Jesus: The Lord of Sabaoth/Hosts (Part 3)

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver

Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah. (Romans 9:29, NKJV)

IDENTIFYING THE “HOSTS” OF THE LORD

When the king of Syria found out that Israel was always one step ahead of him in war, he was greatly troubled and said to his servants, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?” His servants revealed that it was Elisha who was telling the king’s secrets to Israel. So, the king of Syria sent a great host to capture Elisha.

Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. 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.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.“I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left” (1 Kings 22:14-18)

Now, the host that the Syrian king sent, and the only host that Elisha’s servant saw was the army of the Syrians. This struck fear into his heart, and rightly so. But what we need to know is the same thing that Elisha did know and what his servant was about to find out: The Hosts of the Lord is not limited to flesh and blood. The hosts of the Lord include a large company of heavenly angels. The Lord of Hosts is, no doubt, the Lord of men and any other created thing in the earth, but He is also the Lord of the heavenly creatures.

Lord of the Host of Heaven AND Earth. This is why David was so confident when facing the Philistine champion. “Thou comest to me with sword, and with spear, and with a shield,” he said, “but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou has defied” (1 Sam 17:45). David could see that the Philistine champion was no match for Champion of heaven.

Furthermore, we must also recognize that “the armies of Israel” that David spoke of were not limited to men and horses and chariots but also those of heaven. The heavenly armies are spiritual and the warfare is spiritual. What happens on the unseen field of battle (in heavenly places) is evidenced or manifested on the seen field of battle (on earth). For example, when the powers of darkness were given their hour, Jesus was beaten, crucified, killed and buried. When their time was up, He spoiled those principalities and powers and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in His cross and in His resurrection (Col 2:15).

When God proclaimed judgment on Babylon, He spoke through the prophet Isaiah concerning, “…the noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together;” It was “the Lord of hosts mustering the host of the battle.” “They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of His indignation, to destroy the whole land” (Isa 13:4-5). This involved heavenly principalities and powers as well as armies of flesh and blood. 

The just, that live by faith, must often simply pray, then trust and wait on the Lord. When we call upon the Lord He begins to muster His troops for battle. Consider Daniel’s experience and the revelation given to him: while he was praying, the host was warring.

“Then said he unto me, ‘Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia…’ Then said he, ‘Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.’” (Daniel 10:12-13, 20-21)

Pray fervently saints. Who knows, the angel sent to minister to you may be held up a bit. Don’t let up and don’t lose hope. Help is on the way.

Making Application. The point to be seen, here, is that there exists a great host of personalities both for you and against you; for God and against God, and men need to know that Jesus is the Lord of them all. “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Col 1:16). 

Next time you face a fiery trial, an ordeal that is too fierce, too burdensome, too strong for you to handle alone. Remember, that the Lord of Hosts is able to muster His troops to battle with you and for you. You are, in fact, “compassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses…ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn” (Heb 12:1,22,23). There are “many angels round about the throne” along with the four beasts and the twenty-four elders, “and the number of them is ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Rev 5:11). They minister unto you, the heirs of salvation. They are troops that the Lord of Hosts musters together for warfare over the souls of men.