Israel is in much the same situation today that Abraham was in thousands of years ago. Genesis 15 begins with God’s words to Abraham. He tells Abraham “Don’t be afraid, Abram, I’m your shield.” This is very specific to Abraham because he had just gone to war with the five armies against the four armies in Genesis 14. His nephew and relatives had been taken as hostages. He went to war against the terrorists and brought back his family members along with all the things that were pillaged from them. Although he was successful in rescuing the hostages, he still had to live in the very land that his enemies lived. The various tribes of the Canaanites were all around him. Abraham’s descendants are in a similar situation today. Hamas is on the west between them and the Mediterranean sea and Hezbollah to the north. Also Iran, Syria, Lebanon and all the Arab nations around them are their avowed enemies and desire nothing but the total destruction of Israel. Like in the days of Abraham, Israel lives under constant threat of terrorism from their enemies. The episode of Genesis 14 was repeated in Israel on October 7 of last year. Cities were ransacked and hostages were taken. Like Abraham, Israel mobilized to rescue the hostages.
Abraham had good reason to be afraid as do the Israelites of today. In Chapter 15, God addressed Abraham’s fear. He spoke to Abraham and told him “Do not be afraid. I am your shield.” In Deuteronomy, Moses reminded the people that “God is your shield and your helper.” The psalmist is frequently referring to God as his shield. Psalm 18:30 says, God the “shield for all who take refuge in Him.” “In a psalm that David wrote while he was fleeing from Absalom, he said, ‘You are a shield around me, O Lord’ (Ps. 3:3). In another psalm he wrote, ‘My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart’ (7:10). Being shielded by God means salvation for His people (18:2). The people of Israel were exhorted to ‘trust in the Lord’ for ‘he is their help and shield’ (115:9–11). Knowing that God was His shield gave David confidence in the face of conflict. He wrote, ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped’” (28:7).[1]
In Psalm 91 from The Message translation, we read “Fear Nothing! Not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster than erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you! You’ll stand untouched…. Evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t get through the door! He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go! If you stumble they’ll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling! You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes; and kick them from the path. If you hold on to me for dear life, Says God, I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care, if you’ll only get to know and trust me.”
[1] Swindoll, Charles R., and Roy B. Zuck. 2003. Understanding Christian Theology. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.