LORD of Hosts - Part 2

 

 

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INDEX TO OTHER NAMES OF GOD

Name of the LORD is a Strong Tower: Summary Chart Pr18:10
Name of the LORD: Why Should You Study It?
Angel of the LORD
Jehovah
Jehovah Jireh: The LORD Will Provide
Jehovah Rapha  The LORD our Healer

Jehovah Roi (Raah, Rohi, Roeh): Pt 1 The Lord is My Shepherd
Jehovah Roi: Pt 2

Jehovah Sabaoth, LORD of hosts (of armies)

Jehovah Sabaoth: Pt2)
Jehovah Mekeddeshem: LORD Who Sanctifies
Jehovah Nissi: The LORD Our Banner
Jehovah Rapha: LORD Who Heals

Jehovah Shalom -Pt1: The LORD our Peace
Jehovah Shalom - Pt2
Elohim: My Creator   
El Elyon: Most High God - Sovereign Over All
El Roi: God Who Sees

 

 

 David vs Goliath
Or perhaps more accurately...
David's God
v45 vs Goliath's "gods" v43

The familiar story of David & Goliath contains the 4th OT use of the "LORD of hosts" & teaches some wonderful, liberating truths regarding this great Name of God. Read the entire chapter (1Samuel 17) before you study the questions & notes below. Ask the Spirit to guide you through this very familiar story, allowing you to set aside preconceived thoughts, reading it even as if it were your very first time. Focus on the obvious noting especially a number of interesting contrasts. Try to imagine what was going through the participants mind (imagination not visualization!). What do you learn about God and about the man who follows hard after the LORD & who trusts wholly in Jehovah Sabaoth?
 

WHAT IS THE CONTEXT FOR THE EVENTS IN 1 SAMUEL 17?

1Sa17:2,4
Saul & the men of Israel were gathered & camped in the valley of Elah & drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines....Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits & a span. (9.75 ft tall).

 

Here in one corner we have the "behemoth" Goliath, towering over 9 feet & weighing in at probably over 650 lbs, in turn clad in heavy armor, with 3 weapons (spear, sword, javelin) & one armor bearer, twice a day for 40 days bellowing like a man with a megaphone derisive taunts in the valley of Elah, threatening & frightening the army of Israel, the army of the "living God", paralyzing them with fear (isn't this the potential effect fear can have on us all?). The Philistine's champion (Lit "man in the middle") challenged Israel to a "winner take all" duel (although if you have read the entire story you know that the Philistines were hardly men of integrity - cf 1Sa17:9,51). And so into this setting young David comes on the scene providentially (in God's perfect timing) bringing provisions for his older brothers.

.

HOW DOES SAUL'S (& HIS ARMY'S) REACTION  REACTION TO GOLIATH CONTRAST WITH DAVID'S REACTION?

1Sa17:11
When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

 

CONTRASTED WITH DAVID'S REACTION...

 

1Sa17:26
"For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should taunt the armies of the living God?"

 

Saul and all Israel were deeply dismayed (the word in the Greek Septuagint pictures great astonishment, even to the point of "losing one's mind"). On the other hand, David was deeply disturbed that an uncircumcised Philistine (therefore outside of a covenant relationship with the Lord, cf Ge17:9-27), would so blatantly "defy” & heap shame upon “the armies of the living God.” Goliath’s words were not just an insult directed against the Israeli forces but were also an verbal attack against  the integrity & character of “the living God,” since the army was composed of members of the Lord’s covenant people. Why then was there such a difference in reactions? Saul was reacting in the flesh - walking by sight not faith. David was reacting in the Spirit - walking by faith and not by sight.

 

WHY IS THERE SUCH A DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE IN REACTION TO GOLIATH?

See previous chapter: 1Sa16:13-14 .
 

1Samuel 16:13
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 14 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him.


