Purpose: To unfold the truth that God has all power.
Aim: I want the listener to be in awe of God's strength.
INTRODUCTION: Jehovah-Sabaoth (not to confused with Sabbath) is often translated "The LORD of Hosts." Sometimes the Bible uses, "LORD God of hosts" or "God of hosts." All together we find this name for God over 270 times in the OT which make it the most frequent compound title for God in the OT.
The Hebrew word for "host" is Tsaba and it is used 486 times. Most uses have something to do with warfare, armies or fighting. So this is a very important name to know.
Years ago a movie actresses continued performing in nightclubs after she claimed to be converted to Christ. She was overheard 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 guy." A person who understands that "The Eternally Self-existent One is over Hosts" will never joke about "the Man upstairs" or that "Someone up there likes me."
This name for God will change how we relate to Him. First, though, we must understand,
► I. What Does Jehovah-Sabaoth Rule Over?
"In general, 'Host' can describe (1) a multitude of men (army), (2) angels (good & bad) or (3) physical stars. The important truth is that Jehovah is LORD over ALL HOSTS, whether they are the armies on the earth, the stars or the angels (good or bad)." [1]
► A. Jehovah-Sabaoth rules over the battles we face
The first use of this compound name for God does not occur until 1 Samuel, although there is a similar reference used in Joshua 5:14-15.
Joshua was leading the Jews to invade Canaan. He obeyed God by observing the Passover and commanding the men to be circumcised. Now he was preparing for a major military battle. The impressive fortress of Jericho lay directly in front of the Jews. Before he led his troops into battle Joshua got alone and God came and appeared to him.
Joshua 5:13--15 Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" He said, "No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his servant?" The captain of the LORD'S host said to Joshua, "Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so. (NAU)
The question was NOT "Is Jericho weak?" The question was "Will the LORD of hosts lead in the battle against Jericho?"
Zechariah 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. (NAU)
Our focus should never be on how big our problem is, it should be on how big our God is. 1 Corinthians 15:57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (NAU)
Ephesians 3:20--21 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (NAU)
► B. Jehovah-Sabaoth rules over the unseen world
Nehemiah 9:6 "You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You. (NAU)
1 Kings 22:19 Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. (NAU)
Jesus said that the angels of heaven were at His beck and call. Matthew 26:53 "Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (NAU)
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, (NAU)
► C. Jehovah-Sabaoth rules over creation
The stars are called a HOST and God created them. Isaiah 45:12 "It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands And I ordained all their host. (NAU) Psalm 33:6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. (NAU)
Jeremiah points out that numbering the stars is impossible. Jeremiah 33:22 'As the host of heaven cannot be counted and the sand of the sea cannot be measured... " (NAU)
Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing. (NAU)
Isaiah 45:11--12 Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: ".... "It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands And I ordained all their host. (NAU)
We learn in the book of Daniel that God is not accountable to anyone. Daniel 4:35 "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, 'What have You done?' (NAU) We have no right to judge God's actions.
Since God made everything He has the right to do whatever He thinks best with it. Zephaniah 1:3 "I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky And the fish of the sea, And the ruins along with the wicked; And I will cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. (NAU)
Jesus said that His Father ruled all of creation. Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, .... (NAU)
The same God who takes care of us also rules the vastness of outer space. Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing. (NAU)
► II. Why Does Jehovah-Sabaoth Rule?
► A. Jehovah-Sabaoth has the right to rule
2 Samuel 6:2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the LORD of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim. (NAU)
This is what is heard around the throne of God. Revelation 4:11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." (NAU)
► B. Jehovah-Sabaoth has the ability to rule
Psalm 24:7--10 Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah. (NAU)
2 Chronicles 20:6 "O LORD, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. (NAU)
► III. What Does Jehovah-Sabaoth's Rule Accomplish?
► A. He humbles the wicked
Since it is impossible to resist God's power all who reject Him will be punished. Isaiah 2:10--12 Enter the rock and hide in the dust From the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty. The proud look of man will be abased And the loftiness of man will be humbled, And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is proud and lofty And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be abased. (NAU)
The second time that "LORD of Sabaoth" is used in the NT it is by James. He pointed out that opposing the LORD of Sabaoth is dangerous, even for Christians. James 5:4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. (NAU)
► B. He protects His own
When the odds seem against us, when life appears overwhelming, that is when we need to look at Jehovah-Sabaoth. This is what David did when he faced Goliath. 1 Samuel 17:45 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. (NAU)
2 Kings 6:9--17 The man of God sent word to the king of Israel saying, "Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Arameans are coming down there." The king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God had told him; thus he warned him, so that he guarded himself there, more than once or twice. Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?" One of his servants said, "No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom." So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and take him." And it was told him, saying, "Behold, he is in Dothan." He sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (NAU)
Jehovah-Sabaoth is only used two times in the NT. The first is in Romans chapter nine. Paul quotes Isaiah 1:9 in order to remind us of God's protection. Romans 9:29 And just as Isaiah[1:9] foretold, "UNLESS THE LORD OF SABAOTH HAD LEFT TO US A POSTERITY, WE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM, AND WOULD HAVE RESEMBLED GOMORRAH." (NAU) Apart from the LORD of Sabaoth we would have no hope.
► C. He blesses His own
Psalm 89:8 O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. (NAU)
Notice why David was so blessed by God. 2 Samuel 5:10 David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of hosts was with him. (NAU)
CONCLUSION: Zechariah 4:6--7 "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. 'What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' " (NAU)
Spurgeon quoted that passage and then declared:
"AT this hour a mountain of difficulty, distress, or necessity may be in our way, and natural reason sees no path over it, or through it, or round it. Let faith come in, and straightaway the mountain disappears and becomes a plain. But faith must first hear the word of the Lord, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." This grand truth is a prime necessity for meeting the insurmountable trials of life.
"I see that I can do nothing, and that all reliance on man is vanity. 'Not by might.' I see that no visible means can be relied on, but the force is in the invisible Spirit. God alone must work, and men and means must be nothing accounted of. If it be so that the Almighty God takes up the concerns of His people, then great mountains are nothing. He can remove worlds as boys toss balls about or drive them with their foot. This power He can lend to me. If the Lord bids me move an Alp, I can do it through His name. It may be a great mountain, but even before my feebleness it shall become a plain, for the Lord hath said it. What can I be afraid of with God on my side?" [2]
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God by Martin Luther
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft & power are great, & armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
When we are confronted with the LORD of Sabaoth it forces us to think about what we do and what we think. Haggai 1:5--7 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, "Consider your ways! "You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes." Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Consider your ways! (NAU)
The Lord want us to Psalm 46:7--11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. ►"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. (NAU)
"If you thrash around in the thorn patch, you will only get more scratches. If you stand quiet and allow the Lord to speak to you, you will find Him only too glad to extricate you." Barnhouse
[1]http://www.preceptaustin.org/jehovah_sabaoth_-_lord_of_hosts.htm
[2]Faith's Checkbook by Charles Spurgeon
