Adonai Tzevaot – The LORD of Armies – Be’Midbar – June 4

The government of Israel has been in a frenzy during this past couple of weeks after the former Defense Minister, Moshe Ya’alon, resigned.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seeking to restore order and maintain a stable government, made a deal with Avigdor Liberman to be the new Defense Minister, however, many in Netanyahu’s coalition government opposed this appointment.

Over the course of the past week there has been much back and forth with demands and compromises regarding the appointment of the new Defense Minister.  Liberman is known for being overly aggressive and many are concerned regarding the direction he could take the Israeli armed forces.  In the end, Liberman was voted into office as Defense Minister on Monday, May 30, 2016 after Netanyahu agreed to the conditions placed upon him by other cabinet members.

The leader of the military of any nation is in a position of great power, authority, and responsibility.  A military leader is essentially responsible for the defense of a nation and the protection of its people.  It is only logical that a nation should trust the person who takes full responsibility of the armies of a nation.

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The Commander-in-Chief

The “Race for the White House” is currently in full swing as the Democrats and Republicans fight to put their best candidate forward to be elected as the next President of the United States in November of 2016.  One of the greatest concerns regarding who will be the next president is the issue of military defense because the President of the United States is also the Commander-in-chief of all of the armed forces.  The people of the United States want to know that they can trust the person who will ultimately be responsible for the most technically advanced military in the world today.

The Armies of Israel

In this week’s Torah Portion we read about the establishment of the very first Israeli military.  God commanded Moses and Aaron to arrange the armies of Israel by their families and tribes:

Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, “Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, every male, head by head from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their armies. With you, moreover, there shall be a man of each tribe, each one head of his father’s household. – Num. 1:1-4

All of the males who were of the age of 20 years and older and who were able to go to war were to be counted as part of the army of Israel.  They were to be counted by their families and their tribes.

God provided Moses and Aaron with a list of 12 individuals who were to be the head of each tribe (Num. 1:5-16) and then they organized the counting of all the eligible men of Israel for military service.  A detailed list of the numbers of men enlisted from each tribe is accounted for in Numbers 1:20-46.

The Men of War

When God instructed Moses and Aaron regarding the counting of the military men in Israel, He gave them the following conditions:

…from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their armies. – Num. 1:3

Outside of the age factor, twenty years old and older, God stated that, “whoever is able to go out to war” was to be counted.  This phrase in Hebrew is “כל יוצא צבא” – “kol yotzei tzava,” is literally translated “all who go out to war.”  These eligible men were to be numbered “by their armies” or in Hebrew, “לצבאותם” – “le’tziotam.”

“Tzava” – “צבא”  – “War & Army”

The word for “war” and “armies,” as used in the above verse, is the same Hebrew word in the singular, “צבא” -“tzava,” which can mean “a battle, a company, a host, a military, service, army, or war.”  All of the men of war who met the requirements were set apart from the others in the camp of Israel for the purpose of doing battle on behalf of the Armies of Israel.  The Levites, however, were exempt from the military as they had a service of their own to perform.

The Service of the Levites

In the same manner that the LORD set apart certain men from the Israelites to serve in the Israeli army, the LORD also gave specific requirements for the men who would serve from the tribe of Levi:

Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ households, from thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting. – Num. 4:1-3

The minimum age for those who would serve from amongst the Levites was 30 years old and the maximum age was 50 years old.  The Levites would have a more specialized service with a more defined age bracket determining when they could serve.

There were three different families among the Levites (the Kohathites, the Gershonites, and the Merarites) and each family would have different responsibilities in regard to the Tabernacle service, however, the age limitations for each were the same (Num. 4:3, 23, 30).  Even though the specifics of the work of the three separate family groups differed regarding the Tabernacle service, all of the Levites in this age bracket were called to serve the LORD.

We see a very interesting word usage in describing the service that the Levites were to carry out.  In the phrase, “all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting” (Num. 4:3), the word “service” is the Hebrew word “לצבא” – “la’tzava,” the same word which is used for the military men who go out to war.  In other words, the same word “צבא” – “tzava,” which is used for “war” and “army” is used to describe the “service” of the Levites.

Warriors & Servants

The Levites also had a battle to fight and a war to wage in their service of the King of Kings, however, the battle of the Levites differed from the armies of Israel.  Whereas the armies of Israel engaged the enemy and sought to defeat them, the Levites drew close to the LORD and sought to worship Him through the Tabernacle service.  Both the Levites and the Armies of Israel were commissioned to serve the LORD but with separate responsibilities.  All of the Israelite men, both the men of war and the men called to serve the LORD in worship, were commissioned by God to enter into His service in order to maintain peace and protect the people.

A Name of the LORD – “Adonai Tzevaot”

As we understand the significance of the word “צבא” – “tzava” in Hebrew, in relation to both military fighting and service to God, I believe another characteristic of the LORD is revealed to us.  A common name of the LORD in the prophets is the name “יהוה צבאות” – “Adonai Tzevaot,” which is commonly translated as “The LORD of Hosts.”  This phrase is never used in the Torah but only in the Prophets and Writings.  The phrase “יהוה צבאות” – “Adonai Tzevaot” is used approximately 250 times in the Bible.  What is the significance of the name “יהוה צבאות” – “Adonai Tzevaot?”

