Salt & Light Blog

JEHOVAH-SABAOTH The Lord of Hosts, our Protector

10/4/2015

Jehovah-Sabaoth is interpreted as "The Lord of Hosts, our Protector."
What does it mean? Have you ever considered it? Hosts include every created being, animal, human and angelic. The Heavenly Hosts are the army of angels. They are led by Jesus, Our Lord of Hosts, God. Think about the beauty of that. God is The Lord of Hosts. He has an entire army of angels ready to act on our behalf. Ready to fight, protect and do whatever The LORD commands.
This name for God emphasizes His complete and perfect power over everything, His sovereignty. Everything on earth and in Heaven and under the earth is subject to God. Colossians 1:15-20 reads,
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
God is referred to as The Lord of Hosts over two hundred times in the Old Testament
Psalm 46:7 says,
“The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
He is our Lord of Hosts, our fortress. A fortress is a permanent stronghold, a place to go to for protection from the enemy. A place to fight the enemy from safety. The enemy cannot get into the fortress. It is stocked full of weapons and provision for the fight.
Isaiah 9:6-7 reads,
“For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Our Lord of hosts loves us passionately. He made a way for us. Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Do you get that? Jesus, the Son of God is our Everlasting Father. And He brings us peace. Peace with God and victorious peace over the enemy. The Lord of Angel Armies upholds the peace and the throne of Jesus from now until forever.
Psalm 84:1-4 reads,
“How lovely is your dwelling place,
    O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
    to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
    my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
    ever singing your praise!”
The God of angel armies protects us, He doesn’t only surround us. He shields us like a dwelling place, a home. He is our home and since we dwell or abide, stay, and live in Him we are safe. His ultimate expression as Jehovah-Sabaoth, Our Lord of Hosts is this found in Revelation 19:11-16
“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

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Psalm 59 Let God be your Deliverer

7/19/2015

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Psalm 59

This miktam of David was written while King Saul was trying to kill David. He had sent men to watch David’s house so that he could have him murdered in his bed. (1 Samuel 19). Saul was God’s anointed king. But David had been chosen to succeed him. Saul grew ever more paranoid and angry. He didn’t care that David was married to his daughter or that his best friend was his son. His paranoia made him hate David. His anger turned to blind rage and he was desperate to kill David.

In verses 1-2 David calls on the Lord to deliver him and protect him from his enemies.

“Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
    protect me from those who rise up against me;
2 deliver me from those who work evil,
    and save me from bloodthirsty men.”

David didn’t turn to his own strength, wits, or money. He turned to the Lord God his Maker and his Justice, Elohim. The enemy wants to destroy us as well. The devil doesn’t want us coming into our royal identities. He doesn’t want to be effective. He hates us because we are heirs to the Kingdom of God. He thinks that it ought to be him. (Isaiah 14:13-15). Verses 3-7 describe Saul’s men and their wicked behavior following a paranoid and hateful leader. It can also describe the behavior of the followers of the prince of the power of the air, Satan toward believers.

3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
    fierce men stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
4     for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Awake, come to meet me, and see!
5     You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
    spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah

6 Each evening they come back,
    howling like dogs
    and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths
    with swords in their lips--
    for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”

People will hate us for following Jesus, like the Saul hated David for being chosen by God. They can hate us for Jesus’ sake, but they shouldn’t hate us for our actions. Our actions, our words, and our lives should be a testimony to God, lived in love and beneficence. In John 15:18-19 Jesus said,

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

But that doesn’t give us a right to hate them, to be hateful to them, or to be evil in return. In Matthew 5:43-45 Jesus said,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

The world is lost and their inheritance is eternal death, they crave to lift themselves up, to live in the moment and make themselves happy, rich, and satisfied. But we are eternal creatures and the present, the world, and all its offerings can’t satisfy. (James 4:1-9). Only the Lord God, our Savior, our Peace, and our Provider can truly satisfy. Psalm 107:8-9 says,

“Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
    and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

But David trusted the Lord. He didn’t have to figure it out himself, defend himself, or take vengeance himself. He knew God is Just. He knew God was his Shield and his enemies couldn’t break through God’s defense. Verses 8-10 read,

“But you, O Lord, laugh at them;
    you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my Strength, I will watch for you,
    for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
    God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

11 Kill them not, lest my people forget;
    make them totter by your power and bring them down,
    O Lord, our shield!
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
    let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13     consume them in wrath;
    consume them till they are no more,
that they may know that God rules over Jacob
    to the ends of the earth. Selah

14 Each evening they come back,
    howling like dogs
    and prowling about the city.
15 They wander about for food
    and growl if they do not get their fill.”

In this miktam David has refers to God as:

·         Elohim- Creator and Judge, the Lord of justice.

·         Yahweh- this is God’s own unpronounceable holiest name.

·         Lord God of Hosts- the powerful chief over the angel armies coming swiftly on hos noble steed to conquer the enemy for eternity.

