Roman Army-Locking Shields

Ps 133: 1, 3 How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity!  For there the Lord commands his blessing.

When the Roman army went into battle they developed a strategy called,’Testudo’ (it became known as the, ‘Tortoise’). The command,’As One’ was given and each soldier would stand with his shield overlapping the shield of the soldier next to him. Thus producing a near impregnable unit and a battle formation that crushed the front lines of the enemy forcing them to break rank; this unity of locking shields as one won many battles.

When David became King of Israel his first action was to establish his throne on Mt Zion, but to do this he had to dispossess the Jebusites who lived there. Zion was a near impregnable stronghold but David took it immediately. Why was this? It was because when crowned King, David made a covenant with his people that united all 12 tribes (1 Chron 11:1-5) Symbolically they had locked their shields together and became as one.

This unity unleashed the power of God in Israel’s army that crushed all their enemies and secured an unprecedented era of peace that freed David’s son Solomon to build the temple and establish Israel as the foremost nation in the earth.

Meditation point: Am I in unity with my team. Have I locked shields with those around me to become as one?

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