Romans 9:29 It is just as Isaiah said previously: “Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.”

Recently as I woke up one morning the words of an old song came to mind: “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. Our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing ….” This song was written by none other than Martin Luther, the great champion of the Word of God. In the song he reminds us that we have the right Man on our side, The Man of God’s own choosing, Christ Jesus, Lord Sabaoth is his name.

This led me to try to find out the meaning of the name Lord Sabaoth. In Romans 9:29 in the NIV it is translated as “Lord Almighty”. This verse is actually a quote of Isaiah 1:9 and in the New King James Version the term “Lord of hosts” is used. Isaiah was addressing the people of Judah and Jerusalem about their rebellion against God. He saw a vision of desolation after God’s judgment and concluded that unless the Lord Almighty spared a remnant no one would be left.

When I read the first chapter of Isaiah, the hairs on my hand stood up because the condition of the nation Isaiah was describing seemed so similar to the way things are today. The same call to “Hear, O heavens and give ear, O earth” is still God’s heart for our nation. He judged his people then. For the most part, as a nation we too have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned our backs on Him. The good news is that before the Book of Isaiah ends hope is given in the promise of the Savior. Well, the Savior has come and brought us new hope, and as Martin Luther concluded, God has willed that his truth should triumph through us. We have a Savior who is pleading daily with each of us to turn to Him. We have the Word of truth and access to the power of the Holy Spirit. So, indeed we have the Lord Almighty on our side for now, waiting to rescue us as we humbly acknowledge our need of Him.