·         God of Israel- Sovereign over His chosen people

·         My Strength

·         My Fortress

·         God in His Steadfast Love

·         Our Shield

·         Refuge

These names are all true of God. They describe His character. How can we be afraid when The LORD God loves us so much. How can we not choose to let Him take care of us when He is who He is?

The lost don’t know God. Verse 7 says they ask “Who” will hear them. They do not know who God is. But we can show them who He is by trusting Him and glorifying Him. By letting God be God and bringing them to a place where they will see their choice and make it.

In verse 11 David asked the Lord not to kill his enemies. He didn’t want them to die. He wanted them to fall and face their evil. It is in the face of our sins that we realize we need the Lord. And that is what David wanted for his enemies. That is what God wants for our enemies. He doesn’t want people to suffer an eternity separated from Him. (2 Peter 3:9). He longs for people to know Him and allow Him to lavish His perfect constant and never-ending love on them.

Rather than spend our time scheming against and wishing bad for our enemies, we can spend our time loving them and praising God. Instead of showing them how powerful and great we are, we can demonstrate God’s strength through our weakness as we depend on Him. Verses 16-17 read,

“But I will sing of your strength;
    I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
    and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
    for you, O God, are my fortress,
    the God who shows me steadfast love.”

So Believer, I encourage you to praise God everywhere, always, and through everything. Your praise and worship takes power away from the enemy and allows his followers to see the love and power of God Almighty, their Creator and Judge. Jesus’ righteousness lived out in your life makes their sin apparent to them so they can call on the name of the Lord.

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Psalm 18 Verses 1-3 Who is God? God Described by Some of His Names

6/8/2015

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Psalm 18 Verses 1-3

These verses of David’s praise to The Lord God are so full of encouragement and inspiration for His people. They read,

“I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.”

David identifies God or describes Him in several ways here. Let’s look at them.

The Lord is my strength. He is not just strong. He is not only mighty. He is our strength, without Him we are weak. Without Him we are not able, but with Him, because of Him, and through Him we can. He is The Lord God Almighty, El, I Am.

Trying to do anything under our own power doesn’t glorify God. He used Moses, a man who didn’t like to speak, to lead a nation to freedom, give them His law, and be their judge. He used Peter an impulsive man who lived by his emotions to be the rock of the church and lead the Apostles. Those accomplishments were not because of their strength, but God’s.

The Lord is my rock. He is our unchanging firm foundation. The ground of our being. The word used is sela. It means a mountain, a cliff or a crag. It is a place of high safety, unreachable by the enemy. In Him we take refuge.

Refuge is protective confidence, a sanctuary a shelter or a harbor. It is safety.

The Lord is my God. He is our Almighty Supreme Sovereign Divine Holy Deity. He is All encompassing, all powerful, never changing, immortal God and Creator.

The Lord is my fortress. A fortress is a place inaccessible to the enemy, a large fortified building or city made for fighting but impenetrable to those outside. God is not susceptible to change or disturbance. In Him we are untouchable, we cannot be harmed.

The Lord is my deliverer. He carries us off from the enemy. He rescues and preserves us. He is our Savior, our Messiah. He delivered us from sin, from Satan’s lordship to the freedom of salvation.

The Lord is my shield. A shield is protective but also a movable defense. It is held with one arm while the other normally holds a weapon like a sword. The Hebrew word here, ganan not only means small shield, but it refers to the protective scaly hide of a crocodile. The crocodile is covered by many small shields fit together so that nothing can penetrate the hide and hurt the soft body. Today, I imagine body armor, like a bullet proof vest that covers the heart and lungs of the soldier. God is our shield, our body armor who will not let the arrows or bullets of the enemy penetrate us.

The Lord is my horn of salvation. The horn, such as the horn of an ox or a ram is a sign of strength, of royalty, and of kingship. The rays or radiance of the Lord we associate with his holiness is the same word as the horn of an ox. (Habakkuk). Many times throughout the Bible the word denotes kings, in Daniel and 1 Kings. The Horn of Salvation is the Mighty King of Deliverance, Jesus Christ. And when Jesus returns, He will announce His Salvation with trumpets, the blowing of the ram’s horn.

The Lord is my stronghold. Similar to a fortress, even a synonym for fortress, a stronghold is a high inaccessible place, a high fort, a fortified castle or garrison. The enemy can’t get to the stronghold. Those within it fight or their beliefs and their cause. We are God’s cause and He is ours. He fights for us, and we are protected within his safety.

Verse 3 sums up God described in verses 1-2.

“I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.”

We can depend on God, call on Him and praise Him because He is all the things David said He is. He is our rock, fortress, deliverer, God, refuge, shield, the horn of our salvation, and our stronghold. He saves us from everything, anything, and anyone which is against us.

Praise the Lord! Praise Him indeed!

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Psalm 18 What Does Salvation Mean? What Does Salvation Involve?