The contrasts are not only dramatic but ironic:

God had given Israel what they wanted when they rejected Him as their king (
1Sa8:7), instead asking for a human king so that they might "be like all the nations, that our king may judge us & go out before us and fight our battles." (1Sa8:19-20). Yet do we see Saul going out before them and taking up Goliath's challenge? No, instead we see this man who was a head taller than all of his brethren (see diagram at left depicting Goliath versus Saul versus the normal Israelite - clearly Saul stood the greatest chance of victory in a fight against the giant Goliath, 1Sa9:2) and who had hidden by the baggage on the day of his coronation (!) (1Sa10:22)  now trembling in dismay and fear. What had happened to Saul of whom Scripture tells us "Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you mightily...and be changed into another man." (1Sa10:6

 

How tragically ironic that Israel had "rejected (abhorred, cast away, cast off, despised, disdained, refused) (their) God, Who delivers (Heb = yasha - saves, helps, gives victory, preserves, avenges) (them) from all (their) calamities and (their) distresses" (1Sa10:19) for a human king, who chose to sacrifice rather than obey (heed, hearken to) the voice of Jehovah (1Sa15:22) and who thereby "rejected the word of the LORD" Who in turn "also rejected (Saul) from being king." 

 

The next time we are sorely tempted to reject the Word of the LORD, let us by His Spirit's enablement be quick to recall to our mind Paul's exhortation to the Corinthians

 

"Now these things happened to them (including Saul) as an example & they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." (1Cor10:6,11).

 

May His Spirit write it on our hearts the truth that...  

 

"Sin will always take us farther then we want to go,

Keep us longer than we want to stay and
Cost us more than we ever intended to pay."

 

Sow a thought, reap an action,
Sow an action, reap a habit
Sow a habit, reap a character
Sow a character, reap a destiny.

 

It all started with a thought -

 

Watch over (Heb = natsar - preserve, guard from danger, watch as a watchman over) your heart with all diligence  (Heb = mishmar - act of guarding as a guard at a post keeping watch) , for from it flow the springs of life. (Pr4:23)

 

"Anything that increases the authority of the body over the mind is an evil thing." - Susanna Wesley 

 

"Too many think lightly of sin , and therefore think lightly of the Saviour. He who has stood before his God, convicted & condemned, with the rope about his neck, is the man to weep for joy when he is pardoned, to hate the evil which has been forgiven him & to live to the honor of the Redeemer by Whose blood he has been cleansed." (Spurgeon)

 

"I would rather pass through seven years of the most languishing sickness, than I would ever again pass through the terrible discovery of the evil of sin." (Spurgeon)

 

"Whatever weakens your reason. Whatever impairs the tenderness of your conscious. Whatever obscures your sense of God. Whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind. Whatever takes away your relish for spiritual things, that to you is sin no matter how innocent it is in itself." (Susanna Wesley responding to Charles’ question about what is sin)

 

Read the following illustration of what sin will do to a sinner or a saint (saved sinner):

 

"We need a fixed reference point: During the 1980s five men spent 80 days orbiting the Earth. There were many adjustments to make. 1) They had no way to take baths so they had to wash with a damp towel. 2) During every 24 hour period they saw 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets. 3) Eating was always a problem because you had to keep up with your food. If you started to put a bite in your mouth and paused to say something your hand and fork would stop but the food would proceed at the same rate and splatter all over your face. 4) If you tried to turn a screw you would find your whole body turning instead. 5) What they saw as the biggest frustration was their was no point of reference. They were in a cylinder and there was no way to tell which way was up. There was no fixed vertical. The men came back confused, exhausted and miserable." (Elizabeth Elliot.)

 

The preceding story is probably a fairly accurate description of Saul and the Israeli army during those 40 days of intimidation by the "consequences of their sin".


Even as the Spirit of the LORD of hosts had departed from Saul leaving him devoid of spiritual power, He in turn came mightily upon David from that day forward. So when David walked into the scene of "dismay & great fear", he came as a man empowered by the Spirit of the LORD of hosts. David did not shrink back in fear from the giant because he had personal experience with the presence & power of the LORD of hosts (
see note below) & he understood the principle that our "Commander" "has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power & love & discipline" (2Ti1:7).

 

David like Paul

 

"did not shrink from declaring... the whole purpose of God."  (Acts20:27).

 

Little wonder that David would later write the encouraging words of Ps 27:1

 

"The LORD is my light & my salvation. Whom shall I fear? (Goliath?) The LORD is the defense of my life. Whom shall I dread ?" (Spurgeon #1, #2).  

 

Whatever or whoever your "Goliath" is today recall to your mind the truth about the LORD of the armies (hosts) remembering that  

 

"If God is for us, who is against us?" (Ro8:31),

 

that 

 

"greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1John 4:4),

 

that

 

"though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses"...that "we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God...taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

 

and that

 

"in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." (Ro8:37, Spurgeon)
 

HOW DOES THIS TRUTH PARALLEL ZECHARIAH 4:6-7?
 

Note these events take place after 50,000 Jews had returned from Babylonian exile & begun the rebuilding of the LORD's Temple 15 years earlier only to cease the project because of external opposition & internal apathy toward the LORD's work. In this passage note Who is personally encouraging Zerubbabel that he has the "supplies" necessary to finish the Temple:
 

Zech 4:6

Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. 7 'What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain & he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of "Grace, grace (Lxx =
charis click for in depth study) to it!"'


So clearly the LORD's work will be accomplished in the LORD's power -- by His Spirit not by the arm of flesh.  As we have discussed above, David had been clothed mightily with the Spirit (
1Sa16:13). Here in Zechariah 4 the LORD of hosts reminded Zerubbabel (and all believers through the ages) that when faced with impossible odds & intense resistance, we need to remember that the "mountain" will be made into a plain not by our MIGHT nor by our POWER but by the Spirit of the LORD of hosts. David had come to understand this empowering truth while pasturing sheep and protecting them from predators. David recognized His source of strength - yes, David personally had killed the lion & bear (Man's Responsibility) but he understood that His deliverance was by the hand of the LORD of hosts (God's sovereignty).  And we too must learn this same lesson in our private battles with predators, be they tempting thoughts or ruthless enemies. Then we will be prepared to experience victory in the public arena in the power of the Spirit of the LORD of hosts.


HOW DOES DAVID RESPOND TO GOLIATH'S CHALLENGE?

1Sa17:32

...
"Let no man's heart fail on account of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."

 

WHAT OPPOSITION DOES DAVID ENCOUNTER? WHERE DOES OPPOSITION EMANATE FROM MOST OFTEN?

1Sa17:28

Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men and Eliab's anger burned against David and he said, "Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle."

1Sa17:33

Then Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth."


While David is trying to encourage the army, his own brother Eliab (who incidentally had been passed over by God for anointing by Samuel in
1Sa16:6-7) slandered his character & wrongly judged his motives, trying to discourage him (v28).  Note that David proves himself to be a man after God's own heart (1Sa13:14, Acts 13:22), bearing the rebuke meekly (Spurgeon's note below).

 

Whenever you step out by faith, others will often put obstacles in your way. Our adversary the devil, always has somebody to tell us “it can’t be done.” Saul also tried to dissuade David saying “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth." (1Sa17:33). In a sense Saul (unknowingly) was correct for David, in himself, was not able, but in the power of the Spirit of the LORD of Sabaoth he was equipped to overcome even the most formidable foe. (Phil 4:13; Eph 3:20–21). David unlike his brother Eliab & his king Saul was walking "by faith, not by sight" (2Cor5:7)

 

David believed what could not be proven at that moment, exemplifying "the conviction of things not seen." (Heb11:1). He may have sounded foolish to the skeptics around him, but he knew that the LORD of Hosts Whom he served would show Himself to be the true and living God, the mighty Warrior on behalf of His covenant people. (Ex 15:3 "The LORD is a Warrior. The LORD is His name.")

