Several years ago Caedmon’s Call came out with a worship album. On the album was an old hymn (I actually have no clue, but I am assuming it was) called (again no clue) The Lord Is A Warrior. At the time I really didn’t get it. I understood that he was with the Israelites as they took over the promised land and he was with them in battle over and over again, but I couldn’t figure out why that would make a worship song. Aren’t there more important things that we could be singing about? Love, patience, dying for us. But recently, largely because we are studying Revelation (just one) at church, I have been thinking about God a little bit differently. We typically think of the nice and loving side of God. We leave the scary God of Wrath and Revenge alone. That is hard to do when reading Revelation. But I think it is this side of God that is helping me to understand why “The Lord is a Warrior” would make a worship song. There will come a time when God will say enough is enough. The blood of my saints has been shed long enough and I am going to come down there and seek revenge. It is then that I am glad God is a great warrior. It gives me comfort to know that God will look at the evil and injustices in this world and correct them. I’m just as glad that the wrath he will unleash is not for me. (As well I don’t want this wrath to be for anyone else).
