In Genesis 14, Abraham found himself in a war with neighboring tribes. Despite the odds, he managed to form a coalition that not only defeated the enemy but also freed the captives, including Lot and his family. However, this victory came at a cost. It left Abraham at odds with many of his neighbors. The situation was tense, and Abraham realized that if they were to come for him alone, without his allies’ support, he’d be in grave danger. He was afraid of the potential consequences. Adding to his worries was the fact that he had offended the King of Sodom. The King of Sodom wanted to share the spoils of war with Abraham, but Abraham refused. He did not want to be identified with the Sodomites. This could have potentially alienated Abraham from both his enemies and his allies.
While Abraham was in this state, God appeared to Abraham and said to him in Genesis 15:1, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” This phrase, “I’m your shield,” means that God will protect Abraham in his journeys through life. He will be present with Abraham and will never desert him, even in times of trouble and distress. This image is repeated for us in the Psalms and elsewhere, stating that God is a shield for his people. He will secure us from all evils, always coming between us and harm. If this is the case, and it is, it should silence all perplexing, tormenting fears Abraham could have. It should silence our fears also.
Although it doesn’t always look like it, we can trust God to be our shield. Even when He allows bad things into our lives, we know He will work them out for our good. Unfortunately, like Abraham, you and I are imperfect people. Although we sit here and I write (and you read) these thoughts about Abraham, we intend to trust God and not be afraid; we still are easily distracted from God’s promises through the course of our day-to-day living and need regular reminders. We drift from problem to problem and lose focus on the more important things daily. We often feel that everything is against us! In Genesis 42:36, that’s exactly how Jacob felt. He forgot God’s promise. I forget God’s promise also. When things pile up around us and even when friends begin to look like enemies don’t forgot God’s promise “I am your shield.”