A warrior Lord God, Jehovah Tsebaoth, is the name (of God) used in the very popular David and Goliath story. The Philistine ridiculed David and said he’d cut David to pieces. David replied, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; I come to you in the name of the LORD of Hosts (Yahweh Tsebaoth), the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. The same word “Jehovah Tsebaoth” is used in Exodus 14:14 which says “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

So, how do we look at Jehovah Tsebaoth from the New Testament perspective? How does Lord Jesus war on our behalf? And what is the evidence of the victory? Firstly, we agree that the Lord God of the Old Testament is the same in New Testament. He is a man of war and is our shield and defense in the same way in the New Testament as He was in the Old Testament. The Lord never changes. Refer Psalm 102:27- “But you are the same, and your years have no end.” And if we are a Christian, we are in the army of Jehovah. This is a very important Biblical truth that only Christians are in the army of Jehovah. Refer Romans 10:9- If you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Once you are a christian, in the army of Jehovah, you have Jesus Christ as your Commander. And this is His name Jehovah Tsebaoth or the Lord of Hosts or the Lord of the armies of Israel. It denotes His spiritual authority over every army- physical and spiritual.

Israel was facing a terrible shame in the name of a Philistine warrior called Goliath. There was no one is entire land of Israel who could fight him and bring him down. But for David. And what was the strength of David- His confidence in the supreme power of Jehovah. A tiny boy in front of a massive giant! and that too with no weaponry brought down Goliath. Even David’s own brothers rebuked him when he opined to fight on behalf of Israel. And Saul too didn’t think David could accomplish the mission of defeating Goliath and saving Israel. But Jehovah fought on behalf of David and multiplied power in his sling shot. Because Jehovah, is a man of war!

Likewise in the New Testament, we see a leper who is ostracised and a woman with an issue of blood coming to Lord Jesus Christ for deliverance. He is able to deliver them from their afflictions because just as in the Old Testament, a young boy defeated Goliath by having faith in the deliverance power of Jehovah so also, these afflicted people came to Lord Jesus trusting in His supreme ability to deliver them from their afflictions. And even today, it is by faith in Jesus that we accomplish great deliverances. We have to have faith in the powerful work that Lord Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross of Calvary by defeating death and over powering the grave. Colossians 2:15 TPT. Then Jesus made a public spectacle of all the powers and principalities of darkness, stripping away from them every weapon and all their spiritual authority and power to accuse us. And by the power of the cross, Jesus led them around as prisoners in a procession of triumph.

No matter how powerful the enemy, how great is the shame, how huge the guilt of sin, how painful the loss- Lord Jesus Christ has the supreme authority. We only need to put our faith in His ability to deliver us by continuously seeking His presence and not giving up. Jesus is life giving spirit. Refer John 11:25- Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, relies on) Me [as Savior] will live even if he dies. And there is no death in Him. Romans 8:37 Amplified Bible (AMP)- Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him (Jesus Christ) who loved us [so much that He died for us].

Romans 8:37 Amplified Bible (AMP)- Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him (Jesus Christ) who loved us [so much that He died for us].

The Lord may choose to defend us in various ways. Our deliverance from the hands of oppression is only a part of it. The judgement of God will fall on our enemies. In the Bible we see how God rewarded Rahab for saving the spies by risking her own life. And again how God rewarded Daniels’ friends when they took a stance for God by risking their lives and disobeying the kings order to bow down to idols. In New Testament we see how Lord Jesus rewarded the sisters Martha and Mary for their faith in Him by raising Lazarus back to life; a reward which even both sisters never expected. And remember how Lord Jesus healed the blind man by commanding him to wash his eyes is the pool of Silome. And upon obeying Jesus’ command the blind man came back not only seeing but also greatly rejoicing. No witchcraft, black magic, spells, no idol or curse or any spirit is over Jesus of Nazareth. Lord Jesus is sovereign; Lord Jesus reigns supreme.

We are not alone in our battle against the powers of darkness that are trying to bring us down and destroy us. It may feel like we have been in this hopeless situation for long, or perhaps it looks like the odds are stacked against us so badly that there seems no way out or perhaps the repeated failures have taken a toll on our faith and exhausted our joy. But I would like to encourage us and say- Look in the Holy Bible.. keep the Word of God in our hearts and keep meditating on the miracles and wonders the Lord has performed. All the while Israel was in exile, there were a group of people called prophets who kept repeatedly saying Israel will prosper again. This is same with us too. We have a solid rock, a sure foundation which for centuries has never failed anyone who put their trust in it. A batch of the armies of Jesus’ is defending you. Trust in Jesus and trust in His victory on the Cross of Calvary. He is a man of war, Jehovah Tsebaoth!

The evidence of our daily victory over the enemy is our joy and comfort that we receive in the presence of our saviour and Lord, Jesus. And one day at the right set time, Lord Jesus will catapult us to our victory. So, rejoice and be joyful. The best is yet to come. And, Oh, how sweet is the victory!

As we celebrate Christmas, lets’ be thankful for the very best gift- Jesus Christ, the victor- Jehovah Tseboath!