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How
is the LORD of hosts described? |
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For
behold, He Who forms mountains & creates the wind & declares to man
what are His thoughts, He Who makes dawn into darkness and treads on
the high places of the earth, the LORD God of hosts (Sabaoth)
is His name. (Amos
4:13) |
From Amos'
description, God's attributes of sovereignty, omniscience & omnipotence
are clearly implied by this majestic Name.
Another prophet,
Isaiah, helps us understand the One called the LORD
of hosts:
Isaiah 6:3
..."Holy,
Holy, Holy, is the LORD (Jehovah)
of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory."
A W Tozer writes
that...
A person who has sensed
what Isaiah sensed will never be able to joke about "the Man
upstairs" or the "Someone up there who likes me."
One of the movie actresses who still prowled around the nightclubs
after her supposed conversion to Christ was quoted as telling
someone, "You ought to know God. You know, God is just a livin'
doll!" I read where another man said, "God is a good fellow."
I confess that when I hear or read these things I feel a great pain
within. My brother or sister, there is something about our God that
is different, that is beyond us, that is above us—transcendent. We
must be humbly willing to throw our hearts open and to plead, "God,
shine Thyself into my understanding for I will never find Thee
otherwise."
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For thus says
Jehovah to
me, "As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey, against which a
band of shepherds is called out & he will not be terrified at their voice
nor disturbed at their noise, so will the LORD of hosts come down to wage
war on Mt Zion and on its hill. Like flying birds so the LORD of hosts
will protect Jerusalem. He will protect & deliver it. He will pass over (pacach
also describes the "Passover" cf uses in Exodus) & rescue it. (Isaiah
31:4-5)
Picture the fearless lion jealously guarding his prey - so too the LORD
of hosts is our Warrior (cf
Ex 15:3) & He will protect, deliver & rescue His
covenant people "for
the gifts & the calling of God are irrevocable."(Ro 11:29
note).
The fulfillment of this prophecy is most likely when the LORD Jesus
returns at the end of this present age as Commander of "the
armies
("hosts"
which include saints & angels cf
Rev 17:14 note)
which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white &
clean ...following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp
sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations & He will rule them
with a rod of iron & He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of
God, the
Almighty
("pantokrator" see
word study)."
(Revelation
19:14-15) "and
so all Israel will be saved just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL
COME FROM ZION, (Jerusalem) HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB" (Ro
11:26 note)
In Israel's greatest hour of need the LORD of Sabaoth will return & wage
war & rescue His covenant people Israel for all eternity (see
Zech 13:8-9).
Believers today must remember that this is the same Name that all in
covenant with Him can run to, crying out in their hour of need, when all
hope seems to be lost & defeat appears inevitable. May we all learn to cry
out to our Warrior, the LORD of hosts it is He, for the battle is His. (discussed at right).
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Who is the LORD of hosts? |
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Isa 44:6
"Thus says
Jehovah, the
King of Israel & his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the first & I am the
last & there is no God besides Me."
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Comparing
Scripture with Scripture we find that in
Rev 22:13(note)
Jesus identifies
Himself as "I am the Alpha & the Omega, the first & the last, the
beginning & the end." which clearly
parallels the Isaiah passage. So Jesus is our Jehovah Sabaoth (similar affirmation by Jesus
are found in
Rev 1:17 [note],
2:18)
Who is the LORD of hosts
according to Zechariah?
"Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations
that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the
King, the LORD of hosts and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.
Zech 14:16
In this passage
which in context (Zech
14)
appears to occur during what is
known as the "millennium"
(Rev 20:4-7
- note),
we see that the King (of kings) (Rev 17:14
note, cp
note
Rev 19:16)
Who is the Lord Jesus Christ is also referred to as the LORD of hosts.
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What "HOSTS"
is He LORD over? In other words who is subject to His commands and
orders? |
The Hebrew for
"host" is
Tsaba used ~ 486x with
most uses having something to do with warfare, armies or fighting. In
general, "Host"
can describe (1) a multitude of men (army), (2) angels (good & bad) or
(3) physical stars. (Click discussion of the phrase "host of heaven")
Although one might disagree on what "host" refers to in a given
verse, the important truth is that
Jehovah
is LORD over ALL HOSTS, whether
they are the host (armies) on earth, the stars or the angels
(good or bad).
Stated another way
Jehovah
Sabaoth is in complete command and
total control of all HOSTS and there are no "troop movements" so to speak
without His knowledge. This should give those who run into the strong
tower of
Jehovah
Sabaoth a great deal of comfort & reassurance.
Nebuchadnezzar the greatest king of his time was humbled by God for 7
years after which he came to proper understanding of the LORD of host ...
