Isaiah 52:12
Six times in the Bible we see the term “rereward”. It is an old English term that is used to describe the rear guard in a military operation. Four of the times this word shows up in the Bible it is used to describe something military but twice it is used to describe our God. In our verse today and in Isaiah 58:8, we are told that God and His glory will be our rereward. To me, this is very comforting. While we are focusing on what lies ahead of us on life’s journey, God has our back! He is not only leading and guiding us as we go forward, He is also protecting us from the dangers that can catch us from behind.
In Ephesians 6, we are told to put on the whole armor of God. We are also told stand for God in that armor. In that passage of Scripture, we are given a list of the pieces of armor that God has given us. Nothing is mentioned for our backs specifically. I have often wondered why that is. One day, while reading through Isaiah, these two verses spoke to my heart. While we are standing for God, while we are battling against unseen spiritual enemies, He has our back! He not only goes before us, He is also our rear guard. He not only has provided for us all the protection we need as we face our enemy, He has also personally guaranteed our protection from behind.
What a God we serve! He is watching over us. He is leading and guiding us as we follow Him. He is willing to fight all our battles for us if we will let Him. He has given us everything we need for our safety and protection. And, He is guarding our backs. He is our rereward. He is our rear guard. He has our backs!!!
Bell Creek Baptist Church 