Leaves and Twigs: Building Security from Inside Out

"But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high" - Psalms 3:3

False Security

“But you LORD are a shield to me…”

The concept of a shield extends far beyond the battlefields of antiquity. Today, the idea of a shield has a plethora of examples: helmets, antivirus software, ballistic missile defense systems, windshields, etc. Simply put, a shield offers protection; it provides a sense of security to its user. A shield signifies security.

If you think about it, several things do offer us security in this life. As an illustration, let’s consider money. It quietly asserts in our culture, and our hearts, that if we possess a certain amount of it, then we will be secure. That is, we can attain financial security. This is the promise it offers. It whispers to us “I am your security, your refuge, and fortress. Put your trust in me.”

At first glance, this argument might sound outlandish. But probe further and you might be surprised to see this seduction at work in your heart. The way existing power structures and societal narratives operate often discourages critical examination of the validity of the claims money makes. Can money provide true security? In this broken world, can it shield me when trouble inevitably comes? Can money improve the quality of my inner life? That is, if I attain so-called financial security, can it give me inner joy and peace? Put differently, if I accumulate all the money I estimate I need, will it quiet the restlessness within? 

Please be aware that my choice of money is illustrative; other things also promise us security. To one person, it is money, and to another, it could be even Christian ministry. Alas, ministry can be used to seek human adoration and honor. Some people preach Christ out of envy and rivalry (see Philippians 1:15-17). They want to be in the spotlight and outshine others, believing that if people see them doing ministry, they will respect them. It is the same insecurity at work, just wearing a different outfit. Anything, apart from God, that makes you feel incomplete, unfulfilled, and insecure when it is absent is a shield to you. And, therefore, you think you must have it.

The deep need for security is inherent to even the most confident people. When Adam and Eve fell, they immediately became aware of their need for a covering (or shield; see Genesis 3:7). They hid from God and each other. Thence began our efforts to control what people see about us. We “dress up” with all sorts of things to ensure our nakedness is unseen.

This nakedness (or lack of security) still plagues us today. Why do people search for security in all sorts of things? It is to fill the emptiness within; to ensure that we are in control of what people see. Some discover after years of going down this rabbit hole the futility of their quest. They are exhausted and have pierced themselves with many sorrows; regret has become an ever-present companion. 

To affirm that “the LORD is my shield”, is to say “God alone is my security”. Such a claim has lofty implications. First, it raises the question: is it possible for a person to love God for Him alone so that there is deep satisfaction regardless of life circumstances? If this person has God alone, they would be deeply satisfied, even if they achieve nothing else in life. Moreover, this person no longer depends on a successful career, the admiration of others, material possessions, family, or even ministry to provide them with security. God is their shield. What do you take refuge or find security in apart from Jesus?

All that Glitters is not Gold

“…my glory, the One who lifts my head high.”

“Not only are you my shield, You are my Glory and the One who lifts my head,” David says. He takes this concept of God being a shield further. What does the word “glory” mean? In the Old Testament, in its simplest form, it means “weight.”  According to Euan Fry, glory expresses:

“the worth of a person in the material sense, and then to express ideas of importance, greatness, honor, splendor, power, and so on.” In the new testament, the word refers to light; something that is visible and dazzles. It connotes “the condition of being bright or shining, brightness, splendor, radiance; 2. a state of being magnificent, greatness, splendor; 3. honor as enhancement or recognition of status or performance, fame, recognition, renown, honor, prestige.”

Therefore, we can infer that anything that confers importance, honor, or prestige on a person can be to that person their glory. If you live in a culture where academic accomplishments are held in high esteem, you may find that the “have-nots” don’t walk with their heads held high. The degree becomes a thing to glory (or boast) in. In that culture, a person’s worth is measured by skill and ability to accomplish things. 

For the writer, God is His glory; the One in whom he boasts. To boast in a thing is to adorn yourself with it because you think it makes you radiant in the eyes of others. It is to look to a thing to give you value and importance. When you adorn yourself with anything other than God alone, you will eventually become like the adornment: empty and lifeless. True adornment comes not from outward embellishments, but from the inward transformation found in God becoming your glory. Your worth is not in what you own.

