2 CHRONICLES 14:8-15 – And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor. Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. And Asa cried to the Lord his God, “O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah carried away very much spoil. And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.”
Theme: THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S. The Christian life may be simplified by one word, a powerful word that speaks volumes to every child of God. It is the word “war” and we know it by experience quite well. God’s Word tells us in detail of this conflict – Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:11-12).
In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he reminds us this war or conflict knows no ceasefire in this life – But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do (Galatians 5:16-17). One more thing about this war. The foes are much stronger than we are and so we look away from ourselves and to the Lord whose battle it truly is. That leads us to today’s scripture.
King Asa is a good king. The Lord commended him as such (2 Chronicles 14:1-5). He also was in a war. It was with the Egyptians. Like us, he was no match for his foes. Asa had 580,00 men. The Egyptians amassed a million. Not looking good, unless the Lord is on your side. And He was with Asa. He is with us, and the application for us is found in King Asa’s prayer.
In his prayer, he acknowledged the Lord is above all, including his enemies. He also confessed through his humility confidence in the Lord, and the relationship God’s people had with Him. And all apply to us. In the battles we face daily, take them all to the Lord, leave them with Him, and confess our dependency and confidence in Him. This is the warfare posture of every child of God. It reveals we know ultimately the battle is the Lord’s and He fights for us for His glory.
PRAYER: “Father, thank You for the victories over my enemies that You constantly win for me.”
QUOTE: “Christians are in a daily battle, and we fight following our Victor and Captain, the Lord Jesus.”