"All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He
does according to His will in the HOST of HEAVEN & among the
inhabitants of earth & no one can ward off His hand or say to Him,
'What have You done?"
Da 4:35
The psalmist
affirms God's sovereign control over the angelic forces...
Bless the LORD you His angels, mighty in strength who perform His
word, obeying the voice of His word!
Ps 103:20
-
Spurgeon
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How do Hebrews 1:14 & Ps 91:11-12 help understand how the angelic hosts
interact with their Commander,
Jehovah
Sabaoth? |
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Are
they (angels)
not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake
of those who will inherit salvation? (Heb 1:14 - note;
see also note by Spurgeon) |
For He will give His
angels charge concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Ps 91:11
-
Spurgeon
Who will give
His angels charge? Is this not
Jehovah Sabaoth? O to know Him with such
confidence & total reliance as the One Who gives the angelic host "charge
concerning" us. These truths make it clear that the focus of our adoration
& praise should go to the Commander of the angels, not to the angels who
serve as His "ministering spirits".
They will bear you up in their
hands that you do not strike your foot against a stone.
Ps 91:12
Spurgeon
Although this promise was
applied specifically to Jesus, it is also a marvelous representation of
the ministry of angels on behalf of the "heirs of salvation" (Heb 1:14).
A wonderful
story from
2 Ki 6:8-23 illustrates the authority
Jehovah has over the armies of heaven & should
serve to encourage us all
to cry out to
Jehovah Sabaoth. The context is an angry Aramean king who
seeks to destroy Elisha surrounding the city where Elisha lived with his
horses & chariots & a great army. But Elisha knew
Jehovah as LORD over the
angelic armies (host) of heaven and so when his frightened servant said
Alas,
my master! What shall we do? (2
Ki 6:15)
Elisha responded with complete confidence...
Do not fear, for those
who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha
prayed & said, "O
Jehovah, I pray, open his eyes that he may
see. & Jehovah opened the servant's eyes & he saw & behold the
mountain was full of horses & chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2Ki
6:16-17)
You can read
the rest of this faith building story in
2 Ki 6:8-23.
So in 2 Kings 6 we see that in
the face of insurmountable odds & no hope humanly speaking of escape,
Elisha cries out to Jehovah to open the eyes of his servant to see that
Jehovah
is in command of countless ANGELIC HOST
and is ready to send His ARMIES (HOSTS) as ministering spirits to those
who are being saved (Heb 1:14).
While our experience may not be as dramatic as Elisha's, we need to
remember that "we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand"
(Ro 5:2
note)
& we can cry out to the same LORD that Elisha cried out to, the One Who
has at His disposal "an innumerable company of (NIV "thousands upon
thousands") angels"
(Heb
12:22).
When like
Elisha's servant you reach your "extremity", run to the sufficiency of the
Strong Tower of Jehovah Sabaoth confident that...
The eyes of Jehovah are
toward the righteous & His ears are open to their cry...& Jehovah
hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. (Ps 34:15,17)
(Spurgeon's note
#1,
#2)
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What
additional insight can we glean by examining how Jewish scholars
translated "Jehovah Sabaoth" from Hebrew to Greek in the
Septuagint? |
"LORD of
Sabaoth" is translated with at least 3 different Greek phrases in the
Septuagint (Lxx):
1) "Kurios Sabaoth"
- almost
identical to the Hebrew in meaning, "Lord of hosts".
2) "Kurious ton
dunamon"
- can be translated the "Lord the Able (One)", a great truth to
remember about Jehovah Sabaoth when we find ourselves facing
insurmountable odds &/or are experiencing unrelenting assault by the
enemy.
"He is able"
is a description of Jehovah found 3x in the NT (read what He is able to do in
2 Ti 1:12,
Heb 2:18,
Heb 7:25).
Cry out to
Jehovah Sabaoth Who upon hearing the sound of your anguish is ever able to
come to your side and to rescue you either out of the fire or through the
fire, always with the intended purpose of conforming you more to the image
of Jesus.
3)
"Kurios
pantokrator"
(pantokrator
(pas = all + kratos = might, dominion, power) is the most
frequent Greek phrase used to translate Jehovah Sabaoth and literally means
the "Lord Almighty", the One Who holds sway over ALL things.
It is certainly not an accident that in the NT
pantokrator
is found almost exclusively in the Revelation (9x
Click here)
where we see the LORD ALMIGHTY exert His dominion & triumph over all evil
the forces of evil, both human & angelic. This is your strong tower
Jehovah Sabaoth of the OT in the Person of the Lord Almighty of
the NT. In His unchanging character (immutable)
we can find assurance that He will win the victory over all host of evil.
And so we can confidently cast all our burdens upon the LORD of hosts, the
Almighty One, knowing that He cares for us.
