Lord of Hosts

ByCarolyn E. Jacobs

David told the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Yahweh Tsebaoth, the Elohim of the army of Israel, whom you have insulted. -1 Samuel 17:45, Names of God version

Man, I love this passage. Who doesn’t? The Lord of Hosts uses a scrappy shepherd boy to bring down a Philistine giant. Read 1 Samuel 17:38-47 with fresh eyes. Can’t you picture it? There’s a big, ol’ ugly giant stomping around, trash talking David. The Names of God version says this: “When the Philistine got a good look at David, he despised him. After all, David was a young man with a healthy complexion and good looks.”

Physically, David couldn’t overpower Goliath. Saul’s armor was worse than useless to him. It would have been a hindrance. But God used the talent and, more importantly, the willingness of David to bring down the giant.

Look again at David’s confidence. “I come to you in the name of the Yahweh Tsebaoth, (the Lord of Hosts) the Elohim of the army of Israel, whom you have insulted.”

Now I realize that God used David’s unique skill set and Goliath’s overconfidence and physical limitations to bring about the victory. Nevertheless, David came in the name of Yahweh Tsebaoth. That’s the key.

Maybe I’ve gone a little overboard with the AI images, and the one above isn’t my favorite. But it communicates something important about Yahweh Tsebaoth – you don’t want to be on his bad side. The good news is, if you know him, he fights for you.

With this in mind, enjoy this Psalm 46 inspired song from Shane and Shane, Lord of Hosts.

Yahweh Tsebaoth is with us.
The Elohim of Jacob is our stronghold.  Psalm 46:7, Names of God version

 

This study is inspired by Ann Spangler’s Praying the Names of God for 52 Weeks

 

Similar Posts

  • Good Shepherd / Bad Shepherd

    You’ve heard of good cop, bad cop? Let’s talk good shepherd, bad shepherd. Jesus says He’s the Good Shepherd. Who are the bad shepherds? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have…

  • Peace Like a River

    For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream-Isaiah 66:12a Peace like a river. Is this what you think of? Puffy clouds, gentle breezes, birds singing? The night before Jesus died, he told his disciples this: Peace I leave with…

  • The Word

    This week’s name, The Word, is so much more than a name. It’s the very essence of Jesus. John tells us about this Word. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him,…

  • Where are you?

    Although the name El Roi is only used once in the Bible, He’s always the God Who Sees me, isn’t He? In the cool of the evening, the man and his wife heard Yahweh Elohim walking around in the garden. So they hid from Yahweh Elohim among the trees in the garden. Genesis 3:8, Names of God…

  • A Sure Foundation

    So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. – Isaiah 28:16 (NIV) This verse reminds me of Greg Koukl’s catchphrase, “Never read a Bible verse.” It’s…