Spurgeon writes:

 

Immediately before the encounter with the Philistine (David) fought a battle which cost him far more thought, prudence, and patience. The word-battle in which he had to engage with his brothers and with king Saul, was a more trying ordeal to him than going forth in the strength of the Lord to smite the uncircumcised boaster. Many a man meets with more trouble from his friends than from his enemies; and when he has learned to overcome the depressing influence of prudent friends, he makes short work of the opposition of avowed adversaries.” (Spurgeon)

 

David Guzik echoes Spurgeon's thoughts:

 

"When David was misunderstood and rebuked, publicly, by his own brother, probably amid the laughs of the other soldiers, he could have blown it. But he showed the strength of the armor of God in his life, and replied rightly. He didn’t care about his glory or success, but only for the glory and success of the Lord’s cause. Goliath was a dead man right then! This is where the battle was won! If Eliab’s hurtful words can get David in the flesh, and out of the flow of the Spirit of the Lord, then David’s strength is gone. But when David ruled his spirit (see Pr16:32) and answered softly, he was more in step with the Spirit of the Lord than ever. You could start digging Goliath’s grave right then!"

 

HOW DID DAVID CONVINCE SAUL THAT HE WAS WILLING & ABLE TO FIGHT GOLIATH?

1Sa17:36-37

"Your servant has killed both the lion & the bear & this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God." 37 & David said, "THE LORD WHO DELIVERED ME from the paw of the lion & from the paw of the bear, HE WILL DELIVER ME from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go & may the LORD be with you."

 

Saul tried to fit David with armor, but since he had not tested it, David refused.  Saul reasoned that if David was going to beat Goliath who was massively armed & defended (v5-7), he would need the best armor in Israel - the armor of the king. Saul saw the battle with eyes of flesh while David saw the battle with eyes of faith. David did not face Goliath unarmed. To the natural man (1Cor2:14, 2Cor 4:18) it looked that way. In fact David had much better armor than the king of Israel for he possessed the supernatural armor of the King of kings available to every child of the King! Saul had a bronze helmet, but David had "the helmet of salvation" (Eph6:17). Saul had armor, but David had a "breastplate of righteousness" (Eph 6:14). Saul had a spear, but David had the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Eph6:17). Indeed, David had the "full armor" of God! (Eph 6:11). That same armor was available to Saul & at one time he had it. But now, Saul only trusted in man’s armor & that is why David is going out to face Goliath, and Saul is on the sideline.

 

David had been tested & prepared for this task by God with his private victories over the lion & bear while caring for his sheep & these made possible the public victories (v34–37) to the glory of God. If we are faithful in our private battles, God will see us through the public testing. Too often we faint at the smallest test that comes our way, little realizing that the “little tests” are but preparation for the bigger battles that are sure to come (see Jer 12:5).  In 1 Samuel 17 we see that a seemingly trivial errand to provide provision for his brothers led to a challenging situation that brought glory to God & recognition to David. The point is that all believers should adhere to the Boy Scout motto -- BE PREPARED.

 

As Paul exhorted young Timothy "Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work." (2Ti2:21).

 

We never know when our opportunity might come. If God has called you to a task, He'll equip you for the completion. Use what He has given you, and you'll see what He can do with little things. The Lord uses small tools to perform large tasks.
 

Use now what God has given you,
Count not its worth as small;
God does not ask of you great things,
Just faithfulness--that's all!
  -- Bosch


WHERE WAS DAVID'S CONFIDENCE?

 

David focused on the LORD of hosts, Who had delivered him in the past &  Who he affirms "will deliver me." Do we really believe that the LORD of hosts will deliver us when "Goliath-like" adversity or adversaries confront us? God will deliver us. He has promised to bring us to our destination because "He who began a good work in you will perfect (accomplish, complete) it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Php 1:6). True, God may choose to deliver us FROM our trial or to deliver us IN the midst of trial, but He will deliver us! (cf the testimony of Shadrach, et al, when faced with fiery trial Daniel 3:14-19)

 

The LORD of hosts to Whom David entrusted himself in his hour of great need is the same yesterday, today and yes tomorrow (Heb13:8). Let us run confidently into the immutable (see God's Attribute = unchangeable) Strong Tower of Jehovah Sabaoth & we will be safe.

