7, 8. What quality of Jehovah is like a large shield to us, and how does it characterize Him?

⁷ In giving a further description of protection for spiritual security, the psalmist now turns from the bird world to the world of warfare. Referring further to the Most High God, the psalmist adds: “His trueness will be a large shield and bulwark.”​—Ps. 91:4.

⁸ God’s trueness is associated with his loving-kindness. (Ps. 40:10, 11; 57:3; 61:7; 86:15) He recognizes his obligation to be true to those who worship him and trust in him. This characterizes His throne. (Prov. 20:28) He always proves true to his promise to us. He proves true to his name Jehovah and becomes what he needs to become in our behalf. This quality of His serves for our spiritual protection. It is like a large shield to us, and He becomes like a shield bearer to us. His trueness is demonstrated in faithful, loyal action in our behalf. Thus it shields us.

9. How does Jehovah’s trueness serve as a “large shield,” and what, on our part, must go along with it?

⁹ This shield of divine trueness stops the fiery darts or burning missiles of the Great Adversary and also wards off the blows or absorbs the thrust of the enemy sword. We can depend upon God’s protective trueness. We must depend upon it, have faith in it. It goes along with our faith, which also should be like the “large shield” in the “complete suit of armor” that God supplies to us. (Eph. 6:11-16) Our faith in “his” (God’s) shieldlike trueness will free us of fear.​—Gen. 15:1; Ps. 84:11.

In this time of spiritual warfare, “you will not be afraid of anything dreadful by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day.” (Ps. 91:5) Why is this? It is because we are behind the “large shield” of Jehovah’s trueness, loyalty, faithfulness, that can make of no effect the flying enemy arrows. Daytime is the period for the aiming of arrows accurately.

15. What are the ‘arrows’ that fly by day, and who are the bowmen?

¹⁵ In the spiritual warfare waged against us, these ‘arrows’ are unwarranted verbal attacks, false accusations, lying propaganda, malicious slanders, gross misrepresentations, violent intimidating threats, misapplications of law in legal courts, yes, the framing of mischief by law, the ‘framing of trouble by decree’ against the innocent! (Ps. 94:20) The anointed David, in Psalm 64:3-5, describes the enemy bowmen as those “who have sharpened their tongue just like a sword, who have aimed their arrow, bitter speech, to shoot from concealed places at someone blameless. All of a sudden they shoot at him and do not fear. They hold themselves down to bad speech; they make statements about hiding traps. They have said: ‘Who sees them [the traps]?’”

16. Despite such enemy ‘arrows,’ how have Jehovah’s witnesses fared behind His “large shield”?

¹⁶ Despite all such figurative ‘arrows’ that have flown by day since the year 1919 against Jehovah’s Christian witnesses, they have not ceased in their worship of the one living and true God or in the proclaiming of the good news of his Messianic kingdom world wide. It has been as Jehovah has said to those now belonging to his organization: “Any weapon whatever that will be formed against you will have no success, and any tongue at all that will rise up against you in the judgment you will condemn.” (Isa. 54:17) Fearless of the enemy ‘arrows,’ Jehovah’s witnesses have carried on behind Jehovah’s “large shield,” and the enemy bowmen have proved to be falsifiers, whereas Jehovah’s worshipers have been vindicated and keep spiritually alive.