Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. Psa. 3:3
Some interesting definitions of the word "shield" ... of course a shield is something (or someone) who protects us ... But another definition of shield, and this is said to be the root meaning of the word "shield" is ... "to divide or separate" ...
I thought of how God often protects us by separating us from people who would harm us, or how HE often divides HIS people from the world.
First we have the example of Abraham. When God called Abraham, the thing HE did was to separate Abraham from his relatives.
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. Gen. 12
Jesus explained that HIS word does not bring peace but a sword that divides.Think not that I (the Word) am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. Mt. 10
The word of God does divide us. When we hear from God and speak that which we have heard we often have people leave us and speak ill of us. That is because the way of God is so different from the way of man.
We may grieve over the separation but actually separation is one of the ways God protects HIS people. We have so many examples of this in the Bible.
Paul says ... Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. II Cor. 6
When the children of Israel came down to Egypt during the famine, God separated them from the Egyptians as follows:
And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? 34That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. Gen. 46
Instead of making us fit in with the world, God often shields us by causing the world to look upon us as an abomination, and thereby separating from us.