the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.”
—Psalm 91:13-14
I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet.
—Deuteronomy 29:5
...and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
—Ephesians 6:15
The believers in Ephesus knew what a hostile and unruly mob looks like. They had seen it in their own city. But Paul emphasized to them that the real enemies are spiritual instead of flesh and blood. The kind of spiritual evil that lies behind division and strife and violence. That is worth bearing in mind as we read Paul's instruction to wear the preparation that comes from the good news of peace as our shoes.
The Lord is not only the Great Physician and the Great High Priest. He is the Great Shoemaker.
The sandals of the Israelites in the wilderness were walking shoes, not lounging slippers. They were on their way to something better than they had known in Egypt. Moses reminded them of the protection that the Lord had given them against hostile attackers. And even the protection of their feet as they journeyed.
The path through this present age can be difficult; there are thorns and stones and stumbling blocks. But the good news of peace that passes understanding will guard our steps and protect our feet. Provided we are walking with the Prince of Peace.
Walking Shoes (part 2)
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.”
—Psalm 91:13-14
I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet.
—Deuteronomy 29:5
...and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
—Ephesians 6:15
The believers in Ephesus knew what a hostile and unruly mob looks like. They had seen it in their own city. But Paul emphasized to them that the real enemies are spiritual instead of flesh and blood. The kind of spiritual evil that lies behind division and strife and violence. That is worth bearing in mind as we read Paul's instruction to wear the preparation that comes from the good news of peace as our shoes.
The Lord is not only the Great Physician and the Great High Priest. He is the Great Shoemaker.
The sandals of the Israelites in the wilderness were walking shoes, not lounging slippers. They were on their way to something better than they had known in Egypt. Moses reminded them of the protection that the Lord had given them against hostile attackers. And even the protection of their feet as they journeyed.
The path through this present age can be difficult; there are thorns and stones and stumbling blocks. But the good news of peace that passes understanding will guard our steps and protect our feet. Provided we are walking with the Prince of Peace.