 

HOW WOULD YOU CONTRAST SAUL'S SOLUTION TO THE GIANT WITH DAVID'S SOLUTION?

1Samuel 17:38 


Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor. 39 David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested (Heb = nacah - "assayed", proved) them." And David took them off. 40 He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.


Did you notice that even after giving David a blessing (or prayer) in the Name of the LORD, Saul still had to rely on human wisdom, reasoning that if David were adequately equipped, he would have a better chance for victory. David however as discussed above had already been clothed with the Spirit and thus he had the full armor of the LORD. All David needed was the 5 "S's" - Stick, Stones, Shepherd's bag, Sling and Spirit, for he was looking not at what could be seen but what was unseen (cf 2Co4:18 Spurgeon), the LORD of hosts. As an aside, it is interesting to note that Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin, the tribe specifically mentioned in (Judges 20:16)

 

"Out of all these people 700 choice men (Benjaminites) were left-handed each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss." (Hebrew for "miss" = chata translated elsewhere in Scripture as "sin" meaning to "miss the mark"!)

 

This fact adds a touch of irony to David's use of the slingshot as his weapon of choice to fell Goliath. Had Saul, a Benjaminite, been trained to use this weapon?

 

HOW DID GOLIATH DISDAIN DAVID?

1Samuel 17:41

Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer, in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained (Heb = bazah - regarded w/ contempt, despised, consider worthless) him for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. 43 The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine also said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field."


In essence Goliath was not just cursing David but David's God, emphasizing that although this was a battle between two men, in another sense it was clearly a spiritual battle
"for our struggle (Gk = pale - wrestling - a contest between two in which each endeavors to throw the other & which is decided when the victor is able to hold his opponent down w/ his hand upon his neck) is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph 6:12) and we too like David need to daily "therefore take up (Gk = aorist imperative - command to do this now, signifying the necessity & urgency of the action commanded) the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist (Gk - anthistemi - set one's self against, oppose, withstand, cf Js4:7) in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." (Eph 6:13) (For more in depth discussion on Spiritual Warfare click Exposition of Ephesians 6:10ff)

 

WHAT WAS DAVID'S STRATEGY? DAVID'S PROPHECY? DAVID'S ULTIMATE PURPOSE?

1Samuel 17:45-47

Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and 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 taunted. 46 "This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, (cf Dt20:1-4) and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S and He will give you into our hands."


The terms of conflict were not at all as they appeared. David perceived the battle to be between blasphemous mortal man on one side and the power of the Lord of hosts on the other. Goliath was outclassed but being a natural man, he did "not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they (were) foolishness to him & he (could not) understand them, because they are spiritually appraised" (
1Co2:14).  

David's ultimate purpose was to bring glory to God throughout "all the world". To give glory means to give a proper opinion of God & throughout the ages all the world has heard about David's improbable victory because of his Almighty God. Not only would the world know about God but Israel would also understand that God's ways are transcendent & are not like man's ways. God's deliverance is never by the "arm of flesh" ("sword or spear") but by the arm of the LORD of hosts, a mighty Warrior Who is over all the armies of heaven & earth. The Battle belongs to the LORD. (midi praise w/ words "The Battle Belongs to the LORD")

 

F. B. Meyer in his devotional exposition on David lists characteristics of those who do battle in the Name of the LORD:


(1)
Their motives are pure -- Though David was accused of having evil motives, his motives were in fact pure. He was motivated by a true love for the LORD, and for the glory and honor of the Lord.
(2)
They are willing to let the Lord lead the battle. David did this at the prompting of God, not his own flesh.
(3)
They place no confidence in the flesh. David would not wear Saul’s armor.
(4)
They are willing to stand alone. David was willing to fight all alone.

