Nowadays, many parents give their child a certain name simply because it sounds unique or is popular—not because it has deep meaning. Bible names are different. Naming in Scripture is a way of saying something about an individual’s character.
So when God called Himself “the LORD Almighty” (or “the LORD of hosts,” as it appears in many Bible translations), He revealed a great truth about His nature: He’s over everything.
He commands all the cosmic powers of the universe, all angelic, heavenly armies. With such a name, the God of Israel distinguished Himself from, and set Himself above, all other so-called gods.
Ra was the god of Egypt.
Ba’al was the god of Phoenicia. To worship Marduk was to worship the god of the Babylonian region. Each of these deities was thought to have “power” over a certain area.
Jehovah-Sabaoth, however, is not limited by boundaries or cultures. He is the Lord of everything: the Lord over heaven, the Lord over angels, the Lord over people, the Lord over earth and every other planet.
The God who rules over the heavens and the earth (and everything in them) controls all things at once. He has no limits. His power is universal, infinite—or almighty.
In modern-day terms, Yahweh is God Almighty over careers and wealth and sex and family—all the good things that we try to turn into ultimate things. God is not a local, tribal deity.
He is universal and all-powerful. He is the Almighty One, the Lord of hosts.
What area of your life are you holding back from the ruler of everything?
