Paul said to the good soldier Timothy, `throughly furnished' (2 Tim. 3:17).

`The armour of light' of Romans 13:12 suggests the powers of darkness

against whom the fight is directed.  The negative is strongly stated in 2

Corinthians 10:4, `The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through

God'.  What a panoply!  The armour of light, of right and of might, the whole

armour of God.

The whole armour of God comprises six pieces.  Why six?  One would have

thought that such perfection would have been given a sevenfold presentation.

The reason seems to be that warfare belongs to the evil day, and it is not

carried over into `the rest that remaineth to the people of God'.  There are

six, not seven, references to the Mystery in Ephesians.  The Mystery deals with

the present interval of Israel's rejection.  Both the armour and the present

dispensation are perfect in themselves, but they imply an imperfect period.  It

has been said that the proximity of the Roman soldiers during the writing of

Ephesians suggested the description of the armour to Paul the prisoner, but most

if not all of what Paul has said is found in the prophecy of Isaiah and in the

`Faithfulness (shall be) the girdle of His reins' (Isa. 11:5).

The LXX translates faithfulness by aletheia, `truth', and reins by

pleuras, `the sides'.  Here is the girdle of truth.

`He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon

His head' (Isa. 59:17).

Here is the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation.

`How beautiful ... are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that

publisheth peace' (Isa. 52:7).

Here are the feet shod with the preparation of the good tidings of peace.

`He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword' (Isa. 49:2).

Here is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

`His truth shall be thy shield and buckler' (Psa. 91:4).

Truth in the Old Testament often stands for God's faithfulness.

Here is

the shield of faith.

Satan did not commence operations in Ephesians 6, neither did God wait

until Ephesians 6 before providing His people with the panoply of God.  Eve must

have laid aside the armour when attacked by the Devil.  She tampered with truth;

she entertained doubts of God's faithfulness; she failed to quench the fiery

darts of the wicked one, and she handled the sword of the Spirit deceitfully.

A

The Girdle

Truth or faithfulness.