Our Sun and Shield

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." (Psalm 84:11)

What do you say we "squeeze" this wonderful verse today to see what sweet nectar we can get? And, by the way, if your fail to check out the other cited verses, you may miss half the blessing.

As you know, the sun is the only source of heat for our earth, and the main source of light. Moonlight may illuminate an otherwise dark alley somewhat, but it won't raise its temperature one degree. And spiritually speaking, it is only the blessed Sun of righteousness (Malachi 4:2) that can shine the warmth of salvation into the cold heart of any sinner who calls upon Him.

Nor would anything grow on earth if the sun did not provide the energy to effect photosynthesis. And, again, if you and I expect to grow as Christians, we will need to let the Spirit of God burn the words of God into our very hearts. (Luke 24:32)

Then, the verse says God is our "shield." Our shield of faith, if you will, with which you and I can "quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (Eph. 6:16). And be advised: there are lots of those flying around! You will find our Lord referred to often as a "shield" in the book of Psalms, sometimes, as in our text, coupled with other things (e.g., strength and shield, help and shield, hiding place and shield). Not only is He Himself the greatest of all shields, but Psalm 47:9 says, all the other shields of the earth belong to Him, as well. God's got the corner on shields, it would seem! Ah, but best of all to me is when David says in Psalm 3:3, "But thou, O LORD, art a shield to me." Amen!

Finally, the verse promises that our Lord will give us "grace and glory." No doubt the hymn writer had this verse in mind when he penned, "He will give me grace and glory...and go with me all the way." And He will too. You can be sure of this, saint of God: Whatever begins with grace will end in glory. And in the meantime, His children who walk uprightly can always be assured that He will never withhold anything from them that would be good for them.

So, rejoice today, dear ones, in the Sun of Righteousness, our Shield of Faith; and walk in His grace...all the way to Glory!