Ephesians 6:13-14
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place
Yesterday we talked about the first portion of verse 14 and the belt of truth. If you missed yesterday's devotion I invite you to look in the archives to catch up on our current series about the Full Armor of God. Today we will move forward and look at the second item Paul tells us to include in our spiritual armor, the breastplate of righteousness.
During the first century A.D., around the time that Paul would have wrote this Letter (@ 60 A.D.), the prodominent type of armor worn by the Roman Army was called the, "Lorica segmentata". This style of armor consisted of iron plates being rivetted to leather straps. It provided excellent protection while not greatly affecting the soldier's range of motion. Wearing the armor did have it's draw backs, often soldiers wore a sacrf, or "focale" to prevent the armor from rubbing against their neck leaving a raw spot. While Paul refers to the armor as a breastplate, this form of armor also extended protection to the back.
It is believed that during this same time a style of armor that had been popular for centuries was also still in use. The "Cuirass" was a bronze plate armor often decorated with symbols of animals on the chest. Often times sculptures portrayed soldiers of the time wearing this style of armor. As with "Lorica segmentata" armor, the cuirass was not simply a breast plate, but was attached to an additional piece that provided protection for the back.
With an understanding of the physical armor or "breastplate" of the time period, we can now look more fully at Paul's reasoning for including the breastplate of righteousness in our spiritual armor. The Roman's wore breastplates for one reason. They understood that if you protect the vital organs you had a better chance of surving a battle.
God undertands this same concept when he directs Paul to include the breast plate of righteousness in our spiritual armorment. Throughout the Bible the heart is focused on as the spiritual center of man.
Deuteronomy 4:9
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 6:5
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Deuteronomy 8:5
Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.
Psalm 9:1
I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.
2 Corinthians 1:9
Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
The purpose of our spiritual breastplate is to protect this vital spiritual organ. How important is the heart in the Christian life?
Ephesians 3:16-20
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith...
The "heart" is where Jesus, through faith, takes up residency. It doesn't get much more important than that!
So how do we protect this important area? With righteousness. The Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines righteous to be an adjective meaning, "1: acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin2 a: morally right or justifiable, a righteous decision."
In the book of Dueteronomy chapter 6 verses 24-25, righteousness is explained as, " The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."
In the Old Testament, righteousness was obtained by following the law of God. In the new testament we are told by Jesus, " 17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."--Matthew 5:17.
When God became man, he came to the earth bringing love, but also bringing clarity to what he desired from man. He wants us to live a life like Christ, to love God with all of who we are and to love our neighbors as Christ loves them.
Galatians 6:2
Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
To place on the breatplate of righteousness is to take on a Christ like attitude. It is to be the least when we want to be the greatest. It is to serve when we want to command. It is to give to those who do not deserve it and to love those who hate you. In short, it is to follow the example that Jesus gave us.
Works Cited:
http://www.eclectichistorian.net/Roman/
http://www.armourarchive.org/essays/glossary.shtml
http://www.redrampant.com/roma/armor.html
http://astro.temple.edu/~tlclark/lorica/bronze_leather.htm
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