Saul loved him very much, and David became one of his squires. –1 Samuel 16:22b
In Biblical days, a squire was someone who actually carried their leader’s shield and armor when going into battle, often acting as his personal attendant. For example, King Saul was assigned several armor-bearers.1 In our modern days, I don’t see anyone walking around fully dressed in the classic armor of the early centuries.
However, in the spiritual realm, we still need our armor. The writer of Ephesians commands us to put on the full armor of God so that we can take our stand against the wiles of the devil.2 Like our turn-of-the-century counterparts, we in the servant ministry must clothe ourselves with the Spirit and wear the armor of God’s leaders in the battle of faith.
The term squire it was originally translated from the Hebrew word nasa, which means figuratively or literally to lift up, support, or simply help.3 On occasion, Bible translators have translated the word “help” from the Hebrew word nasa. In light of these defining terms, we can see that a squire is one who aids or supports an assigned leader’s weapons during times of battle.
A modern squire is someone called by God to serve and help his assigned leader in life, ministry, and especially in the fight of faith.4 In essence, a squire is called to serve, minister, care, assist, be of use, assist, benefit, promote, support, facilitate, nurture, and encourage their leader.
Also, God calls others to walk in the spirit of bearing arms. They may not be specifically assigned to a leader, but they possess the mentality and attitude of a squire. The attitude of a squire is of service. The mindset of a shield-bearer, as well as that of those who operate in the spirit of one, is to do whatever it takes to serve and support their leadership.5 Operating in the spirit of shielding can also be described as operating with the principles or the dominant qualities of a squire. The qualities that top the list are service, commitment, care, support, help, loyalty and fidelity.
Wearing armor in an attitude of service is not just the performance of humble tasks, but an effort to serve Christ in the Kingdom of God. Jesus said: “The servant of all is the greatest of all.” Among my favorite examples are the great men of the Old Testament scriptures, many of whom were faithful squires before their public ministry. King David, King David’s mighty men, Elisha, and Joshua exemplified the knighthood spirit in excellence. Even Elisha’s assistant Gehazi offers us an example of what we don’t want to do as knaves.6
One need not think that our Father God only called squires or helpers to help in ancient battles. Look at the New Testament Joseph of Cyprus, nicknamed “Barnabas” or “Son of Consolation.” The most popular opinion is that Joseph of Cyprus got these names because he constantly encouraged those to whom he and Paul ministered. Recently, I have considered another thought as to why he was called “Son of Consolation.” Perhaps it was because he persevered by Paul’s side through shipwrecks, stonings, and much rejection.
Don’t overlook Stephen and Philip among the seven designated to wait tables in the apostles’ feeding program of the early church. The leaders assigned them to help while their apostles gave greater focus to prayer and the ministry of the Word. Throughout the Bible and today, God continues to call helpers and armor bearers to raise the arms of our Church leadership.
Operating in the spirit of bearing arms is fulfilling a ministry of aid, vigilance, and intercession on behalf of our leadership. I believe that God has issued a new call to serve and support our leaders in this way. Only He knows the spiritual effort and hard work it will take to achieve the Church’s vision of him.
The Apostle Paul encouraged us to excel in the gifts that build up the Church. As we in the ministry of helps excel in the gift of service and support our leaders, we will come to unity of faith like never before. When we each take our place and share the load, our men and women in leadership will experience less weariness and exhaustion, providing the opportunity for greater refreshment from the Lord.