[Steve Myers] I was reading in the Psalms the other day something that caught my attention. Psalm 91 talks about how God watches over us. He's our refuge.  He's our fortress and that we're to trust in Him. And then one of the verses caught my attention. In verse 4 it says, "He shall cover you with His feathers and under His wings you shall take refuge." So it paints this beautiful picture as God being our protector, then it says something interesting. It says, "His truth shall be your shield and buckler" (Psalm 91:4 NKJV).

And I started wondering, well, what's the difference between a shield and a buckler? (Other variations of buckler: rampart, NIV and bulwark NASB)

I always thought they were kind of the same thing, and yet in this verse it lists both of those things. So I started doing a little bit of research, and what seems to be the consensus when it comes to most of the scholars is that a buckler is a type of shield, but it's the smaller type of shield, a round shield that you'd hold in your hand that would be one that could quench the darts. Or if someone came at you with a sword you could quickly move it and block that attempt to strike you. And so it would be a moveable shield that was carried on your hand, or on your forearm to protect you. The shield on the other hand would be like a full body of protection, a big shield that you could hide behind, your complete body. So you could be totally protected in your whole body in that way with that big shield. And so these two shields, this buckler and the shield offers full protection. And how does it come? Well, it says by God's truth.

So have you ever imagined God's truth is like a shield? Like if there are fiery darts that are hurled our direction are we quick with that buckler to be able to protect and to be able to guard ourselves with, not our own power, but with the truth of God. That's what it says here. will ward off those arrows of the enemy, that we can be fully protected. We can be protected from those fiery darts that are hurled at us like sin or those things that would destroy us. And in fact if we allow God's truth to be that buckler, to be that shield, that seems to be what connects us to the protection that God offers us with His wings. He guards us and it happens by His truth. So how important is truth? Well, God says we're able to abide under His shadow because of His truth. So never, never shortchange the truth of God. It is our shield and buckler.

That's BT Daily. We'll see you next time.