The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place. (Psalm 68:17)
When an earthly king goes out to war, he is accompanied by a great and, hopefully, superior army. Obviously, this is meant to intimidate his enemy and insure that his interests have the best possible opportunity of success. On the other hand, when that same king sues for peace with other nations, he will send a small delegation as his representatives because, if his team seems too overwhelming, it might undermine the objective of the peace mission.
In sharp contrast, when God goes to war against His enemies, He goes alone. It is not necessary for Him to assemble a vast army in order to insure a victory; when the Almighty decides to do battle, the outcome is already determined. As it is written, “The Lord is a man of war” (Exodus 15:3). On the other hand, when God came to Sinai to invite Israel to enter into covenant with Him, David says that He was escorted by thousands of angels. This being so, what can we glean from this notion?
When Messiah came into this world, it was to reconcile man to God, and that “He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). And when He came to wage war against darkness, He did not bring with Him tens of thousands of angels; in a sense, He did it alone. By His own admission, He could have prayed and the Father would have sent twelve legions of angels — but He did not do that. He conquered death, hell and the grave by walking in the authority and power invested in Him by the Father. In short, He won because the Father had already ordained it. As John recorded, “the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).
Of course, the story is not yet complete because we have the promise that He will return soon. When He returns, He will finish what He started; once and for all, He will put down all of His enemies and execute justice. Moreover, His rule will initiate a new era of true and lasting peace on the earth, hence the title, Prince of Peace. But the best part is this: when He comes to earth to rule and reign, we who are His people will accompany Him. As it is written: “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints.” We will live in His sight and, along with the myriads of angelic beings cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty; who was, who is and who is to come.” What a glorious day that will be.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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