When the soldiers of Israel saw Goliath, they thought to themselves, “He is so big that we can never kill him.” When David saw Goliath, he thought to himself, “He is so big that I cannot miss him." David maintained a proper perspective because he focused on the Person of His trustworthy covenant keeping LORD rather than upon the "problem" of the taunting Philistine. Though Goliath was naturally equipped with impressive size to which was added military attire, David was supernaturally armed with "the name of the LORD of Hosts”. As we have seen so often in the Names of God series, the name of a person represents the totality of that individual's being. And so it was clear to David, that the LORD over all the armies of heaven & earth dwarfed the giant of flesh on earth (v26, 36). By walking out in faith that the Lord of Hosts was his strength & sufficiency, David was clarifying that Goliath was not just confronting David but the Living God Himself (v47).

LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF THE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD:
APPLICATION

 

We need to ask God to search our heart...


How big is the giant in my life? How big is God in my life?
Whose arm am I trusting in?...the arm of flesh? ...or the arm of the LORD of hosts
Where is my focus in the battle? ...on the "giants" or on the LORD of hosts?
What is my perspective on the "giants" in my life?
Am I like Saul? ...It's too big - there is no hope of victory.
Am I like David? ...It's too big - I can't miss!
Am I remaining faithful in the private struggles that I might be fruitful in the public battles?...that all may know there is a God?

 

Both Hannah and David called upon the Lord of hosts and found deliverance through His marvelous Name, Jehovah Sabaoth.. Deliverance is there for us as well - whatever our extremity. Every extremity is another opportunity to practice living in the light of the truth that sets us free & sets us apart, making us more like Jesus. But note that this name (or any of the other "Strong Towers" in this study) cannot be used as an amulet or talisman around one's neck and it cannot be spoken out as if it were a magical incantation. It is absolutely crucial to remember that it is the RIGHTEOUS who run into this Name & are kept safe (Proverbs 18:10).

Study the other occurrence of the LORD of hosts in 1 Samuel 4 below for insights into who can expect deliverance in the Strong Tower of the LORD of hosts. This is crucial for every saint to understand if we would truly bask in the experiential truth that we are "
more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Ro 8:37, Spurgeon's note).

 

By whom was David taught,
To aim the dreadful blow,
When he Goliath fought,
And laid the Gittite low?
No sword nor spear the stripling took,
But chose a pebble from the brook.

'Twas Israel's God & king,
Who sent him to the fight;
Who gave him strength to fling,
And skill to aim aright.
Ye feeble saints your strength endures,
Because young David's God is yours.

--From Jehovah Nissi, the LORD My Banner --by William Cowper

 

 HOW NOT
TO DEFEAT THE PHILISTINES

This episode is the third use of "LORD of hosts" in 1 Samuel and teaches truths that amplify those we have seen in Hannah's story in 1 Samuel 1 and in David against Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. Specifically we learn who can "run into the strong tower of the Name of the LORD of hosts" and expect God's help. The principle applies to all of the Name of God.
 

WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT SAMUEL'S "CREDENTIALS" IN ISRAEL? (1Sa3:19-4:1a)

1 Samuel 3:19

Thus Samuel grew (Heb = gadal - grow physically but also be magnified, become great) and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fail (literally = "fall to the ground"). 20 All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD 21 And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, because the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

 

It is quite clear that Samuel's stature as a prophet increased and whatever he said came to pass because Jehovah was with him, thus everyone in Israel knew he spoke for the LORD. In fact notice that a poorly chosen chapter break separates 2 parallel phrases: "the word of the LORD" (1Samuel 3:21) and "the word of Samuel" (1Samuel 4:1),  so that clearly “the word of the Lord” (3:21) has become equivalent to “the word of Samuel.” It is also interesting that the chapter begins with the phrase "word from the LORD was rare in those days" (1Samuel 3:1) and ends with revelation of the "word of the LORD". 

 

Click on the map below and note that Dan is far north and Beersheba is 150 miles south, thus the phrase "Dan to Beersheba" was a common idiom stating that the entire country of Israel. Clearly Samuel is making the point that he was God's man in Israel and that everyone knew it.

WHAT WAS ISRAEL'S PROBLEM? HOW DID THE ELDERS RESPOND --THEIR QUESTION?

