The Lord of Hosts Is His Name

-

On a warm summer night, darkness creates a quiet calmness. Chipping tree frogs and crickets break the silence and distant stars sparkle like diamonds on black velvet. “The heavens declare the glory of God…” says the Psalmist, and my breath catches, suddenly comprehending how small I am and how great is our God!

In these moments, I understand King David’s proclamation, “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God… So let Your name be magnified forever saying The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel…”  Jeremiah agrees, “Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and stars for a light by night…the Lord of hosts is His name.”


The name, Lord of hosts, is Jehovah-sabaoth in Hebrew, translated the Lord Almighty by the NIV. Sabaoth, is a military term meaning hosts or armies who serve a Commander. Joshua encountered this Captain of the Lord’s host, and when he did, he fell on his face and worshipped. “Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, ‘Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy,’ and Joshua did so.”

We know this Captain of the Lord’s host as the Lord Jesus Christ.

However, the host of the Lord is much more than humans and angels; it is the whole of creation. Every created thing serves the Lord of hosts, and by this name, we feel the vastness and majesty of God.

It was the Lord of hosts who asked Job, “Can you bind the cluster of Pleiades [the Seven Stars], or loose the belt of Orion? Can you bring out Mazzaroth [Constellations] in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear [Arcturus] with its cubs? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?”

To these rhetorical questions, of course Job’s answer was no.

Faced with the omnipotence of the Lord of hosts, we, like Job, gaze into the heavens. This home of billions of stars, some one hundred times larger than our planet, cannot compare to the One who created it. His name is Jehovah-sabaoth, the LORD OF ALL HOSTS.

Kay Arthur, in her book, Lord, I Want to Know You says, “My friend, if you have come to the end of your strength and need deliverance, you might…turn to Jehovah-sabaoth, the Lord of hosts… This is the name of God to run to when there is no other help – from our perspective…” (Pg. 135-136)

What battle are you facing?

With impending destruction, King Jehoshaphat prayed, “O Lord God…are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the Kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?”

As we surrender to the Lord of hosts, His presence envelopes us.

Therefore, remove your shoes, fall on your face and worship upon this holy ground. For “Thus says the Lord to you:  Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this…for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

For further study:  Psalm 19:1; II Sam. 7:18-26; Jeremiah 31:35; Joshua 5:13-15; II Chron. 20:6-15

Comments

Post a Comment

I would love to read your comments and try to answer any questions. Let's learn together.

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
  WHAT IS TRUTH? Part 1   Flaming torches lit the road as guards carrying swords and clubs surrounded Him. Throughout the night, they tortured, tried, and convicted Him, even though four days earlier, citizens hailed Him as Messiah the Prince. [1] A nearby rooster crowed while a sliver of white light crested the horizon, and a cloaked figure ran from the courtyard weeping. Morning brightened the streets but not the hateful temperaments. Torches doused until night returned, and the evil parade marched on to the Praetorium. https://christianevidences.org/the-praetorium-antonia-fortress-jerusalem/   Outside this notorious citadel, self-righteous Pharisees who had named themselves His judge and jury summoned Pontius Pilate. Normally, a criminal would be escorted inside to the Bema—the judgment seat—but it was Passover. Entering a Gentile dwelling caused defilement making the Jew unable to partake. What a contradiction—what a joke—since they had the TRUE Passover Lamb in...
Read more

Whatever Happened to Live and Let Live?

-
         I’ve always loved the movie The Hiding Place —Hollywood’s version of the life of Christian author and speaker Corrie Ten Boom and her family. The Ten Boom’s were arrested for hiding and helping Jews during the German occupation of Holland in World War II. Betrayed by Hollanders who prided themselves in obeying German law, the Ten Boom family spent several years in concentration camps. God graciously rescued Corrie, but most of her family died there.         More recently, I found another movie, The Zookeeper’s Wife , a true account of Antonina and Jan Zabinski, who also hid Jews when the Germans occupied Poland. Yad Vashem in Israel aptly recognized them with the “Righteous Among The Nations” honor.          I love Israel. And it breaks my heart to see the unquenched resurgence of anti-Semitism in New York City. Or to be reminded of Jews suffering at the hands of pure evil—Hitler and his Naz...
Read more

Is The Wood Dry?

-
Image
    https://upload.wikimedia.org/ wikipedia/commons/4/41/Fire.JPG Going camping anytime soon? Yes, fun! But don’t use fresh-cut, green branches for your fire. Why? They don’t burn immediately. Green wood contains a high moisture content, leading to incomplete combustion and excessive smoke… [1] It takes about six months for green wood to be dried and correctly seasoned so the wood does not create pollution or a creosote build-up. [2]   A fresh-cut branch or green wood is new—at the beginning of the seasoning or drying process. So, keep this in mind as you read.   Are you as frustrated as I am with the events of the past three and a half years? Whoever thought we’d see Americans held as political prisoners by our own government? Or illegals invading through open borders, and these same non-citizens voting? Whoever thought we’d suffer another round of skyrocketing inflation with gas and grocery prices so high we can barely make ends meet? Did we ever...
Read more