Jehovah Sabaoth

Background

Hannah was a woman scorned. Not by a man, but by her husband’s other wife. The other wife, Peninnah, had children, but Hannah had none. Her husband, Elkanah, just couldn’t understand why Hannah wept and wouldn’t eat, being that she was his favorite. 

 Elkanah and his wives were Ephraimites and lived in the hill country of Ephraim. It was their habit to go to the temple in Shiloh every year to pray and sacrifice to the Lord. Shiloh, located in the territory of Ephraim, was an important city. In the book of Joshua, we learned that several hundred years before the time of Hannah and Elkanah, the Israelites set up the Ark of the Covenant in Shiloh.

And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them. Joshua 18:1

Jehovah Sabaoth

Elkanah and his wives worshiped the Lord of Hosts, or Jehovah Sabaoth. The Hebrew Bible refers to this name as Yahweh Tsebaoth.

This is the first time that the scriptures record Lord of Hosts as a name of God. It is used often after this as it can be found over 250 times throughout the Old Testament.

The introduction of this name is different than any we have seen so far. The previous names have either been revealed by God, Himself, or offered by a specific person. Lord of Hosts was written into the text of 1 Samuel by the author without any explanation as to how it came into being. Why do you think this was?

A low point in Israel’s history

Recall from the book of Judges that this was a time of spiritual decline for Israel. This period of rule by judges continued from the book of Judges, through the book of Ruth, to 1 Samuel, with Eli, and then Samuel acting as judges over Israel. It was not until 1 Samuel 15 when Saul was anointed to be king over Israel that the era of the judges ended.

Lord of Hosts, or Jehovah Sabaoth was introduced in 1 Samuel 1 at a low point in Israel’s history, when the nation had mostly turned away from God. It was first mentioned at Shiloh where the Ark of the Covenant resided, reminding us that despite the failure of His chosen people, God was still the true King and leader. It emphasized God’s sovereign control over all of the spiritual and earthly armies at a time when Israel was in chaos.

Hannah’s answer

While they were in Shiloh at the Temple, Hannah prayed fervently to Jehovah Sabaoth for a son, and she vowed to give him to the Lord. She prayed with such an agony of spirit that Eli, the priest of the Temple and current judge over Israel, thought she was drunk. But when he learned of her deep despair, he blessed her as she departed.

The city where Elkanah lived was called Ramah. It was about 15 miles south of Shiloh, between Shiloh and where Jerusalem would eventually be located. It would have been about a full day of walking for Elkanah and his family to go to Shiloh. As it turned out, soon after they returned home, Hannah became pregnant and had a son, Samuel, who was to be the great prophet and next judge of Israel.

Hannah stayed home from the yearly pilgrimages to Shiloh until Samuel was weaned, and then she took her son to Shiloh and left him with Eli the prophet for the service of the Temple.

Angelic hosts

What or who are the hosts that Jehovah Sabaoth is Lord of? The word hosts, found in English Bibles, was derived from the Hebrew word sabaoth, meaning both armies and a great number. We can get a feeling for what comprised hosts in Biblical times by digging into the scriptures. 

The first hosts that come to mind are the angelic hosts. The book of Luke draws us a picture of multitudes of angels praising God at the coming of Jesus to earth.

But the angelic hosts were not comprised of only the holy angels. The fallen angels were also included in this host of angels. A hint of this can be found in 1 Kings 22.

Ahab, king of Israel, wanted to go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, and he requested that Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, assist him. All 400 of Ahab’s prophets told him that he would surely win if he went to war. But King Jehoshaphat wanted to hear this out of the mouth of a prophet of the Lord.

In verses 21 and 22, the prophet Micaiah told King Ahab of a vision that he had: God, seated on His throne, asked who would persuade Ahab to go into battle so that he would be defeated.

An angel stepped up and offered to be a lying spirit that would put a false prophecy into the mouths of all of Ahab’s prophets. Recalling that in John 8, Jesus describes Satan as a liar, this indicates that a fallen angel was standing next to God’s throne.

The Book of Job also confirms this: We saw in Job 1 that Satan was accustomed to going to and from the throne of God. Because of Micaiah’s prophecy and the insight from Job, we can get some understanding about access to the throne of God. It is accessible to both the holy angels and the fallen angels, showing that God is the Lord over both.

Heavenly hosts

Psalm 33 confirms that God made the heavens and the host of them.

