When we speak of God’s reward, the majority of people think solely in terms of money. Yes, money and all it makes possible could be a reward. However, there are non-monetary rewards that could prove richer than money. For example, health is a reward. Love is a reward. Favour is a reward. Welfare and progress of your children are a reward. In our text, God offered Himself to Abram as a shield. That is another form of reward. A shield is a piece of armor used as a protection against arrows, bullets, or other weapons. Usually it is worn on the arm and positioned in front. When God told Abram that He was his shield, it simply means God chose to be his defense. True to the promise, God protected him in all his journeys through the heathen territories. He even shielded his wife from being molested by Abimelech.

The cheering news is that whatever God was to Abram He is willing to be to his offspring. There are two sides to this; there are physical offspring of Abram as there are spiritual offspring, through faith. The promise that God gave to Abram was not only to him but also to his seed. Arguably then, God is a shield to all who are of the faith of Abraham. A seed of Abraham can boldly say, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper…” (Isaiah 54:17). There are conditions, though, that will make God a shield indeed unto us. We noted earlier that a shield is usually in front. If God will be our shield He must of necessity take the lead. We go only where He goes; and we do only what He commands.