Ephesians 6:5-9
Verse 9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.
We have reached the end of our study of the Armor of God through Ephesians and we finish up with one of the most important things to remember as members in God’s army. An army is never about the soldier but is always about the kingdom they represent and in the case of God’s army, it is also all about Him.
Paul’s instructions to the masters of Ephesus show us a bit of what the missionary understood about God. The instructions to the masters must have seemed a bit odd to the readers of this letter. Their understanding of what it meant to be a master would have been through how society dealt with their slaves and servants. When they heard they were to treat their slaves as their slaves treated them it would have them stopping short and maybe asking for that part to be repeated.
The issue many masters have had throughout history is they see themselves as better and more important than those who work for them. There is a pride in being the head instead of a laborer. They were the ones who made decisions and made things happen. Or did they? The truth is a master is only in the position he is in because of those in the positions he sees as beneath him. Not thinking of this truth is why it would have been so hard for them to hear Paul’s words.
The masters didn’t want to think of themselves on the same level as the slaves because it was going to mean thinking of others before themselves. This is the exact thing Paul needed them to understand for them to see God in the way He had commanded. By elevating themselves above the slaves, their self-understood status may have imposed their self-importance on their spiritual relationships.
It is likely we have all done this on some level. We tend to be self-righteous and dismiss others because they aren’t as good as we are. One of the problems with this is we displace God from His rightful throne. When we see ourselves as the masters we can’t see Him as our master. This was the important thing Paul understood and knew the high stationed men in Ephesus needed to know too. God can’t be the ruler of our lives if we insist on ruling our own lives. And this is what we need to remember as soldiers in His army, He is the commander and we are not. We must surrender to Him out of love. What is the point of armor if we aren’t going to wear it for His glory?
Making It Personal
Which piece of armor is hardest for you to put on because of your wanting to be your own commander? What have you learned through this study that you need to remember going forward? Is God your true Commander?
Making It Personal Kids
Why is it important for you to remember Jesus is the boss? Do you use the armor of God? How can you fight a battle for Jesus today?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for equipping us and giving us wise instruction for being Your soldier. Help us always remember You are the Commander of Your army and give us the strength and courage to fight the battles of Your war. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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