Ancient Words For Today - 77
The term Lord of Hosts (translated from the Hebrew - Jehovah-tsebaoth) is used over 250 times in the Old Testament. It is a military term and title conveying the truth that God is the supreme commander of the host of heaven (the angelic host He created) and that He is the sovereign ruler over all the nations and people of the earth and His entire creation. The Lord of Hosts will ultimately defeat all those who oppose and are in rebellion against Him.
There are many Bible stories which demonstrate God's absolute control over the outcome of battles, especially those related to the nation of Israel which God led into war against their enemies and supernaturally interceded on their behalf to give them victory. One famous example was the battle of Jericho. God Himself, appearing as the Captain of the Host of the Lord, gave Joshua (the leader of Israel) a specific and very unusual battle plan for the conquest of the heavily fortified city of Jericho. Many Bible scholars believe this was a Theophany or Christophany, a (pre-incarnate) appearance of Jesus, the Messiah (Christ) in the old testament record. Here is the story:
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. Joshua 5:13-6:5
One of my favorite Bible stories is when David, a young Hebrew lad armed with only a sling shot and a stone, faced the Philistine giant, Goliath. David was not afraid of the giant because he knew that God would give him the victory that day. The story is recorded in 1 Samuel chapter 17:
And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands. And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. 1Samuel 17:43-49
We, as Christians, should remember that the Lord is our Rock, our refuge, our strength and our deliverer. Through His death and resurrection He redeemed and ensured the ultimate victory over sin and death for all those who have put their trust in Him. He has promised to never leave or forsake us, to be with us always, and has empowered us to fight the battle against sin and fulfill His plan for our lives!! Like Joshua and David, we also need to acknowledge Jesus as our supreme commander and then, as soldiers of the cross, follow His orders, doing the things He tells us to do. The battle is the Lord's - He will deliver us and make us victorious!
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:56-58
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:1-5