2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
This morning, the Lord leads me to continue sharing citations that reveal Him as Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts. We find that the first place the name, Jehovah Sabaoth, is used in the Bible is in 1 Samuel. Yesterday, we saw how it appears in Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. It is also found in Jeremiah and in Amos. This name for God is notoriously absent in books like Daniel and Ezekiel, because of the spiritual void that existed amongst God’s people while they were in exile in Babylon. David and Solomon had understanding of God as Jehovah Sabaoth, as we can see from the two citations that follow: PS 20: 7, “Some trust in their war chariots and others in their horses, but we trust in the power of the Lord our God.” PR 18: 10, “The Lord is like a strong tower, where the righteous can go and be safe.” Can you see the message that we must put “first things first” tucked in these words? Finding safety available when we understand our inadequacy to provide it for ourselves without Him is hugely comforting for the believer. How much worse our lives would be without the guidance, safety, provision, and love of Jehovah Sabaoth!
The story of Hannah’s faithfulness and reliance on the Lord has more than a simple narrative historical message for us. It is a reminder of how we need to depend on Jehovah Sabaoth when we can’t provide for ourselves. When we do this, He blesses us abundantly. Let’s revisit that story to see how it conveys this important message. 1 SAM 1: 2, “Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.” (6) “Peninnah, her [Hannah’s] rival, would torment and humiliate her, because the Lord had kept her childless.” This was an observant family who traveled each year from Ramah, where they lived, to Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of the priest, Eli, served the Lord. There they worshipped the Lord. Hannah offered this prayer before Eli to Jehovah Sabaoth from 1 SAM 1: 11, “Lord Almighty,, look at me, your servant! See my trouble and remember me! Do not forget me! If You give me a son, I promise that I will dedicate him to You for his whole life, and that he will never have his hair cut.” [Not getting his hair cut was a sign of dedication to the Lord and being set apart as a Nazirite as described in NU 6]. Later in Hannah’s story, we find the Lord’s response to this angst-filled prayer. I SAM 1: 19b-20, “Elkanah had intercourse with his wife, Hannah, and the Lord answered her prayer. So it was that she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him, Samuel, and explained, I asked the Lord for him.” Later in (22), Hannah said, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will take him to the House of the Lord, where he will stay all his life.” We know that Hannah made good on this promise. Both she and the Lord were honored by the life of service to Him which Samuel led.
Samuel came on the scene at a very pivotal time in Israel’s history. We know from the time God commanded Abraham to leave Mesopotamia that it was His will to establish a people, the Jews, who would put God first in every aspect of their lives. We also know that the Jews have a checkered history of doing that. Once God inspired Joshua to lead His people into the Promised Land, it was Jehovah Sabaoth’s hope that they would put his law in their hearts, worship no other god, and live righteously. Sadly, God’s hope was dashed when with each new generation more and more idolatry came into their lives. With disputes, came the need to have a group of leaders called judges. Samuel was the last of the judges, who ruled Israel as long as he lived [1 SAM 7: 15]. During this period of Israel’s history, Jehovah Sabaoth was gradually being rejected as the King, the political leader of Israel. This rejection culminated in a human king, Saul, being given political authority in place of God [1 SAM 10: 1]. We all know that Saul proved to be an unrighteous king and eventually lost his God-given authority to rule in favor of David, the son of Jesse [1 SAM 16: 13]. It was Samuel, who God instructed to anoint David king, just as it had been Samuel who had earlier anointed Saul. Samuel was a man of vision who was truly obedient to the Lord all of his life. He is also considered the first of the OT prophets.
Jehovah Sabaoth’s presence is pivotal in the story of David and his confrontation with the Philistine giant, Goliath. 1 SAM 17: 44-47, “ ‘ Come on,’ he [Goliath] challenged David, ‘and I will give your body to the birds and animals to eat.’ David answered, ‘You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty [Jehovah Sabaoth], the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied. This very day the Lord will put you in my power; I will defeat you and cut off your head. And I will give the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds and animals to eat. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a God, and everyone here will see that the Lord does not need swords or spears to save His people. He is victorious in battle, and He will put all of you in our power.’” We all know that David’s assertion is exactly what happened (50). Both Hannah and David called on Jehovah Sabaoth in genuine faith for deliverance and found it. This is a huge reminder to each of us that we can do the same.
PRAYER: O Lord, when we revisit stories like that of Hannah and the story of David and Goliath, we are reminded of how You have been present amongst Your children throughout our history. We have not always listened to You or turned to You first. That is much to our shame. However, there have been faithful people, like Hannah and David, who not only turned to You, but who acknowledged their own inability to provide for themselves without You. They came to You with repentant, obedient hearts. You met them with compassion, fair-minded judgment, patience, forgiveness, and willingness to answer their prayers. That is the same way that You are when we approach You with humility and the willingness to be obedient. When You saw that Hannah needed provision and David needed protection, You saw to those things. Because You caused accounts of them to be remembered, You honored their memories by making them people for us to learn by and respect. That is one way that You bless Your children who are righteous and put You first in their lives. We can learn from this, Dearest Jehovah Sabaoth, and offer You our gratitude for these lessons. They offered their lives to Your honor and glory. Today, we humbly approach You to do the same with our lives. We adore, worship, trust, obey, glorify, honor, praise, and thank You for Your Lordship over our lives. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at more citations that reveal the struggle between Jehovah Sabaoth and His children. These stories contain wonderful lessons for us in how to respond righteously to God’s sovereignty, and they also reveal more of his attributes as Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts. I never grow tired of looking at these stories from the Scriptures. That is because of the way they reveal to us his profound love for each of His children. There has never been, nor will there ever be faithfulness to match that of our Lord. What a great ideal for us to work toward! Every time we revisit the Scriptures we have read before, He provides us with new insight into Him, and that, Dear Ones, blesses us. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn