Jehovah-Gador Milchamah
Mighty in Battle
Ps 24:8
Verse 8 is where our compound name is found, but I like this Psalm so well I thought that I would include the entire passage:
Of David. A psalm.
1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Selah
(NIV)
In the Middle Ages there was a formal relationship between a Lord and his vassals. Each side had obligations to the other. A lord's obligations included being: . . .responsible for providing leadership, justice and protection against other powers, . . .
If Jesus is our Lord, then we have obligations to Him and He to us. This is the relationship between us. We forsake all other gods. We abandon all other lords. We declare in words and by our actions fealty, loyalty to Him. We take on His name in baptism. He adopts us into, not just His kingdom, but into His family. He will give us protection from other powers. He takes care of our needs. Our battles become His. If we are living for Him, He fights our battles.
Matthew 6:33-34 33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (KJV)
Now our battle becomes His and in fact we no longer ever need battle by ourselves. It is now His battle. If only we had spiritual eyes:
2 Kings 6:15-17
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
You and I are surrounded by horses and chariots of fire. No need to tremble, no need to worry. . .
Deuteronomy 20:1 When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
1 Samuel 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.
Again and again it is clear we are protected. Any appearance to the contrary is an illusion to fool the enemy, to draw the enemy out, to crush them even more completely, to magnify God's grandeur and glory. It is not merely that He will fight our battles, our battles are necessarily His when we are His. We don't want to have battles of our own. They must be His battles. We do not want the Lord to join our battles. We want to always be sure that we are in His battle.
Notice the verse where this name is found:
Psalm 24:8
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
It is not the Lord mighty in a battle or the Lord mighty in the battle, but the Lord mighty in battle, every battle, all battles. If there is a battle and you stay with Him, you will prevail with Him. This should give us rock solid confidence, diamond hard faith. . . the faith we need not merely to prevail, but to be utterly victorious as befits sons and daughters of the living God. . .
Dave
Ps 24:8
Verse 8 is where our compound name is found, but I like this Psalm so well I thought that I would include the entire passage:
Of David. A psalm.
1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Selah
(NIV)
In the Middle Ages there was a formal relationship between a Lord and his vassals. Each side had obligations to the other. A lord's obligations included being: . . .responsible for providing leadership, justice and protection against other powers, . . .
If Jesus is our Lord, then we have obligations to Him and He to us. This is the relationship between us. We forsake all other gods. We abandon all other lords. We declare in words and by our actions fealty, loyalty to Him. We take on His name in baptism. He adopts us into, not just His kingdom, but into His family. He will give us protection from other powers. He takes care of our needs. Our battles become His. If we are living for Him, He fights our battles.
Matthew 6:33-34 33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (KJV)
Now our battle becomes His and in fact we no longer ever need battle by ourselves. It is now His battle. If only we had spiritual eyes:
2 Kings 6:15-17
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
You and I are surrounded by horses and chariots of fire. No need to tremble, no need to worry. . .
Deuteronomy 20:1 When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
1 Samuel 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.
Again and again it is clear we are protected. Any appearance to the contrary is an illusion to fool the enemy, to draw the enemy out, to crush them even more completely, to magnify God's grandeur and glory. It is not merely that He will fight our battles, our battles are necessarily His when we are His. We don't want to have battles of our own. They must be His battles. We do not want the Lord to join our battles. We want to always be sure that we are in His battle.
Notice the verse where this name is found:
Psalm 24:8
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
It is not the Lord mighty in a battle or the Lord mighty in the battle, but the Lord mighty in battle, every battle, all battles. If there is a battle and you stay with Him, you will prevail with Him. This should give us rock solid confidence, diamond hard faith. . . the faith we need not merely to prevail, but to be utterly victorious as befits sons and daughters of the living God. . .
Dave
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