Tag: Sabaoth

Romans 9:29 – General God the Merciful

Posted on by Will

And as Isaiah said before: "Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have become like Gomorrah."

Truth to Learn

The leader of Heaven’s army chooses to save only a few.

 

Behind the Words

The words “said before” are from the Greek verb proereō, which is made up of pro, meaning “before, in time or position” and ereō, meaning “to say or proclaim.” Thus we see that proereō means “to speak in advance” or “to foretell.”

The word “Lord” is from the Greek word kurios, meaning “master or ruler.”

“Sabaoth” is not a Greek word, but a transliteration of the Hebrew word tseva’ah, which means “armies or military hosts organized for war.” It is a reference to the armies of heaven, the angelic hosts.

The word “seed” is translated from the Greek word sperma, meaning “that which is sown, containing the germ of life which will produce new fruit.” In Isaiah’s passage it is the Hebrew word sariyd, meaning “a survivor, or one who remains after a battle.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul now quotes another of Isaiah’s prophesies from the Septuagint version of the Old Testament.

Unless the LORD of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah. (Isaiah 1:9)

He makes reference to the Lord of the hosts of Heaven, the great and powerful leader of the mightiest of all armies. As the leader of the most powerful army ever, He will do as He determines and none can stop Him.

Isaiah’s point is that unless the mighty God had chosen to preserve a small number of survivors of Israel, they would have been completely destroyed just as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for lack of 10 righteous people. This is a reference to the fact that Abraham negotiated with God for saving Sodom if only 10 righteous people were found in the city. As it turned out there were only Lot, his wife, and his two daughters. You can read all about these events in Genesis chapters 18 and 19.

Now, Paul’s point is the same as the previous verse, namely that God might cast off the entire nation because they have followed after other gods, saving only a few as His chosen ones. Thus, Paul demonstrates that God is ultimately the one who chooses who is destroyed and who is preserved. This is especially poignant given what Paul has already told us way back in Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,

The net effect of all this is that the Jewish Christians in Rome (and all of us who are God’s chosen ones) should fall to their knees and thank the Lord of hosts that he has not cut them off as they deserve, but has chosen to impute to them His righteousness and allow them into His eternal presence.

 

Application

Instead of complaining that it isn’t fair for God to destroy most of humanity and preserve only a few by His choice, let’s be eternally grateful that He opened our eyes to the truth of the gospel. He chose to save us even though we don’t deserve it.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 5:4 – Fortune or Favor?

Posted on by Will

Look, the wages of the laborers who harvested your fields cry out, having been kept back by fraud; and the cries of the harvesters have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

Truth to Learn

Fairness and honesty in business is far more important than wealth. We cannot serve both God and money.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “wages” is misthos, which refers to money paid (or promised) to someone for doing an agreed upon task.

Ergatēs is the Greek word translated “laborers.” It refers to anyone who does hard work or labor.

“Harvested” is from amaō, meaning “to collect, gather, reap, cut down, or harvest.” It is expressed as an aorist participle, indicating action that was previously done. It could be translated here as “having already harvested.”

The phrase translated “having been kept back by fraud” is translated from apostereō. This is made up or apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and stereō, meaning “to deprive” or “to withhold.” This word, therefore, refers to the intentional depriving someone of something that rightfully belongs to them.

The word “Sabaoth” is of Hebrew origin. It is tsebaoth, which means “armies.” Hence, we see that James is talking about the “Lord of Armies” or “Lord of Hosts” as God is sometimes called, since He commands the armies (or hosts) of heaven.

 

Meaning Explained

As we continue with James’ comments to the rich men who have been hoarding their wealth for prideful reasons, we see that they have been so obsessed with gaining wealth that they have obtained at least some of it by fraud. Apparently they had agreed with the laborers about a certain wage for their labor and then after the crop had been harvested, had withheld part or all of it. Even though the rich had more than enough, they were stealing from the poor who worked hard to earn what was promised to them and then kept back from them.

Another interpretation of this is that James is referring to slavery, a condition where the slave is to do the work which the master would otherwise be obliged to do so that the master is not under a necessity of laboring at all. The amount of pay which the slave receives is not even close to a fair wage for what he does, or what a freeman could be hired for. In fact, the slave’s pay is so much less than his labor is worth, that the master becomes richer while the slave becomes poorer.

In either case, James is saying that the rich man, who has far more than he needs, is getting richer at the expense of those who have less than they deserve. And, he says not only the laborers but the unfair wages themselves are crying out to God who here is called the Lord of Sabaoth. The implication is that the case has not merely been set before the Judge of the world, but the Master (Lord) of the conquering armies. Whereas a judge is more concerned about justice, the leader of a conquering army has no intent to be just. His objective is simply to conquer and destroy. This brings to mind what James told us previously:

For he shall have judgment without mercy, who has shown no mercy (James 2:13)

Finally, James is putting a big exclamation mark on the last verse of the previous chapter where he said:

Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:17)

 

Application

Our God provides each of us with possessions and abilities and, like the master in Matthew 25:14-30, expects us to use them for His glory, not for our own selfish and prideful gain. Only by using what God has given us for Him, in His way, will we receive praise from God.

Are you after money, or the approval of God? Do you want to hear “Ka-ching!” or “Well done, good and faithful servant!”? Now, that’s something to think about.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved