Jehovah is a Man of war, Jehovah is His name. Back in Exodus 6:2-3, God told Moses that He would reveal Himself in a far more personal and intimate way than He had to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The patriarchs of old had definitely come to know some of the aspects of God’s attributes, but what Moses and the Hebrews would learn of Him on the Exodus march was unprecedented. He is the God of my fathers, the line preceding Exodus 15:3 declares, but he is my LORD, my Jehovah.
One of the very first qualities of God revealed to the Hebrews is that the Lord is a “Man of war.” It is striking that the Israelites would ever choose the term Man to describe God at all (the terminology is, in fact, identical in the Hebrew: “Man of war” rather than “God of war” is the intent even in the original). To employ an anthropomorphism, to ascribe human attributes to the Living God is indeed a peculiar thing to find right in the middle of a poetic hymn exalting the strength and majesty of the Lord. For the Christian to speak of God in human terms is not strange at all; we know the Humanity as well as the Deity of the God-Man, Jesus Christ. But it is an unexpected thing to find in this earliest of Jewish literature.
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.” (Revelation 19:11)
A lot of people like to think of Jesus Christ as a gentle, meek, pacifist with flowers in His hair Who went around trying to get everybody to be nice to one another. But He Himself plainly stated that he did not come to bring peace to the world, but a sword (Matt. 10:34). If we receive the Salvation that He freely offers then, yes, we have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). But God is not the bringer of peace to those who reject and defy Him. Ask the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea if Jehovah was a God of peace toward them. No, He was a God of judgment, a Man of War. Jesus Christ came to earth to offer Himself as Savior to any who would receive Him; to those who do, He is the Prince of Peace. For those who reject His offer and refuse Him, only judgment remains. The choice lies with each one of us.
To God goes all glory. In service to Him,
Loren
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