Jehovah-Sabaoth

33 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah with them. All who took them captive have held them fast; they refuse to let them go. 34 Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name. He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon. – Jeremiah 50:33-34 ESV

YHWH-Tsabaoth – the LORD of Hosts. This name occurs 71 times in the Book of Jeremiah. The book’s author repeatedly refers to Yahweh by this distinctive designation to remind his audience of God’s sovereign power and authority. The people of Judah were guilty of turning their backs on God by violating their covenant commitment to Him. Rather than worship Him as the one true God, they had committed spiritual adultery with the false gods of the surrounding nations. As a result, God gave Jeremiah a commission to deliver His message of pending judgment to the disobedient nation of Judah.

“Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands.” – Jeremiah 1:14-16 ESV

God warned Jeremiah that his job would not be easy because his audience would not be receptive to his message.

“They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.” – Jeremiah 1:19 ESV

Jeremiah would deliver God’s message of repentance but would have few takers. Despite his warnings of pending judgment, the stubborn people of Judah would refuse to change their ways. Hundreds of years earlier, the northern kingdom of Israel had received the same message and failed to take God’s warning seriously. The result was their destruction at the hands of the Assyrians. Now, it was Judah’s turn to heed God’s call or face similar consequences.

Jeremiah attempted to use Israel’s fall to motivate the reluctant people of Judah. He delivered God’s stinging indictment on Judah’s refusal to learn from the demise of their northern neighbor.

“I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution. Israel treated it all so lightly—she thought nothing of committing adultery by worshiping idols made of wood and stone. So now the land has been polluted. But despite all this, her faithless sister Judah has never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry. I, the Lord, have spoken!” – Jeremiah 3:8-10 NLT

Just as God used the Assyrians to mete out punishment on the disobedient nation of Israel, He would call on the Babylonians to serve as His agents of judgment against Judah.

Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts…
“Behold, I am bringing against you
    a nation from afar, O house of Israel,
declares the Lord.
It is an enduring nation;
    it is an ancient nation,
a nation whose language you do not know,
    nor can you understand what they say.
Their quiver is like an open tomb;
    they are all mighty warriors.
They shall eat up your harvest and your food;
    they shall eat up your sons and your daughters;
they shall eat up your flocks and your herds;
    they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;
your fortified cities in which you trust
    they shall beat down with the sword.” – Jeremiah 5:14, 15-17 ESV

It is important to note that God refers to Himself as YHWH-Tsabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. The second part of His name is tsᵉbâʼâh in Hebrew and carries various meanings, including “that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.” In some modern translations, it is rendered “the Lord of Armies.” The New Living Translation adds a further distinction by rendering it “the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

However, within the context of the Book of Jeremiah, it makes more sense to view this name as a reminder of God’s sovereign control over all the armies of the earth. He has the power and authority to command kings and nations to do His bidding. As the Lord of Armies, God can orchestrate the actions of foreign powers and utilize their vast resources to accomplish His divine will. Once again, using the name YHWH-Tsabaoth, Jeremiah delivers a power message regarding God’s sovereign power.

But the God of Israel is no idol!
    He is the Creator of everything that exists,
including his people, his own special possession.
    The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name!

“You are my battle-ax and sword,”
    says the Lord.
“With you I will shatter nations
    and destroy many kingdoms.
With you I will shatter armies—
    destroying the horse and rider,
    the chariot and charioteer.
With you I will shatter men and women,
    old people and children,
    young men and young women.
With you I will shatter shepherds and flocks,
    farmers and oxen,
    captains and officers.” – Jeremiah 51:19-21 NLT

God would use the Babylonians as His instrument of judgment against His own chosen people. The forces of King Nebuchadnezzar would operate under God’s command, carrying out His will and accomplishing His divine plan for Judah’s destruction. But, as the Lord of Armies, God would also carry out His vengeance against the Babylonians for their role in the fall of Judah.

“I will repay Babylon
    and the people of Babylonia
for all the wrong they have done
    to my people in Jerusalem,” says the Lord. – Jeremiah 51:24 NLT

Neither Nebuchadnezzar nor his people did what they did out of coercion or against their will. God simply used their desire for global conquest to carry out His judgment against the nation of Judah. But they would pay dearly for their will destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the deportation of God’s people.

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“The thick walls of Babylon will be leveled to the ground,
    and her massive gates will be burned.
The builders from many lands have worked in vain,
    for their work will be destroyed by fire!” – Jeremiah 51:58 NLT

Jeremiah was one of the few prophets who lived to see the fall of Judah and the deportation of the people. He had to watch as the city of Jerusalem was ransacked and the Temple destroyed. He witnessed the captives being led in chains as they made their way to Babylon. Through it all, he continued to serve as God’s spokesman. When the captives were led away, he gave them a scroll containing all of the judgments YHWH-Tsabaoth would bring against the Babylonians. The Lord of Armies was not done.