6/7/2015

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Psalm 18

David wrote this psalm to commemorate the day The Lord saved him from Saul. Saul who had once loved David had become paranoid to the point of such fear, hate, and resentment that he actively sought to destroy him. Saul and his army had become an enemy so strong that David was not sure he would survive, except for the promise of God that he would be king and His supernatural protection and deliverance of him.

Taking the time to acknowledge and praise God for the great and good things He does for you is important and often through those prayers, praises, and songs The Lord will give you a prophetic word, a promise, or an encouragement. He spoke prophetically through David’s praise to encourage and lead us today.

Verses 1-3 are the kind of eloquent and pure praise I wish would flow from my mouth to my Lord’s heart.

“I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.”

Look at those depictions and understand each one was true for David and is true for us. God is our foundation, the place we go to fight and remain safe from the enemy, He is our deliverer, our protection, our strong and saving King, and a protection that can’t be trespassed by the enemy. No matter what the enemy does to us or how he tries to hurt us, God will not allow him to destroy us. We will not be devastated, not because we are so strong and good and faithful, but because God is Mighty, Righteous, and Steadfast. We can’t fight the enemy on our own, but God has already defeated him. Just as Saul pursued David in order to keep him from being the king who God had anointed him to be, the enemy wants to keep us from inheriting the Kingdom. Verses 4-6 describe David’s predicament when Saul tried to kill him.

“The cords of death encompassed me;
    the torrents of destruction assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
    to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry to him reached his ears.”

But The LORD loved David and wouldn’t let it happen. He doesn’t like it when anyone tries to harm His children. He avenged David and He will also avenge us. The enemy will not escape retribution. David described God’s judgement on Saul as he prophetically describes God’s justice for us on The Day of Reckoning. Verses 7-9 paint the picture.

“Then the earth reeled and rocked;
    the foundations also of the mountains trembled
    and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
    and devouring fire from his mouth;
    glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
    thick darkness was under his feet.”

Verses 10-12 describe Jesus Christ leading the Heaven’s army.

“He rode on a cherub and flew;
    he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
    thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
    hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.”

God loves us so intensely that He will not curb His anger that day. Verses 13-15 read,

“The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
    and the Most High uttered his voice,
    hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
    he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
    and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
    at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.”

In His wrath, we are not forgotten. He is our stronghold and He will gather us to Him. Verses 16-18 say,

“He sent from on high, he took me;
    he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
    and from those who hated me,
    for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
    but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
    he rescued me, because he delighted in me.”

On that Day, payment will come due. God will look at us and He won’t see our sin, our shortcomings, nor our mistakes, He will see Jesus’ righteousness as our righteousness. He will see our love, faith, kindness, and patience. Can you imagine? I know I too often see all the worst of myself, but God doesn’t. He sees all the goodness of Jesus. He sees His cherished, valued, esteemed precious child. His love is so extravagant that He not only sees the best of us, He makes us to be the best.

Each person will be judged by the standard he followed, either by the law or by Jesus blood.

Verses 24-28 read,

“So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
    with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
    and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27 For you save a humble people,
    but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 For it is you who light my lamp;”

David knew he couldn’t be righteous on his own. He knew he couldn’t fight his enemy on his own. He depended on God for his salvation. So do we. It is our Lord who saves. It is our Lord who makes us righteous. It is our Lord who enables us to do good. It is our Lord who empowers us against the enemy. It is our Lord who makes us like Him. Verses 31-36 read,

“For who is God, but the Lord?
    And who is a rock, except our God?--
32 the God who equipped me with strength
    and made my way blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
    and set me secure on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
    so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
    and your right hand supported me,
    and your gentleness made me great.
36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
    and my feet did not slip.”

Look at all the awesome things God enables us to do. He endows us with strength. He gives us authority to defeat the enemy with Him. (Verses 37-45). And God makes us kings with Him. He crowns us with His glory, life, righteousness, untouchable salvation, and rejoicing. Verses 46-48 read,

“The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
    and exalted be the God of my salvation--
47 the God who gave me vengeance
    and subdued peoples under me,
48 who delivered me from my enemies;
    yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
    you rescued me from the man of violence.”

So praise the Lord for all He does for you. Exalt Him and he will lift you up too. As you consider all the awesomeness of God with you, He encourages, edifies, and extends you. If you think God hasn’t done anything for you, just think of all your salvation encompasses. The miracle of salvation is massive. Praise Him for that amazing gift and let the lost know how wonderful He is. Verses 49-50 read,

“For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
    and sing to your name.
50 Great salvation he brings to his king,
    and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
    to David and his offspring forever.”

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JEHOVAH-SABAOTH The Lord of Hosts, our Protector

Psalm 59 Let God be your Deliverer

Psalm 18 Verses 1-3 Who is God? God Described by Some of His Names

Psalm 18 What Does Salvation Mean? What Does Salvation Involve?

Donna Campbell

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