Day 151: The God of Heaven's Armies 4

May 31

Today's Connected Passages: 

• 1 Samuel 14:1-23 
• 1 Chronicles 5:18-22 
• 2 Chron 14:1-15 
• Amos 2:7-16 
• Zechariah 12:1-9, Joel 2:11

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Welcome to the Canon Connected, where we read the connections, see the connections, and study the connections of the Bible. I am humbled that you've decided to join us here for day number 151 of the Canon Connected, and we're studying we're in the middle of a two-week study through connected passages on the sovereignty of God. And we're studying very specific themes within those two, those two weeks and then that and that overarching theme. And one of those, again, with using very unique titles for God and attributes of God, things about God's nature that I find very fascinating, and that is includes the fact that many times in the Old Testament, God is referred to as the God of heaven's armies. Our God literally has an army, you know, a host, angels, spiritual beings fighting for him, fighting with him. And he uh he's called Lord God of hosts in some translations, but again, I love the translation, the God of heaven's armies, because we see that. Haven't we seen that three days in a row now of just how God fights for his people? And this is reflective of spiritual warfare to me, and how God gives us, you know, armor because we are in a spiritual war. And one that Christ has already won, and he's ultimately going to win by casting all of our enemies, death, you know, hell, Satan, all into the lake of fire. But we're given warfare, you know, terminology all throughout the Bible because that's what we're in. But in the Old Testament, it definitely wasn't just spiritual, the way that ours is. They didn't need just a shield of faith or a breastplate of righteousness or a helmet of salvation. They needed those things literally. And that's an interesting segue, you know, way to segue into the first story today because it's about, you know, Jonathan, much more righteous than his father Saul, and his armor-bearer and up against the Philistines. And and Jonathan's, you know, strategic, you know, planning here, I think, is a part of the story and how and how they get the upper hand on the Philistines because he's thought this out, okay? And yet, just like all the rest of these stories, especially like David, I mean, he definitely had a similar heart as David. That's why they were so they were so close, more than just friends. They were definitely brothers and as deep as that possibly can go. But he gave credit to God all throughout this story because he said, you know, if if he said, Um, let us come go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised the Philistines, and maybe the Lord will work for us. For nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few. And I love the way his armor bearer answers him. And he says, Do all that is in your heart, do as you wish. Behold, I am with you, heart and soul. We all need those kind of people in our lives, especially when we're going out into warfare. Then Jonathan said, Behold, we will cross over to the men and we will show ourselves to them. If they say to us, Wait until we come to you, then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. But if they say, Come up to us, then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And that's exactly what happens. And Jonathan gives God all of the credit and all of the glory, because even though his thinking was involved and their and their skill as warriors was involved, um, God won the war. Um, this is how it always happens. Um, God gets the credit. Then in 1 Chronicles 5, the Reubenites, the Gatites, and the half tribe of Manasseh had valiant men who carried shield and sword and drew the bow, expert at war, to able to go to war. They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Nafish, and Nodab. And when they prevailed over them, the Hagrites and all the men who were with them had given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle. So it didn't matter how you know skilled they were. This is how they won. And he, God, granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him. They carried off their livestock. Um, fifty thousand camels, journey, two fifty thousand sheep, two thousand donkeys, a hundred thousand men alive, for many fell because the war was of God. And what about Abijah in 2 Chronicles 14? It says, and Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears. No, excuse me, Abaijah slept with his father's. Asa's the son reigning in his place. Now, Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin, who carried shields and drew bows. All of these were men, mighty men of valor. So that is true, okay? That can be true, but that is not the ultimate truth. Zara the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots and came as far as Merishah. And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines in battle in the valley of Zephanah and Mereshah. And Asa cried to the Lord his God. So it didn't matter how skilled his men were, okay, or how many they had. They're still the odds are stacked against them. He still has to cry out to God. This is Christianity. O Lord, there is none like you to help between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O God, our Lord our God, Yahweh our God, for we rely on you and in your name. Recalling the previous, you know, subsection of this study. In your name we have come against this multitude, O Lord. You are our God. Let not man prevail against you. So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. God won the battle, even though the men were mighty men of valor. They could not have won. They would not have won without God. Evil sometimes does win, but in these cases I know that it requires people trusting into God. And then we have a couple of prophetic passages that talk where God explains through prophets that he was the one who destroyed the armies before them. Again, he did it, not them. Verse 9 of Amos 2, yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of cedars, and who was as strong as the oaks. Again, just as we've seen in every story just about. God fought for them. In Zechariah 12, um, very similar. It says, And all the nations of the earth will gather against. And on that day declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness. How many times have we seen that? Is that not a deep connection across these four days? God so often struck, you know, you know, chaos into the opposing army, so that his people could not take credit for it. Um This is exactly how God works. He works in such a way that he gets the honor and glory. That's what we learn from um from Gideon for sure. But it's what we see in all these passages. And then Joel 2 11. The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great. He who executes his word is powerful, for the day of the Lord is great and very awesome. Who can endure it? And what a perfect way to end um the these four days. Um, because this is absolutely an encapsulation, a perfect encapsulation of who of who God is as the God of heaven's armies, and who can withstand him? Nobody, no human army, no king, no emperor, no president, no prime minister, no dictator, no power, all right, in the history of the universe, anywhere that can stand against the God of Christianity. Because he is the God of heaven's armies. So we're gonna continue with this theme of God's sovereignty, but we're gonna change the sub-subject, the sub-theme to God is sovereign over rulers and kings. We're gonna do two days of that. And the first day is nothing but psalms, and one connected passage from Acts that is quoted uh that quotes Psalm 2 in it. Nothing but Psalms tomorrow is God sovereign over rulers and kingdoms. So come back and be with us again tomorrow as we continue to on the subject of the sovereignty of God. Read the connections, see the connections, and study the connections. Thank you.