Jeremiah had recorded on a scroll all the terrible disasters that would soon come upon Babylon—all the words written here. He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, read aloud everything on this scroll. Then say, ‘Lord, you have said that you will destroy Babylon so that neither people nor animals will remain here. She will lie empty and abandoned forever.’ When you have finished reading the scroll, tie it to a stone and throw it into the Euphrates River. Then say, ‘In this same way Babylon and her people will sink, never again to rise, because of the disasters I will bring upon her.’” – Jeremiah 51:60-64 NLT

God would repay the Babylonians for their role in Judah’s destruction. He would muster other earthly armies against them, bringing the once mighty nation of Babylon to its knees. But more importantly, YHWH-Tsabaoth would restore His people. The prophet Isaiah records God’s message of Babylon’s destruction and Judah’s deliverance.

“Come down, virgin daughter of Babylon, and sit in the dust.
    For your days of sitting on a throne have ended.
O daughter of Babylonia, never again will you be
    the lovely princess, tender and delicate.
Take heavy millstones and grind flour.
    Remove your veil, and strip off your robe.
    Expose yourself to public view.
You will be naked and burdened with shame.
I will take vengeance against you without pity.” – Isaiah 47:1-3 NLT

Then Isaiah adds these comforting words:

Our Redeemer, whose name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
    is the Holy One of Israel. – Isaiah 47:104 NLT

God is powerful and sovereign over all. He controls kings and nations. He orchestrates the affairs of the world and uses earthly powers to accomplish His divine will. As Isaiah puts it, “The nations of the world are worth nothing to him. In his eyes they count for less than nothing— mere emptiness and froth” (Isaiah 40:17 NLT). Interestingly enough, it was Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, who made the following insightful disclosure concerning God’s power and sovereignty as YHWH-Tsabaoth.

“His rule is everlasting,
    and his kingdom is eternal.
All the people of the earth
    are nothing compared to him.
He does as he pleases
    among the angels of heaven
    and among the people of the earth.
No one can stop him or say to him,
    ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’” – Daniel 4:34-35 NLT

Jehovah-Sabaoth is, as Nebuchadnezzar concluded, “the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud” (Daniel 4:37 NLT). He rules and reigns over all, including the armies of heaven and the armies of this world. He has the power to rebuke and redeem, destroy and restore, and to judge and justify. He is sovereign, all-powerful, all-knowing, and always in complete control of all things at all times. He is the Lord of Armies and He can always be trusted to use His power to accomplish His purposes for the glory of His name and the good of His people.

Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord of hosts,
    he is the King of glory! – Psalm 24:10 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Lessons for Leaders

1 These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied.

2 It is the glory of God to conceal things,
    but the glory of kings is to search things out.
3 As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth,
    so the heart of kings is unsearchable.
4 Take away the dross from the silver,
    and the smith has material for a vessel;
5 take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence
    or stand in the place of the great,
7 for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
    than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen
8     do not hastily bring into court,
for what will you do in the end,
    when your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
    and do not reveal another’s secret,
10 lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
    and your ill repute have no end. – Proverbs 25:1-10 ESV

Chapter 25 begins a new and somewhat controversial section of the book of Proverbs. The opening line identifies what follows as a group of proverbs compiled by “the men of Hezekiah king of Judah.”

King Hezekiah reigned over the southern kingdom of Judah from 715-686 B.C., some 250 years after God divided Solomon’s kingdom in half. During the latter years of his life, Solomon proved to be unfaithful to God, choosing to worship the idols of his many foreign wives.

So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods. – 1 Kings 11:6-8 ESV

As a result of Solomon’s disobedience, God declared that He was going to split the kingdom of Israel in two.

“Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.” – 1 Kings 11:10-13 ESV

Two and a half centuries later, Hezekiah would become the king of the southern kingdom of Judah. And he would prove to be one of the few godly kings that either the nation of Judah or the northern kingdom of Israel would ever experience.  

[Hezekiah]…did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered. – 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 ESV

According to verse one, a group of officials within King Hezekiah’s court was given the task of collecting additional wise sayings attributed to King Solomon and adding them to the book of Proverbs. This addendum extends from chapter 25 all the way through chapter 29. Over the years, there has been some scholarly debate as to the historical value of these five chapters. The questions concerning their veracity revolve around whether or not they can truly be attributed to Solomon. But verse one clearly claims that they are “proverbs of Solomon.”

What sets these sayings apart is their emphasis on the king and the comparisons made between his rule and reign and that of God. It would appear that these are still wise sayings that Solomon shared with his sons, but they were compiled by Hezekiah’s sages due to their obvious application to the king and his descendants.