Moses admonished the Israelites in Deuteronomy 4 that they should not worship stars, moon or sun or any of the other heavenly hosts.

(In fact, sun and star worship was prevalent in Babylon, Egypt and parts of Asia. Stars and planets were thought to be deities who ruled over everything from crops and weather to fecundity.)

Earthly hosts

There are many times in the scriptures that earthly armies are called hosts. But other large groups are also called hosts. When the Israelites left Egypt, they were called the hosts of the Lord. 

And, although the scriptures don’t specifically call the plague of locusts ‘hosts,’ they could be mentioned as such, which means that all of the hosts of animal life, plant life, insect life, and on and on are part of His kingdom. So, the word ‘hosts’ is much bigger than just armies: it refers to all things under His rule.

What attributes make Jehovah Sabaoth different?

Now that we’ve established that the Lord of Hosts is supreme and sovereign over everything and everyone, we can ask this question: What attributes make Jehovah Sabaoth stand out from the other names that define God?

One thing that immediately jumps out at me is that Lord of Hosts emphasizes God’s military might and His role as the commander of all heavenly and earthly hosts. Looking at the timing for when God was introduced as Lord of Hosts to Israel, this did not happen until Israel was surrounded by weakness and disarray. It is as if He waited to introduce this aspect of Himself until Israel realized that they could not be successful in their own power.

Another observation about the Lord of Hosts is that Jehovah Sabaoth is not a God of relationships like all of the other descriptive names of God. It emphasizes Him as the commander of multitudes of army hosts and as sovereign protection and refuge.

Jehovah Sabaoth: Mighty in Battle

Several of the Psalms describe God in terms of being a warrior. Psalm 24 called Him mighty in battle, while in Psalm 18, David said that God armed him for the battle. The Psalmist of Psalm 144 described God as the One who trains hands for war.

David acknowledged God as a powerful and strategic commander by seeking specific tactical instructions before each of his battles, and then waiting on those instructions rather than relying on his own strength.

Transforming fear into confidence

Jehovah Sabaoth fulfilled His role as commander of armies in several notable places in the Bible.

• In Joshua 5, when Joshua was preparing the Israelites to face the city of Jericho, he encountered a man with a drawn sword. The man identified Himself as commander of the Lord’s host. Many believe that this was the pre-incarnate Jesus who was acting as the Captain of the Host. As Joshua fell on his face before the Captain of the Host, he must have been filled with gratitude and confidence for the coming battle.

• When David confronted Goliath, He declared that Goliath was not just attacking a young shepherd, but he was attacking the Lord of hosts. Because of the Abrahamic covenant, which David lived, he could defy this towering enemy with confidence. His confidence reminded the members of Saul’s army of their covenant with God. That, along with the subsequent defeat of Goliath, gave them a strong reminder of the God that they served so that they, too, could resume the battle with confidence.

• In 2 Kings 6, Elisha the prophet was a thorn in the flesh of the King of Syria. He repeatedly revealed the plans of the Syrian King to the King of Israel so that the King of Syria was continually frustrated in his strategies. The king of Syria thought to put a stop to this ‘spiritual spying’ and so sent his army to capture Elisha. As the hosts of Syria surrounded the place where Elisha and his servant were resting, his servant feared for them. Elisha prayed that the spiritual eyes of his servant would be opened and he saw that the mountain around them was full of the hosts of heaven.

Jehovah Sabaoth: our refuge

The Psalms speak over and over about God as our protector. He is called a fortress or a refuge that we can run to, he is is described as our shield and buckler. Psalm 121 says that he guards us, or preserves us.

We may never know all of the battles that have been fought in our behalf in the heavenly realms. Even when our faith seems to be weak, Jehovah Sabaoth covers us. He is our strong tower in times of desperation, anxiety or powerlessness. Like Hannah, we need to run to Him in our times of need.

Proverbs 18:10 is notable for saying that even the name of the Lord provides safety. The name of Jesus is also powerful, as noted in the book of Philippians. It is the name which is above every other name!

Lord over fear and anxiety

God’s title, Lord of Hosts, Jehovah Sabaoth, was introduced at a time in Israel’s history when hearing a direct word from God was fairly uncommon. Basically, they were in the midst of a dry spell. Yet the name, Lord of Hosts, brought reassurance to them that, in the times of trouble, God was still in control and could fight battles, case in point being Hannah’s desire for a son.

