Anoint the Shields

And The Lament of the Bow

Isaiah 21:5 “Arise, you princes, anoint the shield!”

Many people are familiar with the Apostle Paul’s “shield of faith” within the Armor of God passage: Ephesians 6:16 “…take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

But not many are familiar with the Old Testament song called “The Lament of the Bow”.

2 Samuel 1:17-18 “David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):”

The song retells a tragic moment when King Saul was critically wounded by an arrow. That alone seems unspectacular until you see a few details that hint to a particular reason he might have been injured by that arrow.

1 Samuel 31:3 “The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.”

2 Samuel 1:21 “You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.”

Paul’s admonishment to take up a shield that can “quench firery arrows” is a callback to a practice of soaking leather over wood shields with water than rubbing oil into the leather. This practice increased the odds of quenching fire arrows or causing them to not sink in or bust through a shield.

To fail to anoint one’s shield can be a serious act of unpreparedness in battle, hinting at over-confidence or lack of care of one’s armament.

Too many saints fail to consistently “anoint the shield” in their daily battles. At ManCamp I used this story to highlight important truths in the spiritual war going on in men’s lives.

We are using the Ephesians 6 passage to accompany our “Luchador” wrestling theme. The first night was the shield of faith or…the metal chair.

We anointed it with oil as a symbol of the call to mourn our brothers who have been pierced through with arrows this year. We anointed it to recommit ourselves to being spiritually prepared for the conflicts that we face day to day. We anointed it in prayer that we would live purposeful lives anointed by God’s Holy Spirit.

This is how we “wrestle”.