צְבָא֖וֹת יְהוָ֥ה can
be translated as the LORD of the Armies. In short, He is the Supreme Commander. The word צְבָא֖וֹת (Sabbaoth) occurs 294 times in the Old Testament and they referred mainly to 'host, army, war, service'. The word is derived from the root word צָבָּא which simply means 'army'. Somehow, when this is translated as the 'LORD of Hosts', the meaning is slightly lost because for most people the word 'host' means 'a person who receives or entertains other people as guests.'
Haggai was addressing a remnant who had returned from exile and began to settle down in their homeland. They knew what it was to live under the rule of great kings who had big armies under their command. Here, God revealed Himself through Haggai as the Lord of the Armies, reminding them of their exile. In any army, the Supreme Commander is very powerful. Every word from him is a command. The Jews understood this very well because they had lived under the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and now under the Persian King Darius. Both were the Supreme Commanders of their own armies.
The returning Jews had settled down and it was easy for them to enter into their comfort zone and neglect the things of God. God now revealed to them as the Lord of the Armies. Haggai uses the words נְאֻם־יְהוָה which is translated as 'The LORD declares.' The phrase appears mainly during the exilic and post-exilic period. This again reminds the Jews who was the authority behind the word of prophecy.
Yet, we see the LORD of the Armies coming to His chosen people with a word of plea. Haggai used the words, שִׂימוּ־נָא which can be translated as 'Please consider....' Although we read in NASB that the LORD said, "Do consider," the word נָא is better translated as 'please' or 'now'. It is a form of persuasion, not a command. Here, we see that the Supreme Commander Himself coming down to our level to persuade us to consider first things first. The Jews who had returned from exile were more interested in settling down in their comfortable homes than to put the Temple first. While the Temple was described as חָרֵ֔ב (lying desolate), these people were living in the comfort of their own roofs.
How true it is that while we bask ourselves with the luxuries of life, we become so comfortable that we forget the words of the Lord in Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." If we want to see God's blessings in our lives, we should put first things first. Our priorities must be right. For example, first thing in the morning when we wake up, do we spend our Quiet Time with God or do we waste it away with the other distractions.
We should seek after the things of the Lord if we want to see His blessings in our lives. The צְבָא֖וֹת יְהוָ֥ה who is our Supreme Commander deserves our best and our first priority.
END.
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