Keep these
truths about Jehovah Sabaoth in mind as you study the Scriptures. May
these insights motivate us all to run without hesitation or reservation
into the Strong Tower of His wonderful Name, the LORD of hosts.
Click to read revival speaker
Sammy Tippit's gripping personal encounter with Jehovah Sabaoth. He
writes in part:
I came to know God that
night as Jehovah Sabaoth, the LORD of Hosts. He is Supreme Ruler of
the universe. He is the Captain of all the angelic forces in the
heavenly places. There's none that can compare to Him, because He is
the LORD of hosts.
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What does
Amos 5:14 teach about who can expect the very present help of Jehovah
Sabaoth in the time of trouble? |
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Seek
good and not evil that you may live and thus may Jehovah God of hosts
be
with you just as you have said!
Amos 5:14 |
Clearly this
passage shows that the one who would cry out to Jehovah Sabaoth in the
hour of need and find "life" in His presence is the one who seeks good
rather than evil (a good pattern - focus on good first which will make it
much easier to avoid evil. cp the "order" in John 3:30) He who is seeking evil would be unlikely to
even cry out to Him.
Matthew Henry adds:
"This is the sure way to be happy ourselves and
to have the continual presence of God with us: "Seek good & not evil,
that you may live"...that you may have the favor of God, which is your
life, which is better than life itself, that you may have comfort in
yourselves and may live to some good purpose. You shall live, for so the Lord God of
hosts
shall be with you and be your life.’’ Note, Those that keep in the way of
duty (ed note = obey) have the presence of God with them, as the God of hosts,
a God of almighty power....
& whatever good we do, we must do it from a principle of love, do it of
choice and with delight. Those who thus love good will seek it, will
contrive to do all the good they can, enquire for opportunities of doing
it, and endeavor to do it to the utmost of their power. They will also
hate evil, will abhor the thought of doing an unjust thing, and abstain
from all appearance of it. In vain do we pretend to seek God in our
devotions if we do not seek good in our whole conversations (ed note =
our general manner of life)."
A W Tozer said that as
believers we must seek to...
Acquaint thyself with God.
To regain her lost power the Church must see heaven opened and have a
transforming vision of God.
But the God we must see is not the utilitarian God who is having such a
run of popularity today, whose chief claim to men's attention is His
ability to bring them success in their various undertakings and who for
that reason is being cajoled and flattered by everyone who wants a favor.
The God we must learn to know is the Majesty in the heavens, God the
Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, the only wise God our
Saviour....
Knowledge of such a Being cannot be gained by study alone. It comes by a
wisdom the natural man knows nothing of, neither can know, because it is
spiritually discerned. To know God is at once the easiest and the most
difficult thing in the world. It is easy because the knowledge is not won
by hard mental toil, but is something freely given. As sunlight falls free
on the open field, so the knowledge of the holy God is a free gift to men
who are open to receive it. But this knowledge is difficult because there
are conditions to be met and the obstinate nature of fallen man does not
take kindly to them.
Addendum
Lord of hosts is found
in association with the ark of the covenant (cf. 1 Sa 4:4; 2 Sa 6:2); as
well as the temple (cf. Hag 1:14; 2:7; Zech. 7:3); and Mt. Zion (cf. Isa.
8:18; 24:23).
The "Divine Warrior" motif is often linked with this title
in conjunction with the armies of Israel (cf. 1 Sa 17:45; Ps 46:11; LORD
God of hosts in Isa.
1:24).
The "Lord of hosts" often refers to God in the role of establishing
his kingdom on earth (cf. Isa 9:7; Zech 8:3; 14:16); and the
eschatological renewal of the kingdom of Israel (cf. Mic 4:4; Zec 1:17).
The title also reflects the judgment and wrath of God (Isa 9:19), whether
it be directed against the enemies of Israel (e.g., Isa 10:26; 13:4;
19:12; Nah 2:13; Zec 8:2) or against his own people (cf. Jer 6:6; 8:3;
11:22).
This name is combined with
Elohim,
to give the compound name Lord God of hosts (34x
NAS) or rarely only
with
Elohim,
God of hosts. (Ps 80:7, 14) The meaning is essentially the same.
God is thus described as the divine warrior of Israel (2 Sa 5:10); the
transcendent God of heaven (cf. Ps 80:14); as the one Who will judge his
people for their sin against Him (cf. Isa 10:23; Jer 35:17; Amos 3:13);
and as the One Who will punish His enemies (Jer 46:10; 49:5; 50:31).
The ISBE writes of
Jehovah of Hosts that...
Evidently the meaning of the
title is that all created agencies and forces are under the leadership or
dominion of Yahweh, who made and maintains them (Ge 2:1; Isa 45:12).
