EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is an adapted excerpt from “Names of God,” a new Bible study from Lifeway Women, authored by Kristi McLelland, Caroline Saunders, Blair Linne, Jennifer Rothschild, Kelly Minte, and Elizabeth Woodson. The Pathway accessed the article via Baptist Press.
Bring to mind someone you’ve known most of your life – a parent, sibling, friend or spouse. No matter how well you know that person, there’s always more to learn, right? As you share meals, spend time on long walks or just hang out on the couch together, you learn more and more things about that person. The longer you love them, the more of their true self you know.
That is also how it is with God, our King of glory. Sure, we “know” facts and information about Him, maybe even an extensive list if we’ve been in church awhile. Yet, we want to constantly grow in the depth of our relationship with Him – the type of knowing that comes from experience or relationship and can never be exhausted. So, let’s sit on the couch together with Psalm 80 and learn more about who our LORD of hosts is – this God who is with us.
In Psalm 80, the psalmist began his song by calling God the Shepherd of Israel. Like a shepherd tending sheep, God cares for His people. He shows gentleness and personal attention; He protects, guides, and is intimately involved with those He loves. In verse 4, Asaph adds the name “LORD God of Armies” to his song, a name he will use three more times in Psalm 80. Remember, this is a name for God that reflects His supremacy, authority and might.
Same God, different names. God’s names represent His character, and His character is manifested in His actions. He is the Shepherd who leads, protects and restores His flock. He is equally the LORD of hosts or the LORD God of Armies, who enacts justice for sin, saves His children and rules with a mighty right hand. This is the God who is with you right now. He leads you, establishes you, restores and saves you, disciplines you, takes care of you and fights for you, just like He did for Israel.
These are truths we know from God’s Word – information we learn about Him. So now, let’s deepen our relationship with Him as we experience the intimate implications of who He is and how He acts. Pray He will keep revealing who He is to you as you study His Word.
Now, look at 1 Samuel 17.This drama reveals how the LORD of hosts is not only with you like a strong and sheltering Shepherd; He is the LORD of Armies, the all-powerful King of glory who fights for you.
Verse 11 tells us the Israelite soldiers “lost their courage and were terrified” when they saw Goliath and heard his words. Terrified? Ya think? Of course, the Israelite army was freaked out. Everyone in the ancient Near East knew the Philistines were a formidable force. They were known for their iron weapons and well-trained soldiers, including their champion, Goliath, towering at over 8 feet tall. Who wouldn’t be frozen in fear at such an enemy?
David, the shepherd boy, faced an impossible enemy, and God was the one who delivered the victory. That victory revealed God’s power and supremacy, as well as His protection of Israel, to all the onlookers. The battle was not David’s; the battle was God’s.
The LORD of Armies fights for His people. Goliath came with sword and spear; David came “in the name of the LORD of Armies” (v. 45). The name matters. Whether a humble shepherd or an ordinary woman (you and me), we can stand against any enemy because we come in the name of the LORD of Armies. Even when we feel small, we carry a greater authority behind us, empowering us to face any challenge. The name of the LORD of Armies is the most powerful weapon there is. Stronger than sword. Stronger than spear.
If you see a sword or if you fear a spear, stand tall and say, like David, “You may come to me with these flimsy weapons, I come to you in the name of the LORD of Armies – my God, my victorious Warrior, my King of glory – and the battle belongs to Him.”
What in the world are we doing just sitting here talking about this! Stand up right now. I am. Tell your enemy that you come against him and all his lies in the name of the LORD of hosts! My friend, no weapon formed against you will succeed (Isa. 54:17) because the LORD of Armies is with you and the LORD of hosts fights for you.
All right, we can sit back down because drama continues. David the shepherd boy is now David the king. The curtains of Scripture open to reveal a sinister plot, with the Philistines at it again. Let’s see what David and the LORD of hosts do.
Read 2 Samuel 5:17-25.In this passage, David inquired of God, “Should I stay or should I go?” (my paraphrase). Or put another way, “Will you take care of this for me?” And what was God’s response? He assured David that He would take care of the battle. The battle belonged to the LORD of Armies. Still, these enemies never learn, so once again we see them approach the people of God.
Again, David asked God, “Should I stay or should I go?” This time God told him not to head there directly, but instead to follow God’s circuitous route and strategic plan. The Lord again went before David and took care of the situation. The LORD of hosts fights for His people, and oh, my friend, the LORD of hosts fights for you. On the cross of Calvary, He fought for your very soul, and He won. This means that, unlike David, you can face your enemy not needing to procure a victory, but already proclaiming one. “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession” (2 Corinthians 2:14a).
Next battle, next enemy, let’s take a cue from David. Seek God, the LORD of hosts. Ask Him what to do, then do what He says. Remember, God is always the One who fights for you. He is the LORD of hosts with you and for you. If you are His daughter, you stand in His name and the battle is His. Thank You, Lord! Go in grace, my friend.
Jennifer Rothschild is a member of Second Baptist Church, Springfield, Mo., and is a well-known speaker and author of more than 20 books and Bible studies. Learn more at Jenniferrothschild.com.