1 Samuel 4:1

Thus the  word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer ("stone of help") while the Philistines camped in Aphek (Heb = "fortress"). 2 The Philistines drew up in battle array to meet Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield. 3a When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines?

 

From the period of the judges through the end of David’s reign, the Philistines were an persistent problem for Israel.  Ebenezer is about 2-3 miles from Aphek & the site of a virtual carnage of Israeli soldiers at the hands of the Philistines. From their question ("why has the LORD defeated us"?)  the elders clearly understood that Jehovah was in control of the events that resulted in their defeat. And yet they seem to have only partial understanding of why they had been defeated.  What should the elders have known? From (Dt28:1,7, 15, 26) the elders should have known that obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings cursing. So in a sense they blamed the LORD for a defeat which they had brought on themselves by their rebellion & disobedience. Even more surprising is where they did not go for counsel. Whose credentials had clearly been established in all of Israel? Obviously God's prophet, none of whose words fell to the ground. And yet they did not seek Samuel's counsel but leaned on their own understanding. Remember that we are still in the last of the days of the Judges, so it is not surprising to see a continuation of the the behavioral pattern where "every man  did what was right in his own eyes" (Jdg21:25).

 

Ark of the Covenant


Map of Shiloh @ right
Click to enlarge


WHAT SOLUTION DID THE ELDERS PROPOSE TO AVERT FURTHER LOSSES TO THE PHILISTINES?

1 Samuel 4:3

Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh ("tranquil") the ark of the covenant  (ISBE article) of the LORD, that IT may come among us and deliver (Heb = yasha - save, give victory to, preserve, avenge, defend) us from the power (literally "the hand of") of our enemies." 4 So the people sent to Shiloh, (click map above to see Shiloh) and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 As the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded.

 

Notice the impetuosity of the leaders - they had just ask a question but now they seem unwilling to wait for an answer. The elders thought that all they needed was the physical presence of the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts. They assumed that since the ARK had gone before the people at the miraculous drying up of the Jordan (Josh 3:14-16) (they were even instructed to make a stone memorial Josh 4:5-7) and led the procession around Jericho prior to its fall (Josh 6), that surely once again deliverance would come about from the physical presence of the ARK.  Or perhaps they remembered Moses words in (Nu10:35)

 

"Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said, "Rise up, O LORD! And let Your enemies be scattered, & let those who hate You flee before You."

 

But they were wrong. They superstitiously sought the ark as if it were a magical charm or talisman, when they should have been solemnly supplicating the Savior, Jehovah Sabaoth. They fell prey to self deception (cf Israel's attitude in Jer 7:8-11) and failed to distinguish between ritual religion & right (& righteous) relationship. They focused on the symbol & missed the Substance. They were "holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power" (2Ti3:5) They were like the wicked generation Jeremiah later castigated for a similar trusting in deceptive words saying almost like a mantra or magical incantation "The temple of the LORD. The temple of the LORD" (Jer7:4ff) and to whom he had these scathing words

 

"But go now to My place which was in SHILOH, where I made My name dwell at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. "And now, because you have done all these things" declares the LORD, "and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear & I called you but you did not answer therefore, I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust & to the place which I gave you and your fathers as I did to SHILOH."

 

And so here we see them sending to SHILOH for the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, the LORD of Israel armies. But their hearts were not right before Him. (Jer7:4-15) And the fact that they failed to run to God's "mouthpiece", Samuel, strongly suggests the elders and the people were in wrong relationship & in need of repentance.   The ARK was not the first physical object Israel had turned into an object of superstitious worship. When the children who had sinned in the wilderness wanderings & were being destroyed by fiery serpents, God had provided a bronze (Heb = nechosheth) serpent to look upon & live, picturing the judgment of sin & the provision of life (Num21:5-9).

 

Tragically Israel had turned the bronze serpent (which Jesus later referred to as a type of His death on the cross - Jn3:14) into an idol. And finally after over 700 years of idolatrous worship, Hezekiah

 

"removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars & cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it and it was called Nehushtan" (2Ki18:4) (see EBD article) where "Nehushtan" can be translated somewhat contemptuously as a "(worthless) piece of brass".

