My Shield and My Reward

In this post, I'll be continuing to explore Abraham's unique faith - a faith which resulted in the Bible calling him "the father of all who believe" (Romans 4:11,16) It all starts in Genesis 15:1, when God speaks to Abraham and sets the pace of his life with these words:

"...I am your shield, your very great reward..."

I was praying about this statement and realised that, as always, God starts his promise to our lives with a revelation of himself. He doesn't simply tell us what he will do for us; he first tells us who he is.

I'd like to unpack both these aspects of God's self-description:

My shield

God often describes himself as a shield for our lives. In that sense, he acts as a barrier between us and the onslaughts of life. For example, Psalm 18:2 says:

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies."

Psalm 18:30 goes on to say:

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him."

Psalm 18 is a very special psalm for me (my mum calls it "David's Psalm" - meaning the one specifically written by the Lord for me!), and so I'll be coming back to the psalm soon in the near future to share more on its incredible message. But for now I just want to focus on this profound yet simple revelation of God as "my shield."

Here as some more examples of God being described as our "shield":

• Psalm 3:3 - "But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill."

• Psalm 5:12 - "For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield."

• Psalm 7:10 - "My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart..."

• Psalm 28:7 - "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."

• Psalm 33:20 - "We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield."

• Psalm 84:11 - "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

• Psalm 91:4 - "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you."

• Psalm 119:114 - "You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word."

• Proverbs 2:6-7 - "For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones."

• Proverbs 30:5 - "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."

My reward

This is the incredible element of God's actual promise to Abraham. God doesn't just tell Abraham that he will give him rewards; he tells him that he himself would be his "very great reward." As Isaiah 49:4 puts it:

"But I said, 'I have laboured to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God."

I particularly love the way The Amplified Bible puts Genesis 15:1:

"...Fear not, Abram, I am your Shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great."

You cannot give your life to God and not receive back immeasurably more than what you give - it is the ultimate unbalanced equation! Many people are looking for the best return on their investment (ROI), but this is undoubtedly the greatest ROI that anybody could possibly make!

In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus himself said:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

We often tend to think about this "treasure in heaven" as being in some kind of monetary equivalent, not unlike natural banknotes, drawn on the Bank of Heaven, spendable throughout all eternity. But in the light of Genesis 15:1, I believe the "treasure in heaven" is nothing less than the Lord himself! He is the prize for which we strive will all our hearts (1 Corinthians 9:24; Philippians 3:14).

In the light of this dual revelation - that God is my shield and that he is my reward - we find the wonderful admonition that came to Abram...

"Do not be afraid..."

I believe that a life-changing revelation of God in these two spheres results in the banishing of fear. We see this clearly in other parts of Scripture:

1. God as My Shield - "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).

2. God as My Reward - "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'" (Hebrews 13:5-6).

I encourage you to discover God personally in these two dimensions of his character and nature.