When Israel first became a unified nation at the time of the Exodus, every able-bodied man over
the age of twenty years was expected to serve in the army (Numbers 1:3). These men were not
professional soldiers but more like militia called to service when need arose (Num. 31:1-6). It
would seem that there were no professional soldiers until the time of the kings. Saul evidently had
a standing army of three thousand men (1 Sam. 13:2) and some sort of draft (1 Sam. 14:52).
Abner as captain of the host was definitely a professional soldier. Most of the remaining kings of
Judah and Israel had similar arrangements_a small standing army with professional captains
supplemented by volunteers in special crises.

When we come to the New Testament, Israel no longer had a king nor a real army. There may
have been a small temple guard under the direction of the priests (John 7:32). Most of the soldiers
seen in the land of Israel at that time were in the Roman army. Some of these men were men of
faith, such as the centurion whose servant was ill (Matt. 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10) and Cornelius
(Acts 10). Soldiers in Rome were evidently converted by Paul’s testimony (Philippians 4:22).

The Christian is to be a soldier, not against fleshly (physical) enemies, but against spiritual (2 Cor.
10:3-6; Eph. 6:12). Our warfare is against Satan and his allies-wicked spirits who influence men
and women and who are present in the very heavenlies (Eph. 6:12). This passage in Ephesians
gives us the armor and weapon the spiritual soldier uses. Although Ephesians teaches the truth of
our standing in Christ, the armor here speaks of our actual state. Thus our loins girded about with
truth does not refer to doctrine as such, but the truth applied to our own souls and truth as the
foundation of all our dealings with God and man. Similarly, the breastplate of righteousness is not
the righteousness of Christ given to a person at the moment of salvation, but practical
righteousness in the life. A bad conscience is a gap in the armor which Satan will readily exploit
and which will greatly hinder a saint’s testimony. The word "preparation" in verse 15 can be
translated "firm foundation." The Roman soldier wore sandals with soles thickly studded with
nails. These gave him a firm footing under attack. The religions of the world can provide no firm
foundation, no real assurance on which their adherents may base their hopes for blessing. Only
the foundation of the finished work of Christ can keep us from slipping about under Satan’s attack.

With the shield of faith we will be able to quench all of Satan’s fiery darts. Darts such as "Did
God really say that?" or "Does God really care what you do?" or "Can God love you or use you
after what you’ve done?" can be destroyed by faith in God. This is not a Pollyanna faith that
everything will eventually, somehow, turn out all right, but trust in the nature and promises of
God as revealed in His Word. A Roman soldier who was skillful with his shield could fight all day
without being wounded. At the time Paul wrote, the Roman army often used a phalanx formation.
The phalanx (devised by the Greeks) consisted of heavily armed infantry troops formed in tight
ranks for the attack. These troops protected themselves with overlapping shields. Thus any given
soldier’s shield protected not only himself but helped to protect his neighbor as well. This
formation had great striking power and if commanded properly was almost invincible. What a
powerful force in the war against the enemy would be a united front of the brethren where the
strengths of each soldier would overlap the weaknesses of his brother and vice versa!

The helmet was, of course, for protecting the head. The head controls the rest of the body. The
consciousness of our salvation through the finished work of Christ should protect us from many
of Satan’s attacks and will have its effect in all areas of life.

The only weapon mentioned in Ephesians 6 is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of
God." "Word" here means the word for the time. Only the Holy Spirit can bring to mind just the
right part of Scripture to use at any given moment and can make it effective against Satan or in
the souls of men.

Finally, none of this equipment can be effective without constant prayer for God’s guidance in its
use. Not only prayer for ourselves but for "all saints" is required (this would be the phalanx
thought).

In 2 Timothy 2:3, 4 we find another aspect of being a good soldier_the willingness and ability
to endure hardship. On a march, the Roman soldier carried his own food, armor, and weapons.
This burden weighed fifty to sixty pounds. A day’s march was fifteen to eighteen miles and was
supposed to be carried out between early morning and noon. On occasion, more strenuous
marches were made. Rivers were usually waded, even if the water was up to the soldiers’ necks.
It has been written of Julius Caesar’s legionaries that "they would bear anything and could do
anything."

All of the soldiers in the Roman army were professionals. They enlisted for a period of twenty
years and often spent all of that time in some foreign country. They were paid, but the cost of
their rations was deducted from their pay. The last part of 2 Tim. 2:4, "that he may please him
who hath chosen him to be a soldier," may be obscure to the young man of this country who after
enlisting or being drafted never sees the recruiting officer again during his time of service. From
the time of Julius Caesar to the end of the Roman Empire, the Roman soldier did not swear
allegiance to the empire or even to the emperor but swore personal fealty to the general under
whom he served. The commanding officer decided from the qualifications of the men where and
with what arms each soldier should be allowed to serve. The commanding officer gave out
punishments and rewards at his own discretion. These details have been presented not just for the
sake of historical interest but to help us understand the context of 2 Tim. 2:3,4. May we strive to
be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, who, unlike any human commanding officer, will share His glory
with His soldiers and whose every command is for their good.