But someone may say “I want, no need, these things; they are essential for living.” Yes, I hear you. You might need a bigger house to accommodate your growing family and provide greater hospitality. A graduate degree from a top-tier program might provide the boost needed for the next level of your career. Maybe becoming a partner at your firm expands your generosity towards those in need and missionary work. But if your value and importance are attached to these things, (that is, if they, and not the grace of God, cause you to lift your head before people) then be assured these “needs” will leave you deeply unsatisfied when attained. Friend, it must be the God of the need and not the need itself that you glory in.

When you adorn yourself with anything other than God alone, you will eventually become like the adornment: empty and lifeless

Revisiting Eden: Christ the True Adornment

What God did after Adam and the woman realized their nakedness points us to His solution for the initial impact and lingering effects of sin in our hearts. The man and the woman were covered in glory until sin stripped them and all their descendants (which includes you and me). The promise of security and independence offered by the deceiver led only to deep insecurity. Their solution was to sew “fig leaves together” and make “coverings for themselves”. Leaves start to lose their vitality and rot when they fall off a tree. Why would they think this was a good idea? This is what sin does to the mind; it robs it of reason.

Though leaves adorn the tree in a radiant dress, their fleeting beauty fades with the wind. Imagine the endless exhaustion of patching together a shield of leaves, only to have the wind tear it apart again and again; a never-ending cycle of toil against nature’s inevitable tide. What leaves are you “adorning” yourself with? How much longer must you continue in this never-ending cycle? Do you not yet realize that such efforts are a rabbit hole? Do you not perceive how unreasonable your efforts are?

Right there in the garden, God points us to His majestic plan to deal with the nakedness and shame in our hearts. In a sense, He proclaims the gospel to us.

“The LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife” - Genesis  3:21 NLT. 

The shedding of this innocent animal’s blood points to the One “who knew no sin”. This animal had done nothing wrong, yet it paid a price for Adam’s sin with its life. The Holy Spirit was showing the way to heal this deep insecurity that sin had introduced in the human heart. The animal shed its blood, and they are clothed. Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb, whose blood was shed to bring us under the glory of God (John 1:29; Hebrews 10:19; Romans 13:14 ESV).

Only in Jesus, the Lamb of God, can we have true security. At the cross, we see the futility of using leaves to cover our nakedness and seek true refuge under the blood. The costly price Jesus paid for us through His death confers inestimable value on us. He gives us true beauty in exchange for our ashes (or leaves). At the cross, we see the beauty and glory of Jesus and are deeply satisfied. We boast in Him alone and are truly secure. We see the dimensions of the Father’s love for us and we realize that we don’t need to attach our value to the abundance of things we possess. Jesus alone becomes our “soul’s glory, joy, and crown.”² 

In summary, Jesus alone offers us true security. We cannot deal with our insecurities by being in the rat race or keeping up with the Joneses. There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; it is a fool’s errand. Indeed many things in the world will bring a sense of worth and importance to us in the eyes of people. But in the long run, underneath the pomp, the nakedness remains.

The songwriters³ put it this way:

My worth is not in what I own
Not in the strength of flesh and bone
But in the costly wounds of love
At the cross

My worth is not in skill or name
In win or lose, in pride or shame
But in the blood of Christ that flowed
At the cross

I rejoice in my Redeemer
Greatest Treasure,
Wellspring of my soul
I will trust in Him, no other.

My soul is satisfied in Him alone.
As summer flowers we fade and die
Fame, youth and beauty hurry by
But life eternal calls to us
At the cross

I will not boast in wealth or might
Or human wisdom’s fleeting light
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross

Two wonders here that I confess
My worth and my unworthiness
My value fixed – my ransom paid
At the cross

1. “What Exactly Is “Glory”?” Barabbas Road Church in San Diego, CA, 3 Nov. 2015, www.barabbas.com ↩︎
2. Lyrics from the song “Fairest LORD Jesus/My Only Crown” ↩︎
3. Keith and Kristyn Getty. ↩︎