Honoring The Ultimate Father Series

Image #2: God is our Master.

1.2.3 God is our King

The Bible says God is like a lion (Isaiah 31:4), He’s like an eagle (Deuteronomy 32:11), and He’s like a lamb (Isaiah 53:7). But beyond all these great characteristics, God is our king: “For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations” (Malachi 1:14b). I am reminded of a song that many Christians sing to God throughout American churches:

The splendor of the King

Clothed in majesty,

Let all the earth rejoice,

All the earth rejoice.

He wraps Himself in light,

And darkness tries to hide,

And trembles at His voice,

And trembles at His voice.

And the chorus moves to these words, “How Great is Our God!”

A century before, Christians would sing this great hymn:

O worship the King all-glorious above,

O gratefully sing his pow’r and his love;

Our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,

Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

Image #3: God is our King.

1.2.4 Lord of Hosts

Now, added to these three images of Father, Master, and King is a unique name for our God. Malachi uses a special name for God, and I want you to catch the whole meaning of it. Eight times in nine verses, Malachi calls God “the Lord of hosts.” Malachi goes on to use the name “the Lord of hosts” twenty-four times in just fifty-seven verses. This is Malachi’s favorite name for God, Yahweh of the Armies. The specific name in Hebrew is Yahweh of hosts is a name of God with military connections. God is the commander of angel armies.

Malachi pictures God here as a great general, a commander of armies plural. Malachi wants us to see and feel that our Father in heaven has infinite authority in all the universe. He can wield any and all troops on the earth to accomplish His purposes among the nations. Our God has myriads of unstoppable angels who do His bidding flawlessly, and they never fail to do His errands.

1.2.5 God is So Great

A young lady and pastor’s daughter when off to a state school here in Texas, and the very 1st person she met said, “There is no God. There has never been any God. If there is a God, I am he.” This same young lady went to her first class, where her professor announced: “I want to serve notice on you right away that the idea of God is obsolete.” God is so great that those who don’t believe in Him define even their lives by their lack of belief in Him!

1.3 Putting it All Together

Put it all together now: God is Father, Master, King, and General. Our God is a Father who provides for us; He is a Master who commands us;

The Almighty is a King who reigns over us; And He is the Lord of Angel Armies and every other kind of army! God has no comparison and no rival. He has no due date of expiration. He never ages and He is never irrelevant.

1. Knowing the Real God

2. Really Honor the King

“When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 1:8).