 

As Paul had warned the church at Colossae years later these are "things which are a mere shadow of what is to come but the substance belongs to Christ." (Col 2:17). Is there anything in my life right now I am trusting in for deliverance other than Jesus, my Jehovah Sabaoth? Perhaps I'm trusting in my religious observance of my quiet time or the fact that I've memorized all of Romans or the fact that I teach Sunday School. We all have this natural tendency from Adam to put on our own "fig leaves", forgetting that to obey is better than sacrifice. Religion never delivers -- only righteousness delivers. And so we see in the following verses the tragic consequences of trusting in "shadows" rather than the "substance" - the LORD of hosts that the shadow represented. "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." (Pr14:12)
 

WHAT WERE THE CONSEQUENCES OF ISRAEL LEANING ON ITS OWN UNDERSTANDING? (Pr3:5ff)

 

1 Samuel 4:6 

When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp. 7 The Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp." And they said, "Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before *. 8 "Woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods ? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. 9 "Take courage and be men, O Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you; therefore, be men and fight." 10 So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

 

Eli's sons were "worthless men " who did not "did not know the LORD" (1Sa2:12 "sons of belial" noting that "belial" is a word used by Paul for Satan in 2Cor6:15 see EBD article), and "the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for the men despised (spurned, rejected) the offering of the LORD " (1Sa2:17) and even went so far as to "lay with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting." (1Sa2:22). And these were the men commissioned to watch over & carry the holy ark of the covenant, which should have conveyed a sense of fear & reverential awe instead of an attitude of contempt! Little wonder that God's presence & power were not manifestly present in the face of such wanton, flagrant sin (a lesson for all of us by the way).  "The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened." (Pr 10:27) Leaning on human reasoning instead of casting their burden on the LORD (Ps55:22) cost Israel 30,000 lives and loss of the ark of the covenant, the symbol of the LORD of Sabaoth's presence in their midst.

 

WHAT WERE THE IMMEDIATE REPERCUSSIONS FROM  LOSS OF THE ARK? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GLORY OF THE LORD?

1 Samuel 4:17

Then the one who brought the news replied, "Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken." 18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years. 19 Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was pregnant and about to give birth; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, "Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son." But she did not answer or pay attention. 21 And she called the boy Ichabod, ("the glory has departed") saying,
 

"The glory has departed from Israel,"

because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband. (For more in depth discussion of the glory of the LORD, the Shekinah, see Overview of The Glory of the LORD)

 

In this brief but tragic staccato like scene we encounter one of the darkest days in Israel's history. Shiloh would forevermore by a name associated with the LORD's righteous judgment instead of His majestic glory (cf Jer7:4-15) As the psalmist later wrote  "Some boast in chariots and some in horses, (or superstitiously in the physical presence of the ARK) but we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God. They have bowed down and fallen, (34,000 +4) but we have risen and stood upright." (Ps20:7-8) The Hebrew word for "boast" is "zakar" and means to bring to one's remembrance, to call to mind, to remember, to make a memorial. Oh, had Israel only "boasted" in the LORD of hosts instead of the ARK of the LORD.

 

C. H. Spurgeon commenting on Psalm 20:7 said
 

"We will remember the Name of the Lord our God. "Our God" in covenant, Who has chosen us and Whom we have chosen; this God is our God. The Name of our God is JEHOVAH, and this should never be forgotten; the self existent, independent, immutable, ever present, all filling I AM. Let us adore that matchless Name, and never dishonor It by distrust or creature confidence. Reader, you must know It before you can remember It. May the blessed Spirit reveal It graciously to your soul!"

 

Yes, God's Name is a Strong Tower for us to call on, but we can't misuse it. If we would seek deliverance, we must first seek Him in righteousness, righteousness that He Alone provides and which is manifest by obedience that genuine faith produces. Then we will be safe in the Strong Tower of His Name.

 

Eli's death -
Click to enlarge