Joshua 5 gives us insight into the name Jehovah Tsaba. The Israelites had finally completed their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. They had crossed the Jordan under the leadership of Joshua. They were about to begin their campaign to take the Promised Land. The first city they planned to capture was Jericho. This was basically impregnable with its huge wall of fortification. Joshua went on a scouting mission to check out what looked like an impossible mission.
“He lifted his eyes and saw a man standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” He said, “No, rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my Lord to say to his servant?” The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. Joshua 5:13-14.
I believe this encounter was between Joshua and the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus. (You can see that He is the Lord by the way Joshua fell on his face and bowed down, later removing his sandals, these are tributes that no mere angel would accept, this must be the Lord.) Jesus, the captain of the hosts came to Joshua and Joshua’s first question was, “Are you for us or against us?” The Lord basically said, “No, you are not asking the right question. I am the captain of the tsaba of Jehovah. I am the one who calls the shots. When the captain comes, he takes over. This is not about bless me and bless my plans, it is about you falling before Me and asking me what you can do.” This is Jehovah Tsaba. This is the supreme commander.
This is the same name for God was used by David when he confronted Goliath. David was just a young fellow and he hated hearing the way Goliath intimidated and taunted the Israelites and blasphemed God. None of the Israelites would take Goliath on. David was so provoked He “said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, Jehovah Tsaba, whom you have taunted.”
With that said, David took a stone from his bag, slipped it into his sling and stuck Goliath smack dab in the middle of his forehead, knocking him out cold. Then he stood on him and cut off his head and when the Philistines saw that David had prevailed, they turned around and ran and were overtaken by the Israelites. It was a complete victory against all odds.
When Jehovah Tsaba is on your side what else matters?
We cannot begin to perceive the vastness of the heavenly hosts that are under his charge with our natural senses. Remember the story from II Kings 6:11-17? This huge army of earthly horses and chariots were trying to kill Elisha and his attendant was petrified. Elisha told him not to fear because those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Then Elisha prayed that the eyes of his servant would be opened. “And behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” We don’t have a clue about the might and power of the spiritual forces at the ready on our behalf. Paul says it this way in Romans 8:31, “What shall we say to these things, if God is for us who can be against us?”
Several years ago Billy Graham wrote a book called Angels, God’s Secret Agents. In it he tells the story of the Reverend John G. Paton who with his wife were missionaries to the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded their home intent on burning it down and killing the Paton’s. The couple stayed up all night praying that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see they had made it safely through the night and their attackers had departed.
A year passed and the chief of this native tribe became a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Later Reverend Paton was able to bring up that night and ask the chief what had stopped them from their plans of attack. The chief responded, “Who were all those men you had with you?” Paton told him there were no men there, it was just the two of us. The chief argued, “There were many men standing guard, hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords in their hands, circling the mission station. We were afraid to attack.” There is no way to prove it but it sounds like to me, Jehovah Tsaba sent his heavenly hosts to protect His faithful servants, Mr. and Mrs. Paton.
The power, the command, the authority of Jehovah Tsaba is usually associated with armies and battles and literal warfare. However, we must not limit Jehovah Tsaba to only military matters. There is a very tender, personal aspect to this name for God. The very first time Jehovah Tsaba is mentioned is in I Samuel 1:11 when Hannah was not able to conceive a child. She poured out her heart about this and made a vow to Jehovah Tsaba. He heard her cries and remembered her. In due time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son she named Samuel, which means, I asked him of the Lord. This son grew to be a man of God whom He used in powerful ways. How precious that this warrior name for God, Jehovah Tsaba, is the One who heard her cries and responded to the burdens of a mother’s heart.
So what concern is on your heart today? What is weighing you down? What insurmountable odds are you up against? Call out to Jehovah Tsaba. He is able. He is the sovereign Lord of the universe. He is the Great I Am who stands outside of time, the self-existent one who is the supreme commander. God is a warrior, yet He is tender and close to the broken hearted. He hears and He answers. Nothing can separate you from His love.