• After Hannah prayed to God and spoke with Eli, the scripture says that …the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. 1 Samuel 1:18

Hanna must have has such a great assurance that God heard her petition that all of her cares were removed from her.

• After Elijah slew the prophets of Baal, he fled in fear of Jezebel, queen of Israel. He was depressed and in fear, yet God did not rebuke him for his fear, but rather He came to him in a gentle wind and spoke with him.

• David was very transparent in his music as he expressed his fears and anxieties through the Psalms. We can read in many places of his insecurities, but he usually manages to turn himself around through his remembrance and trust in God.

Jesus reflected the attributes of Jehovah Sabaoth in His actions

As He walked the earth and fulfilled His ministry, Jesus reflected Jehovah Sabaoth. How did He do this? The prophet Amos spoke prophetically when he declared that it was the Lord of Hosts who made everything and walked in His creation. He probably didn’t know that he was giving a picture of Jesus walking the earth during His ministry. 

As Jesus walked through His creation, He had sovereignty over every square inch of it. Just think of the times that He demonstrated authority over natural forces: He calmed the sea, He walked on water, and He changed the water into wine at the wedding at Cana.

He fed thousands not once, but twice. He demonstrated his authority over fish twice: once when he caused the fishnets to be filled and again when He caused the one fish to be caught that had a coin in its mouth.

Somehow, that fish had been led to pick up a coin in its mouth from the sea bottom, after someone had been led to drop it there. Then it had been led to take a hook and be caught. Little did this fish know that it would have a place in scripture for all time!

As we read the gospels, we can only imagine the works of Jesus and the miracles that He performed. John said that these were not the only works of Jesus, but only the ones that were written down. At the end of the book of John, he said this:

And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. John 21:25

Jesus claimed the attributes of Jehovah Sabaoth

Isaiah identified the Redeemer as Jehovah Sabaoth when he said,

As for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 47:4

As Jesus walked in this identity, His attributes were revealed, but not only did the works of Jesus bear witness to his claim of authority, but also the things He said about Himself.

• As Jesus was about to be taken into custody when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He explained to Peter that He could have access to legions of angels if He so commanded, voicing His authority over angelic hosts. 

• When Jesus cast out demonic spirits and was accused of doing this by the power of the devil, himself, He gave the very important lesson that a house divided against itself cannot stand. He then spoke of the logic behind God casting out demons. As He spoke these words, He was also demonstrating victory over spiritual forces, acting as the warrior God.

• The Epistles also point out the attributes of Jehovah Sabaoth that were resident in Jesus. In the book of Ephesians, Jesus is described as seated at God’s right hand far above all rule and authority and power, fulfilling the role of Jehovah Sabaoth as supreme commander over angelic forces.

The Alpha and the Omega

And finally, God forever linked his Jehovah Sabaoth identity to the the beginning and the end. 

Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. Isaiah 44:6

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Revelation 22:13

How we reflect Jehovah Sabaoth

As we go about our daily activities, it is easy to forget that there is a spiritual realm all around us. Sometimes our physical battles are so overwhelming that we are worn out with dealing with them.

I’m sure that every person who is not part of a military family views him or herself as a civilian. However, there are no civilians in the spiritual realm. We are all called to be soldiers in God’s army. We are a part of the hosts that He commands. 

Ours is not a passive calling, but it is very active. There are many references throughout the Bible, but most notably in the Epistles, as to the ways that we can fulfill this responsibility.  

• In Ephesians 6, we are called on to put on the full armor of God.

• We are called on to break down spiritual strongholds in 2 Corinthians 10.

• Like Hannah, we need to bring our intimate needs to a powerful Lord who has the answers, and we need to be persistent with those prayers.

• As we go into our prayer battles, we need make our prayers strategic, just as David did who consulted with Jehovah Sabaoth about his battle tactics.

• We need to remind ourselves constantly that our enemies are spiritual and not carnal or physical.

• We need to cultivate a lifestyle of worship to make space for God in our lives, and so that our ears are constantly attuned to His direction.

• We need to determine to live a holy lifestyle, as Jehovah Sabaoth is linked with the declaration of Holy Holy Holy in Isaiah.

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6:3

To view a list of all of the verses in the Old Testament which contain the name, Lord of Hosts, click here. To return to this page, use the back arrow on your browser.