The very first saying sets the tone for what is to follow by making a direct comparison between God, the all-powerful divine sovereign, and human kings.

It is the glory of God to conceal things,
    but the glory of kings is to search things out. – Proverbs 25:2 ESV

And all throughout the next five chapters, the sayings will maintain a sharp focus on the relationship between ruling and wisdom.

Remove the wicked from the king’s court,
    and his reign will be made secure by justice. – Proverbs 25:5 NLT

Don’t demand an audience with the king
    or push for a place among the great.
It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table
    than to be sent away in public disgrace. – Proverbs 25:6-7 NLT

Know the state of your flocks,
    and put your heart into caring for your herds,
for riches don’t last forever,
    and the crown might not be passed to the next generation. – Proverbs 27:23-24 NLT

When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily.
    But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability. – Proverbs 28:2 NLT

A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor
    as a roaring lion or an attacking bear.

A ruler with no understanding will oppress his people,
    but one who hates corruption will have a long life. – Proverbs 28:15-16 NLT

When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.
    But when the wicked are in power, they groan. – Proverbs 29:2 NLT

The men who collected these sayings seemed to have been heavily influenced by their relationship with the king. This appendix to Solomon’s collection of proverbs contains wise sayings that have direct implications for not only Hezekiah but any ruler who might ascend to the throne and rule over God’s chosen people. They viewed the man who wore the crown as a God-appointed agent who served at Yahweh’s behest and was dependent upon godly wisdom to rule effectively.

In a real sense, the king was to be a visual representation of God. He was to model his rule and reign after that of the ultimate King and use his power and authority in such a way that the people were constantly reminded of God’s ultimate sovereignty. The king was to be a representative of God, acting on His behalf, administering His will, and caring for His flock. But from the very beginning, the people had desired a king other than God. In fact, they had demanded a human king who would stand in place of God. And God made the point painfully clear when He told the prophet, Samuel:

“Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.” – 1 Samuel 8:7 ESV

Ultimately, the people wanted a human king, a powerful man who would provide them with protection and ensure their future security. And these proverbs collected by Hezekiah’s scribes and sages were intended to remind the king that his role was that of a representative of God, not His replacement. He would need wisdom, godly counsel, and an unwavering dependence upon the Almighty if his reign was to last and be effective.

It was the king’s duty to discover the deep and hidden things of God (verse 2). The king, as the divine representative, was to reflect the otherness or transcendence of God (verse 3). By listening to God and obeying His will, the king’s ways would in some ways be incomprehensible and difficult to understand. He would operate according to a different set of rules or standards. As Solomon recorded in a previous chapter, compiled some 250 years earlier:

The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;
    he guides it wherever he pleases. – Proverbs 21:1 ESV

It was essential that the king remain free from the influence of evil. He needed to quarantine his administration from wickedness in order to prevent contamination and potential corruption.

Remove the impurities from silver,
    and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.
Remove the wicked from the king’s court,
    and his reign will be made secure by justice. – Proverbs 25:4-5 NLT

And the people were to treat the king with dignity and respect, affording him the same honor they would extend to God Himself.

Don’t demand an audience with the king
    or push for a place among the great.
It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table
    than to be sent away in public disgrace. – Proverbs 25:6-7 NLT

The role of the king was God-ordained and the people were to treat the one who sat on the throne as having been placed there by God. It was the prophet, Daniel, who revealed the following words to Nebuchadnezzar, the powerful king of Babylon:

“Praise the name of God forever and ever,
    for he has all wisdom and power.
He controls the course of world events;
    he removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to the scholars.” – Daniel 2:20-21 NLT

And the apostle Paul would echo that same sentiment when he wrote to the believer in Rome who were living under the rule and reign of Caesar.

…all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. – Romans 12:1-2 NLT

In reality, there is and always has been just one King, who rules over all. Human kings are mere shadows of the one true King. They reflect His sovereignty but only in a flawed and incomplete way. Which is all the more reason that human kings need godly wisdom. Left to their own capacities, they will prove insufficient for the task. And hundreds of years earlier, a newly crowned and very young king Solomon, expressed his apprehension about serving as God’s vice-regent over the nation of Israel. He recognized his insufficiency and asked God for the one thing he would need to rule well and wisely.

“Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” – 1 Kings 3:7-9 NLT

Solomon had inherited a secure and powerful kingdom. He enjoyed wealth beyond belief. But he knew that those things would not be enough. What he really needed was wisdom. He understood that. in order to be successful in his role as king, he would need an understanding heart. He would need to be like his father, David, a man after God’s own heart. The success of his reign would be directly tied to the health of his relationship with God.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New English Translation (NET)NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.