The Lord of Armies – Jehovah Sabaoth

The Old Testament is filled with stories of battles and talk of armies. Much of it centers around Israel, God’s chosen people. So when I tell you that one of God’s names in the Bible is The Lord of Armies, that might not sound surprising to you. But what might surprise you is that this name is not ultimately meant to imply that the Lord will ensure His people have victory in battle, nor should we take it to mean that God’s primary activity in this world is war. What is this name meant to teach about God, then?

God wants us to know that He is there to fight for us, whatever enemy we are facing. It could be infertility, or sickness, or even broken relationships. None of those things are too big for God to overcome.

To get an idea, let’s look at the first place this name is mentioned: 1 Samuel 1. This chapter follows Elkanah and his wife Hannah. It says that “this man would go up from his town every year to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Armies at Shiloh” (v. 3). And after telling us that Hannah was not able to have any children, it says that Hannah prayed to the Lord, saying, “Lord of Armies, if you will take notice of your servant’s affliction, remember and not forget me, and give your servant a son, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life” (v. 11). This is not a scene of an army preparing for battle, nor is it a scene of a great general strategizing, trying to figure out the best way to defeat the enemy. This is a scene of ordinary people trying to dutifully live their lives and experiencing heartache. When Hannah prayed for the Lord of Armies to show her favor, she was not looking to defeat a political rival. Her only want was to have a son, and she knew she needed someone to fight on her behalf. Furthermore, she knew the Lord was that someone who could help.

If God wanted us to see him as a God of war, the first place this name was used would have been in a story of Israel facing a military or political enemy and striving to overcome the obstacles that enemy had set in front of them. Instead, it was used in the context of a grieving woman unable to overcome the obstacle of infertility. Our world is broken, and life hurls so many things at us. Just living is a fight, so God wants us to know that He is there to fight for us, whatever enemy we are facing. It could be infertility, or sickness, or even broken relationships. None of those things are too big for God to overcome.

Getting back to Hannah for a moment, if you follow the story forward, you learn that Hannah did indeed have a son, who was Samuel, the namesake of the books of 1 and 2 Samuel. He became one of the greatest leaders Israel ever had, and it’s interesting to consider what kind of leader he was. Samuel did not lead an army or even the government—he was neither a general nor a king. Samuel was a prophet, sent to bring the word of the Lord to the people. So it seems like the Lord of Armies thought the best way to fight was to send a messenger who would speak His word. This should remind us of Revelation 12:11, when it says, “They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Anytime we testify to the Word of God, there is power. So while we are fighting to live in this broken world, we should remember we have the Lord of Armies on our side and the power of His Word constantly at our disposal.

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