Mensa Otabil - The Mighty Warrior
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We’re still looking at the names of God, the names by which we identify God and by which God identifies Himself with us. Today, we’re looking at a peculiar name of God, El Gibbor, and the account is in Deuteronomy chapter 10, verse 17: «For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, Mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.» That’s a good one.
Now Moses describes God as a mighty and awesome God. In Hebrew, it is El Gibbor. Gibbor is used to describe heroes or people who are giants and great warriors — people who achieve great things. When El is attached to Gibbor, it signifies that the Lord is not just mighty but is the heroic one, the mighty one. It has connotations of warfare, as Gibbor means a champion who goes into battle. So when God is called the God who is the champion who goes to war, or El Gibbor, it pertains to battle and winning battles.
Moses is the one who made this declaration that the Lord is El Gibbor because he had seen God fight for the people of Israel and deliver them from slavery. God identified with a nation of slaves; He did not identify with a nation of lords and kings and rulers, but He went to the lowest level and identified with the oppressed- the captives. Normally, in society, these are the people nobody wants to identify with, but that’s where God goes. Against the might of Pharaoh of Egypt, the Lord showed Himself as the mighty warrior, the Ultimate Warrior, the El Gibbor who delivers.
So what does it mean to know the Lord as El Gibbor? First, it means that the Lord fights for us; He’s the Lord who fights for us. When a child of God goes into battle, whatever that battle may be-whether it’s a spiritual, mental, or physical battle-the Lord fights for His children. He goes to war with them; He stands with them in battle. He takes sides with the righteous against the wicked and sides with His children who trust in Him. The Lord fights for us. Don’t ever enter any battle thinking, «Oh, I’m all alone; I have nobody, no parents, no friends.»
People may be against you physically, but there is one who is on your side, and He’s a mighty warrior. He’s the Lord who fights for us. Not only does the Lord fight for us, but He is also the Lord who conquers our enemies. In His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ conquered and shattered the power of Satan and all demonic forces, entities, spiritual powers, and wickedness in high places. As a child of God, there is no spiritual force greater than the One who is with you. He is El Gibbor, and He has conquered Satan and his powers. You can live life knowing that God is on your side and has conquered every spiritual power that is against you. That’s the second thing you note about El Gibbor.
Thirdly, the Lord gives us victory. In His resurrection, Jesus Christ gave us the victory, and in Him, we are seated in high places. We are joined with a mighty warrior in His victory, and we are in His triumphant train, declaring with Him that the Lord rules in the midst of His enemies. I like how Moses ends his recognition of God; he says, «The Lord takes no bribe.» This El Gibbor cannot be bribed to side with the oppressor. People cannot influence Him; they cannot use their money, fame, or power to coerce God to come against you. God cannot be bribed to take sides with your enemy against you. He is El Gibbor, and He is on the side of the righteous.
Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, You are mighty in battle, glorious in victory. I choose to be on Your side in all my battles. In Jesus' name, amen, amen, and amen.