In Isaiah 59:17 we see the Lord dressing in His garments of vengeance including the cloak of zeal. In verses 15-16, we are told that He did so because He was displeased that there was no intercessor.
Intercession is so important. As a matter of fact, we get a glimpse into its importance when we consider the book of Jonah and how God disciplined Jonah for running away from the assignment to intercede, through warning, for the wicked city of Nineveh.
We also get a glimpse of the importance of intercession when we read in Ezekiel the mandate given to warn. Ezekiel was told that if he did not warn (intercede) then those who were sinning would die and their blood would be on his head. But look at what else we are told in the book of Ezekiel about the importance of intercession.
Read Ezekiel 22:30
Father said that HE was looking for someone to stand in the gap, but HE found no one.
Read Isaiah 59:15-17
The LORD said that it displeases Him when there is no justice and no intercessor.
So, what does HE do?
He dresses for battle and steps in to redeem us.
Read Isaiah 59:16-21
Now we are going to look at the account of David vs Goliath found in 1 Samuel chapter 17. Keep in mind that David was not one of the soldiers of King Saul though a couple of his brothers were. Yet, what you will also notice is that where his brothers were afraid, David took up and put on the whole armor of God so that he could stand in the gap for ALL of Israel against the giant Goliath.
Lets look at this account now and see David wearing the whole armor of God. By looking at this young man wearing something that is naked to the eye because it is a spiritual armor, we can see how we put our armor on also.
The Faith of a Child -vs- the Armor of man
Read 1 Samuel chapter 17
By now, you are able to list all 7 pieces of the whole armor of God and identify which of the pieces are garments or tools. You are also able to understand one manner of prayer – the battle cry.
(Notice how, in this that we are now looking at, we are being shown the importance of INTERCESSION. Intercession is yet another manner (or type) of prayer. Notice also how we are being shown that when interceding on behalf of another we need to be dressed in the whole armor of God.)
If you remember, in Module One we discussed the fact that David was dressed in the full armor of God though there are no pictures showing him dressed as such. This is because his armor has to be discerned. Do you remember the answers that you gave to the Module 1 David vs Goliath Survey?
(You can request an emailed copy of your Module 1 David vs Goliath Survey by emailing TheArtisansPEN@gmail.com.)
Let’s look at some pictorial depictions of the story of David vs Goliath as we prepare to discuss how David wore each of his pieces of the armor of God based upon what we have learned thus far about the whole armor of God.
First lets read 1 Samuel 17.
One of the things that we learned about having our Loins Girded with Truth is that it enables us to stand firm. It strengthens our core. Where all of Israel was afraid of Goliath, David was the only one who was not afraid. His loins (his mind) was girded firm with the truth that they were the children of the Living God and they had no reason to be afraid. We say it all the time. “If God be for us, who can be against us.” Like David, we have no reason to be afraid of anyone or anything because we serve the True and Living God. David was very courageous. He wasn’t afraid to speak up about his faith. He wasn’t afraid to go before King Saul regarding his faith. He was not afraid to go out and face Goliath.(see 1 Samuel 17: 8-11, 23-24)
The Breastplate of Righteousness is not a self-righteousness. It is not about trusting in our own strength, but about putting our faith and trust in God and His ability. In Hebrews 11:6, we are told that in order to please God we must not only believe that God is, but we must also believe that God is able, that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek HIM. David could be seen wearing his Breastplate of Righteousness when he decided to take off the armor of King Saul and go into the way he knew how. David completely trusted in God’s ability to give him the victory in battle against Goliath just like he was given the victory when protecting his father’s sheep. Always remember that no matter what giant or mountain you face our Heavenly Father, the Creator and Sustainer of ALL life in heaven and on earth, is greater. (see 1 Samuel 17: 38-39)
Looking at their feet, it does not look like they are shod with all of those toes exposed. Nevertheless, we know that David had Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace because where everyone else of King Saul’s military force was afraid of Goliath and not willing to accept the bribe that King Saul was offering them in the form of marriage to his daughter and their family being tax free, David was the only one who not only was ready to stand up but he stated his case of victory so well that King Saul told him to “Go, and the Lord be with you.” (see 1 Samuel 17: 34-37)
Where we see David wearing his Helmet of Salvation was in his communication with both his brothers and with King Saul at the opening of the conversation. Our helmets of salvation protect our ears and our thoughts. It helps us to filter out all of the negativity and hear only what God says about us and about our situations. (see John 10: 1-6 ) What we listen to becomes what we meditate upon. What we meditate upon is what gets down into our hearts and take root. David’s brothers were negative in how they spoke to him. They treated him as if he was inconsequential. (see 1 Samuel 17:28-29) We need to be careful about what we listen to. We need to choose God’s Word over all others. We need to hear and receive only what God says about us and our situations.
When we first see the Shield of Faith being used by David, it is amongst his own people. Remember that the Shield of Faith is a tool that can be used both offensively and defensively. David first uses his shield defensively when he has to protect himself from the negative thoughts of others about himself. For example, when David was taken to see King Saul, the King was expecting someone large and buff like he and his army was, but David didn’t look like that. (see 1 Samuel 17: 33) I like what the Apostle Paul told Timothy which was to not let anyone look down upon his youth. (see 1 Timothy 4:12) King Saul told David what he could not do because of his size. David in turn told King Saul what he was able to do with God’s help. (See the Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace above.) Imagine if David would have allowed what others thought about him to keep him from standing up against Goliath and the Philistine armies, the Biblical history that we have today would not be what it is. After he prevailed on the home front, then he uses his shield to go up against the Philistines. Note that you will use your shield of faith at home first. Why? Let’s just say that this is because “a prophet is not honored in his own hometown”.
Remember that the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. It is not a physical weapon. So, when you see David going up against the giant named Goliath and he has a slingshot in his hands it is not here that he holds the sword of the spirit. Look a little further into this account. Notice that the giant mocks him, and says, “what am I, a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” Now, notice the response of David. (See 1 Samuel 17:45-47) He said, “I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” Remember that we learned that when we use the Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God we are carrying it not in our hands but in our mouth. Therefore, it was David’s entire response to the giant Goliath wherein you see him using his Sword of the Spirit. We use ours every time we speak the Word of God in our own life and to others.
One of the things that we learned about the Cloak of Zeal is that it is our passion. We see David’s cloak when he first responded after hearing Goliath taunt the Israelite army. David’s response led him to be taken to King Saul where you see David’s passion again and fearlessness. That led David to have King Saul’s permission to go up against Goliath and he did just that. When you are passionate about something you go after it with your whole heart soul and mind. Nothing can deter you. Nothing can discourage you. You are on fire, per se. Keep in mind that this is very important. Jesus said to the Laodicean church, “I wish you were hot or cold, but because you are lukewarm I will spew you out.” (see Revelation 3:14-22) So we want to make sure that we have zeal for whatever we do for the Lord. It will greatly impact how well we do what we are called to. Will we give our all, or will we come half-hearted before the Lord. Worship that pleases the Lord is worship that is wholehearted.
At this point I want to personally congratulate you for completing the entire DRESSED for BATTLE course. I personally want to remind you and encourage you to make sure that you are dressed for battle everyday, from the moment you wake up and put your feet to the floor, to the moment that you lie down to rest. Remember that the devil is said to be like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour and that he retires until a convenient time. We do not want to give him a stone to stand on in reference to us so we need to make sure that we are always dressed and ready.
You have one last quiz to complete and that is the Final Exam. Your password to access it is finals.