The names of God reveal so much about His character and person. You have probably heard many of them mentioned, including El Shaddai, Elohim, Jehovah Jireh and Jehovah Rapha. But you may not be as familiar with Jehovah Tsaba, which means the Lord God our Warrior. Throughout the Bible, references to this name give us a glimpse of this Mighty Warrior who fights for His NAME, for His GLORY, and for US!

Let’s consider a few of these references today, beginning with the story of David defeating Goliath — what a remarkable example of faith and courage! David didn’t even flinch in facing the intimidating giant who stood over 9 feet tall. In 1 Samuel 17:45, David boldly declared, “You come against me with sword and spears and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

Why was David so brave? It wasn’t because he was of comparable size. It wasn’t because he had all the latest military protection and armor. It was simply because he KNEW His God! It’s been said that “David really never knew Goliath’s strength because he was too focused on God’s.” What a perfect way to summarize the story and apply it in our own lives! When we stay focused on God’s strength, we won’t be overcome by fear of the enemy.

David also used the name Jehovah Tsaba in the Psalms. For example, Psalm 24:10 says, “Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty — he is the King of glory.” And you may recognize Psalm 46 (although it wasn’t written by King David)…it opens with “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging… The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Here again, we see the use of the name Jehovah Tsaba — He is with us even when all our circumstances seem to be going against us. We need not fear for Jehovah Tsaba is our refuge and fortress. Amen!

Jehovah Tsaba was also the name that Hannah called upon when she made a vow to God that if He would bless her with a son, then she would give that son to the Lord in service for his entire life under a Nazarite vow. In her pain and anguish, she turned to God as her Warrior and asked Him to intervene supernaturally by opening her womb. He answered in His perfect timing and blessed her with a son named Samuel. And that son was no ordinary child…he had a divine calling on his life. He was the final judge in the history of Israel and God used him to anoint the first two kings of Israel, King Saul and King David.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah called on Jehovah Tsaba in the midst of being overwhelmed by exhaustion, fear, isolation, and despair. He was so drained physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually that he prayed that he would die. The Lord of Hosts heard Elijah’s pleas and sent angels to nourish him, rest to restore him, and His very presence to encourage him. Then Jehovah Tsaba informed Elijah that he was not alone — that God had preserved a remnant of 7,000 who faithfully followed Him. God also instructed him to anoint Elisha as the prophet who would succeed him.

And one of my favorite examples of the use of Jehovah Tsaba is in Isaiah 9 which was a powerful prophecy about Jesus Christ that is commonly read at Christmas. “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

Wow! Did you catch it? The last sentence says that Jehovah Tsaba will bring about the fulfillment of all the prophecies. The image of God, the Lord of all the starry hosts — my Warrior — in all of His zeal bringing about His perfect plan for the sinless Lamb to bear the sins of the world…it literally leaves me speechless.

Jehovah Tsaba is mighty. Strong. Sovereign. Unyielding. Just. Fearsome. His power is unparalleled. And Satan — despite his best attempts — will NEVER be able to stand against Jehovah Tsaba. There is power in this name.

In his book “The Power of God’s Names,” Dr. Tony Evans makes the point that “David didn’t approach Goliath with the latest technology or the newest weaponry. David didn’t even mention that he would use his slingshot to take Goliath down. Instead, David said he came ‘in the name of the Lord of hosts.’ God’s name was enough for David to win this war because David knew God’s name was more than simply a name — it was a gateway to His Power.”

Although God calls us to engage in the battle, we are to do so in the power of Jehovah Tsaba and use the resources and tools that He has given us, for the battle belongs to the Lord of hosts!

Pastor Garrett Kell described it this way, “Too often, spiritual warfare is seen as an individual believer’s call to put on armor and fight demonic forces alone, as if this is a test to prove his faith. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Spiritual warfare is about God’s people joining their Lord in his warfare. He equips (Ephesians 4:7-16) and empowers us (1 Corinthians 12:11) to accompany him into enemy territory and further his kingdom purposes (Matthew 28:20).”

We’ve spent the last two devotionals considering the reality of spiritual warfare as well as Satan’s wickedness, methods, strategies, and evil organization. It shouldn’t surprise you, then, to know that God gives us divine weapons to fight in this spiritual battle.

Did you know that Scripture tells us that the Lord Himself wears His own “armor” — the belt of righteousness and the sash of faithfulness around His waist; the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation; and the garments of vengeance and the cloak of zeal. In fact, Paul instructs believers to put on the “armor of light” and to “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:12-14).

You see, when we put on the armor of God, we are putting on Christ:

HE is the truth we buckle around our waist.
HE is the righteousness we place on our upper body.
HE is the peace that makes our feet ready.
Faith in HIM shields us against the attacks of the enemy.
HIS salvation guards our minds.
As the Word of God, HE is the sword of the Spirit in our hands.

When you put on the armor of God each day, you are putting on Jesus!

In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul reminds the believers in Corinth (and us!), “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

This is why we need to know the truths found in God’s Word so we can effectively wield the sword of the Spirit. Truths such as:
— We are more than conquerers because of the love of Christ!
— Through His death and resurrection, Jesus triumphed over Satan and his kingdom!
— When He returns, Jesus will slay His enemies with the breath of His mouth!
— He who is within us is greater than he who is in the world!

And more truths…in fact, in our next devotional, we will take a closer look at the first piece of armor: the belt of truth.

Until then, we must take heart and be of good courage and remember that Jehovah Tsaba fights for us. Though the darkness may at times appear to be winning, we must cling to the truth of the light of Christ — we have victory in Jesus!