This particular name of the LORD, “יהוה צבאות” – “Adonai Tzevaot,” is usually translated as “The LORD of Hosts,” as mentioned above, however, the more literal translation is “The LORD of Armies.”  “Tzevaot” is the plural form of “tzava,” which often carries the meaning of a military army.

Adonai Tzevaot – The LORD of Armies!

We see this name of the LORD explained in context during the exchange between David and Goliath in the Elah valley:

Then 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, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’s and He will give you into our hands.” – 1 Samuel 17:45

Goliath had mocked David because of his youth, his small stature, and his primitive weapon of a sling and a few stones, however, David reminded Goliath that his real weapon was bigger than his sling and stones.  David’s greatest weapon was the God of Israel.

David told Goliath that he was not standing on that battlefield alone but rather in the name of his God.  David even went so far as to say that the weapons with which Goliath was coming against him were as nothing in the sight of his God.  David then declared: “…I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel…”  (1 Samuel 17:45).  David stated that he had come in the name of “יהוה צבאות” – “Adonai Tzevaot” and he followed this declaration by explaining exactly what this means, “אלוהי מערכות ישראל” – “elohei ma’archot Israel” – “the God of the armies of Israel.” His name is “יהוה צבאות” – “Adonai Tzevaot” – “The LORD of Armies!”

The Battle Belongs to the LORD

David fought Goliath and the Philistine armies on that day in the name and the power of “יהוה צבאות” – “Adonai Tzevaot” – “The LORD of Armies!”  There was a physical battle which David fought but David knew that he could only be victorious with the armies of the LORD.  The LORD fought for David and the LORD gave David and the armies of Israel a great victory on that day.

We need to understand and proclaim the name and power of the God whom we claim to know.  There is true victory in this life, physically and spiritually, in the LORD alone.  He alone is our victorious leader and He alone brings salvation to His people.  The battles we face on this earth will take various forms and we need to know our God well in every situation and fight in the power and strength that He provides.  The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jakob is “יהוה צבאות” – “Adonai Tzevaot” – “The LORD of Armies!”

A People Who Know Their God

The very first time that the name “יהוה צבאות” – “Adonai Tzevaot” is used in the Bible is in the first chapter of the prophet Samuel.  It is the familiar story of Hannah who was married to her husband Elkanah, yet barren and constantly ridiculed by Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah.  (Those were surely different days in regard to marriage.)  Year after year Elkanah would bring Hannah, Peninnah, and Peninnah’s children to worship the LORD at Shiloh and year after year Hannah would remember that she was barren and suffered the shame that accompanied barrenness.

Hannah’s Prayer

One year, In the midst of her desperate situation, Hannah remembered the God whom she knew and she poured out her heart to the LORD in prayer.  Her prayer is recorded for us in the book of Samuel:

Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.” – 1 Samuel 1:9-11

Hannah made a vow to God and promised the LORD that if He would give her a son, then she would give her son to the LORD all the days of his life, he would be a nazirite unto the LORD.

Praying in the Name of Adonai Tzevaot

Hannah was absolutely powerless to change her situation.  She had suffered for years in her powerless state and her position of societal shame.  Hannah believed in God but surely had to wonder where was God in the midst of her years of loneliness and shame.  When Hannah prayed this particular prayer, the very first words which came out of her mouth were “יהוה צבאות” – “Adonai Tzevaot,” – “The LORD of Armies!”  Hannah called upon the LORD of all creation and the Commander-in-Chief of the spiritual armies in heaven to hear her prayer and answer her plea.

The LORD heard Hannah’s prayer, accepted her vow, and granted her request.  God remembered Hannah and allowed her to conceive.  A son was born to her and this son of her vows was the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1:19-20).  After Hannah weaned Samuel, she dedicated him to the LORD and left him at the Temple.  The LORD then blessed Hannah and granted her five more children (1 Samuel 2:18-21).  The LORD heard Hannah’s prayer, removed her shame, and blessed her beyond what she had even hoped for.

Fighting the Battles of Life

We all face various battles in life, whether against a real enemy or an impossible situation.  We must know our God intimately and call upon Him to help us in the midst of our battles.  We need to be unashamed in our faith and bold in our belief while submitting ourselves to the spiritual authorities in our communities, as Hannah did in her prayer and subsequent conversation with Eli (1 Samuel 1:12-18).

There will be times when we will have to stand up to the enemy as David did in full faith to see the victory of the LORD.  There will be other times when all we can do is to pour our hearts out to God in prayer because we are too ashamed to even talk about our pain to others, as Hannah did.  In either case, we need to remember that one of the names of God is “יהוה צבאות” – “Adonai Tzevaot,” – “The LORD of Armies” and in this name is supreme authority over all other powers, even nature itself.  There is not magic in using this name but there is supernatural power in the God who bears this name.  We need to know Adonai Tzevaot intimately and change this world in His Name!

Shabbat Shalom!

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Torah Portion: Num. 1:1 – Num. 4:20

Hafatara: Hosea 2:1-22

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