The Lord of Hosts (Feb 17)
The rejection of a king after the
people’s heart (Saul) sets the
stage for the choice of a king
after God’s own heart (David).
A young shepherd with a disposition
more suited to pasture than palace,
David possesses few claims to fame.
He is a good marksman with a sling,
an excellent lyre player and the
youngest of eight sons from an
insignificant family in Bethlehem.
But his heart attitude is one of
undivided devotion – a quality readily
visible in the way David dispatches
the Philistine giant Goliath.
Praise be to Jehovah Tsaba:
David 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. This day
the Lord will deliver you into my
hand, and I will strike you and
take your head from you… that all
the earth may know that there is a
God in Israel. Then all this assembly
shall know that the Lord does not
save with sword and spear; for the
battle is the Lord’s and He will give
you into our hands(1Sam 17:45-47)
Jehovah Tsaba, Your name
alone was able to give David the
confidence to approach a trained
warrior twice his size. You have
the power to defeat the greatest
opponent as you’re Lord of Hosts.
Thank You for the power of Your
name, which gives us courage
to stand in the face of what
will normally frighten us. Amen
Jehovah Tsaba, it is so easy to be
frightened by the size of enemy;
just as the Israelite soldiers refused
to go out and face the Philistine.
Lord, I admit sometimes for
shrinking back from opposition
that seems to loom large over me.
Forgive my cowardice in the face
of trouble, for it is an affront to
Your sovereign power. Amen.
Jehovah Tsaba, just as You taught
David to trust You when he killed
the bear and the lion, prepare me
for the battles I will one day face.
When I reach those battles, remind
me that I have already overcome
in other situations and that as You
were with me then, You’ll be with me.
Give me Lord the courage of David,
for in that power,we can overcome
anything in Jesus’ name. Amen.