Mensa Otabil - Jehovah Sabaoth
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Today we look at one of the frequently used names of God in the Old Testament. It is used many times by different people in the Old Testament, in the nation of Israel, and they use it in the context of their prayers when addressing God. They also use it in the context of declarations they make or sometimes when they go into battle. They use that name, and that name is Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. A classic way in which that name was used is in 1 Samuel chapter 17, verse 45. Then David said to the Philistine, «You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied.»
We know the story of David and Goliath; you have probably recounted it many times from your childhood about this little David who brought down the big Goliath. David faced Goliath with confidence. He was a young boy, inexperienced, while Goliath was a big guy, experienced, and very well-armed. He was protected by metal armor and also by an armor-bearer, yet David went into this battle thinking and believing that he could bring down this giant. Why did David have such confidence that he could defeat Goliath? It was because he had confidence in the Lord of Hosts. He said, «I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts.»
In Hebrew, the Lord of Hosts would be Jehovah Sabaoth, God who leads the army. It is a compound name that includes the revealed name of God to Israel, which was YHWH, Yahweh. In English, it is rendered as Jehovah, and Sabaoth means «hosts.» That word «hosts» has reference to large numbers of people, large numbers of military personnel. It gives the impression of a large group of people going into warfare, and in the Bible, God is the Lord of that army.
There are two armies that I want to bring to your attention. First, the Lord is the Lord of the Heavenly Hosts, and when we talk about the Heavenly Host, we mean the armies of angels and supernatural beings who fight at God’s command. We know some of them in the Bible, for example, Michael the Archangel. We also know that the angels fight for God’s people. Jesus said that if He gave the command, angels would fight for Him.
There are billions and billions of various heavenly beings that are warriors in their heavenly host, and God is at their command. Occasionally, they step into this earthly realm and fight for us. But there’s also a Christian host, a Christian army. The body of Christ-believers-are part of God’s army, but we are not fighting a military battle; we are fighting a spiritual battle. We fight principalities and powers and the rulers of dark places; we wrestle against them. In that army, where we are wrestling against all kinds of evil forces, the Lord is our commander. So He is also the Lord of the Christian host.
When you are a Christian, a born-again believer, you are in God’s army just like David, and you can go out and do battle in the name of the Lord. The interesting thing is that David was not qualified to be in the natural army of Israel, but he found himself qualified to be in God’s army. For us, we may not belong to the Ghana Army, the Nigerian Army, or the Zambian Army, but we belong to God’s army, and the Lord takes us into battle and brings us out.
So anytime you are confronted with any spiritual warfare, remember the Lord of Hosts is with you, and you will come out victorious, just as Goliath came down. Every principality and power is under your feet in Jesus' name because the Lord of Hosts is with us. Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, you are the Lord of Hosts. I am part of your army. Use me to establish Your Kingdom on Earth. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen.» I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.