Isaiah 59:14-20

Justice is turned back,
    and righteousness stands far away;
for truth has stumbled in the public squares,
    and uprightness cannot enter.
¹⁵ Truth is lacking,
    and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him^[a]
    that there was no justice.
¹⁶ He saw that there was no man,
    and wondered that there was no one to intercede;
then his own arm brought him salvation,
    and his righteousness upheld him.
¹⁷ He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
    and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
    and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.
¹⁸ According to their deeds, so will he repay,
    wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies;
    to the coastlands he will render repayment.
¹⁹ So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west,
    and his glory from the rising of the sun;
for he will come like a rushing stream,^[b]
    which the wind of the Lord drives.

²⁰ “And a Redeemer will come to Zion,
    to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord.

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Old Testament

The Lord saw that there was no justice, uprightness or truth, and He was the only one who could bring salvation. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, the helmet of salvation and the garment of vengeance. He wrapped himself in zeal (jealousy) and he repaid wrath to his adversaries. He is the redeemer. He has saved his people. Isaiah is speaking here about men being separated from God by sin and God being their salvation. It describes this with him putting on the armor and repaying his adversaries.

New Testament

The New Testament tells us to put on the armor of God so that we can stand against the schemes of the devil. We are supposed to fasten the belt of truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation like our Father. We are also instructed about the readiness given by the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and we are to pray at all times in the Spirit.

Here, Paul tells us that we are to put on the armor of God to stand up to the enemy. We know that when Jesus died, he paid the price and saved us, and through him, we are now able to be with God. But while we await Jesus’ return, we have to live in the world and keep ourselves from being drawn back into sin. We can easily slip into sin and drift away from God because this way is easier and the way to God is harder. It’s not easy resisting the pleasures of the world to take time to seek God, to learn about Him, to speak with Him and to be there for others because He loves them.  

The New Testament speaks about the armor of God, similar to that of the Old Testament about the truth, righteousness and salvation. However, when we look at both chapters, we see a few different aspects that stand out. We notice that the image given in the Old Testament is that of the battle between God and his adversaries. But when you look closely at the New Testament, it says that we do not battle with flesh and blood but against evil spiritual forces. The New Testament speaks of the gospel of peace, faith, the Spirit of God, the word of God and prayer.  Many of the battles fought by God’s people in the past were hardcore wars. But after Jesus came he called us to love one another and to make peace. We are called not to fight others but to love them. We are called to fight a battle against a spiritual enemy. We are called to fight in the Spirit. How do we do this?

God helps us and provides all that we need to overcome the evil one, but we need to make that effort to accept, to choose, to spend that time required and to grow in our relationship with Him. We have to accept the gospel; we have to choose to immerse ourselves in his word so that we can build the faith that he has given us. We have to allow the Spirit to work in us, and we have to pray about everything. I think the differences in these chapters show us what the focus is now after Jesus has already died for us. It was very different in the Old Testament before Jesus came. But now we need to focus on these things to overcome the evil one, the things of this world that can so easily draw us away. So let us meditate on His word and put on the whole armor of God so that we can overcome the spiritual forces of the evil one.