Thursday, 4/19/18 – Eph 6:15,
The Armor of God, Pt. 9, 

Shod Your Feet with the Preparation of the
Gospel of Peace, Pt. 1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnhMfwIWP7o

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

Stand in Warfare – Eph 6:10-20.

3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17.  

Vs. 15, “And having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.”

So far, we have noted two pieces of armor: The “Belt of Truth” and the “Breastplate of Righteousness.” Now, we note the third, “feet shod with the preparedness of the gospel of peace.” In this verse, we have the military shoes, sandals, or combat boots we are to put on to fight the spiritual warfare we are engaged in. The Greek begins with the Coordinating Conjunction KAI, “and,” that links this verse and armament with the overall armor of God. “Having shod,” is the verb hupodeomai ὑποδέομαι that means, “shod, bind on, bind under, or put on.” It is also used in Mark 6:9 and Acts 12:8, and the verb appears twice in the Septuagint, 2 Chron 28:15; Ezek 16:10.

Here, it is in the Aorist, Middle, Participle in the Nominative Plural of HUPODEO. The Culminative Aorist tense stresses the cessation of the action of putting on your combat boots, with the idea of continuing to wear them during your spiritual warfare. In the Middle voice it means, “to put on your own combat sandals.” As a Participle it continues the command to put on and continue to wear the armor of God, and specifically this piece of equipment.

It comes from the Preposition HUPO, “under,” and DEO, “to bind.” Therefore, it means, “to bind under,” as sandals under the feet, to put on sandals, slippers, or shoes. Interestingly, the word DEO in Latin means, “God.” So, we see the authority we are to be under in our spiritual warfare.

In classical Greek, this verb meant to underbind, e.g., to fasten a binding on one’s sandals or put on one’s shoes. The sandal was bound on the foot with leather thongs. The cognates HUPODEMA and HUPODEMATOS mean, “a sandal or shoe,” Mat 10:10; Luke 10:4; 15:22; 22:35; Acts 7:33, quoted from Ex 3:5.

As you may have noticed, the word “sandal” is not used in this verse. The Greek noun for “sandals” is sandalion, σανδάλιον and is only used in Mark 6:9 and Acts 12:8, and is with HUPODEOMAI. Yet, from the root HUPODEO and its cognates, we see the context of the object that is in view for “putting on,” but not the common sandals for the civilian, in Eph 6:15, it speaks to the soldier’s sandals worn when on duty. Therefore, we could say, “having sandaled.” Today, we would say, “having put on your combat boots.”

The Roman soldier needed sure footing to enable him to march, to move quickly, and stand his ground when necessary. The Roman sandal or military shoe was bound by leather throngs over the instep and around the ankle, and the soles were thickly studded with nails to permit surefootedness. This would give him a firm sure footing in case of attack.

The analogy we have here is for the Christian soldier to stand firm against the attacks of Satan, his demonic forces, and world system. To do so, we must see to it that our feet are properly protected and equipped.

This word is first used in the NT in Mark 6:9, when Jesus sent out the 12 disciples to evangelize throughout Israel. Notice that this passage has to do with evangelizing, the spreading the Gospel of Peace, just as our verse does. Read Mark 6:7-13.

Here we see several principles about evangelizing we should take note of, but when Jesus told His disciples to provide for themselves only one pair of sandals for their evangelistic trip, He was teaching them to trust in God to provide their needs as necessary during their journey, cf. Deut 29:5. So we see that we are to faith rest in God, to provide all that is necessary when we go out to evangelize.

Deut 29:5, “I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot.”

The next time HUPEDEOMAI is used, is when Peter was freed from King Herod’s captivity, Acts 12:8, read 4-11.

Here, the angel had freed Peter from captivity and told him to prepare himself for that freedom. Therefore, we see the results of the gospel of peace; freedom from captivity. That is, the captivity of sin over the life of the unbeliever. As a believer you are free from sin. That is the message we are to be prepared to deliver to the lost.

Likewise, in the LXX usages, we see the impact the gospel of peace has, as 2 Chron 28:15, records how the Israelites clothed their prisoners, gave them food and drink, and put sandals on their feet. And, in Ezek 16:10, God recounts how He treated the Israelites; He bathed them, vs. 9, clothed them, and placed sandals on their feet. Therefore, we see the provisions of God that accompany the gospel of peace that we are to bring to the lost.

The thing to be “shod or sandaled” is “the feet” HO POUS, in the Accusative, Masculine, Plural. Rather than saying to put on “sandals,” sandalion, we are commanded to shod our “feet.” In other words, we are to wrap the feet, protect the feet, and provide for the feet. As you know, the feet provide great stability for the whole body. That is the first message here. To make sure we are stable in all that we do. The feet also give the body motion: forward, backward, and side to side. With the feet we can stand still, walk, run, and jump. The feet are a wonderful creation by God to provide these things for us.

All of this is analogues to what the gospel of Jesus Christ provides for our soul, it gives it the potential for motion, momentum, stability, height, depth, breath and width, Eph 3:18, as it gives us spiritual life and the ability to advance in that life. The Bible is filled with many analogies regarding the feet and the abilities it provides for us.

Metaphorically, the way of one’s feet refers to the way of one’s life, e.g., Psa 119:101,105; Prov 4:26.

Psa 119:1, “How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of the LORD.”

Psa 119:101-104, “I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word. ¹⁰²I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, For You Yourself have taught me. ¹⁰³How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! ¹⁰⁴From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.”

Psa 119:105-106, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. ¹⁰⁶I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.”

James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 

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