YAHWEH – Part 3 – Yahweh Sabaoth

YAHWEH SABAOTH

The name Yahweh-Sabaoth is not revealed until the Book of First Samuel. It took the Israelites a long time before they came to know God by this name. The Hebrew word, Sabaoth, means “armies”. It often has a military definition. It means that God is THE LORD OF ARMIES, THE LORD OF HOSTS.

Our God is the Lord of the hosts of heavens and earth. He is the Lord of Heaven’s armies. He is in charge of the heavens above and the earth beneath. Heaven is His throne and the earth is His footstool. He is the Lord of the black and the white, the brown and the yellow race, the rich and the poor, the big and the small. The name Yahweh Sabaoth expresses God’s POWER and AUTHORITY.  No one leads Him. No one is in charge of Him. He reports to no one. He is the commander-in-chief. In short, HE IS THE BOSS!

THE LORD WILL FIGHT YOUR BATTLES

1 Samuel 17:45-47 – “45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with 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 defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to 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 saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”” (ESV)

In 1 Samuel 17, we are told of a story when the Philistines, the enemy of Israel, continuously troubled the Israelites. They had Goliath; a giant and their champion who constantly insulted the Israelites and made them tremble in fear. For forty days, Goliath came forward and took his stand, morning and evening. 1 Samuel 17:8-10 – “8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” (ESV)

David decided to confront Goliath as he was speaking against the God of the Israelites. In size, Goliath was the giant but what he didn’t know was that David had the backing of The One who makes giants. David said 1 Samuel 17:26 – “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (ESV)

Goliath wasn’t scared of the young David. In fact he even insulted him. 1 Samuel 17:43-44 – “43 And 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 said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”” (ESV)

1 Samuel 17:45-47 – “45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with 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 defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to 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 saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”” (ESV)

David used this as an opportunity to boast about his God. Goliath relied on physical weapons for protection. He came to war with a sword and spear. David came with the full backing of The Lord of Hosts. In the end, David won the fight.

Think about the Lord of Hosts. Hosts include every created being, animal, human and angelic. The Heavenly Hosts are the army of angels. They are led by Jesus, Our Lord of Hosts, God. Think about the beauty of that. God is The Lord of Hosts. God has an entire army of angels ready to act on our behalf. They’re ready to fight, protect and do whatever the LORD commands. This name for God emphasizes His complete and perfect power over everything, His sovereignty.

When we feel overwhelmed, pressed, and pressured with situations in life, when our faith is challenged, when life situations try to suck out our peace, let’s remember that we have the backing of the Maker of the universe. He is The Lord of Hosts. The Lord over everything. Our God can never be defeated in battle.

We need to know who Our God is. Knowing who He is gives us confidence as His children. Just as a parent fights for his or her child, that is how God fights for us. In life, we might face situations where it looks like we’ve been outnumbered. You might be thinking “I feel alone, I am fighting alone.” Know and believe this – you are not alone. We are not outnumbered. We are in the majority because we have the Lord of hosts backing us. Yahweh Sabaoth also means that God, the Lord of Hosts, is ahead of us and behind us. Imagine, you’re in the thick of your life’s battle and God is ahead of you and behind you. Wow! What an assurance from God! That’s an awesome revelation from the name Yahweh Sabaoth. This is the reason why, if God is for us, no one can be against us. No demon in hell, no plan of man, no power of hell can ever snatch us away from God’s hand! Be confident because God has your back! 

When we step onto the battlefield and face our “Goliath”- the battle that seems bigger, stronger, and more powerful than us – would probably make us tremble in fear. David was smaller, weaker, and less experienced than Goliath. But he acted boldly in faith, trusting in the unbeatable power of Yahweh Sabaoth. If David can do it, you can too. When we step into our life’s battle, facing our Goliath, remember that God is bigger than any problem we’re facing right now.

The battle you’re fighting may seem overwhelming but don’t lose heart because the battle belongs to the Lord of Hosts. Psalm 46:9-11 says, “9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire 10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us;  the God of Jacob is our fortress.” (ESV)

So, we enter the battle with heads lifted high. Not because we have any armor or weapon of our own that will achieve victory, but because our eyes are on Yahweh Sabaoth, the mighty Lord of Hosts, who is with us and will fight our battles. 

WHAT IS GOD’S ASSURANCE FOR US?

Throughout Scripture, we find this LORD of Hosts as our ever-present defender, the Sovereign and Holy God over all the universe who sees us, loves us, and moves mountains on our behalf. God fights our battles, wins our wars, and He is the refuge we can run to in time of need. 

As you step into the New Testament, God is still the Lord of Hosts because God never changes. The good news is that God still fights for you. Consider this verse in Romans 8:31 – “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (NIV)

We have the same assurance that the Israelites did. It doesn’t matter what situation in life you find yourself in. God is for you. Since God is for you and He is the Lord of Hosts, there is no one who can ever overcome you if God is on your side.

There is nothing God cannot do, nothing He does not know, nothing He cannot control, no enemy He cannot defeat, no heart He can not heal, no mouth He can not shut, no miracle He cannot perform. Jesus longs to work in our lives and on our behalf as the LORD of Hosts! 

But there’s one word of caution here. Disobedience and sin can cancel out God’s protection. If you remember after the Israelites conquered Jericho, they were defeated at Ai. The reason was because of disobedience, which is sin. While it is true God is for us, if you harbor sin in your life, God may withhold His protection and covering until you come to a place of REPENTANCE. As you walk with God, remember this simple truth: DISOBEDIENCE puts you in a VULNERABLE position; OBEDIENCE puts you in a POWERFUL position.

When we are powerless and when there is no other help, Jehovah Sabaoth is the Strong Tower into which we can run to.  The God of all hosts is able to meet us where we are.  In short, Jehovah Sabaoth speaks of God’s available power in our time of trouble. God is our defender and we don’t have to defend ourselves.

So, what do we need to do?  We must recognize our desperate need for God, then turn to Him and allow His grace to save us.  Come to God with your needs.  Begin to see Him as the Lord of Hosts and the Lord who is more than able to meet that need.  Be encouraged that He is with you in your battles. There is nothing that is not in His control, nothing that is able to overtake Him, and nothing that can take Him by surprise.

 

LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION:

1) What are your takeaway lessons from the message – Yahweh-Sabaoth? 

2) How have you witnessed God fight the battles for you?

3) When in your life has God used one of your flaws or struggles to strengthen someone else’s faith? How do you now see yourself differently as a result of this situation?