lord used — the Shield of Faith and the Sword of the Spirit — we may use also. Indeed, we are told to take hold of them so that we may "extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one."
The Arm That Holds It
One writer adds a practical warning about the armour underneath.
You cannot hold up the shield of faith if you do not have the inside armour on. That means the belt of truth around your waist and the gospel of peace under your feet, enjoyed here and now. Then you have power to hold up the shield of faith.
Summary
- Placement. The shield goes over everything else. Without it, truth, righteousness and peace are not enough.
- Content. It is confidence in God Himself, sure that His favour never changes. That is more than the faith which first received Christ.
- Target. The burning arrows are suggestions of unbelief, aimed at cutting off your view of the God you trust.
- Reach. They come as flattery, intimidation, wrong teaching, enticement. So faith must be active and watchful, not occasional.
- Result. Job answered his wife, and the dart fell to the ground. The Lord used the same shield, and so may we.