And Asa
cried out to the LORD, and said. “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether
with many or with those who have no power: help us, O LORD God, for we rest on
You, and in Your name we go out against this multitude. O LORD, You are our
God: do not let man prevail against You.” (v.11)
Here in
chapter 14 Asa, son of Abijah, now reigns in Judah and did what was good and
right in the eyes of the Lord his God (v.2). “He removed the foreign altars and
high places, tore down the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherim, and commanded
Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to observe the law and the
commandment” (vv.3-4). He built fortified cities in Judah, because the land was
undisturbed, and the Lord had given him rest (v.6). Then, after 10 years of
rest, Zerah the Ethiopian king, came to make war against Asa with an army of a
million men and 300 chariots at Mareshah. So Asa went out to meet him in the
valley of Zephathah at Mareshah outnumbered two to one (vv.8 -10).
The
odds against Asa were enormous. There were a million men in arms against him,
beside three hundred chariots. It seemed impossible to hold his own against
that vast a multitude. There were no allies who would come to his aid: his only
hope therefore was in God. To Asa’s credit, he did not tremble before the power
of the Ethiopian king, nor see the ensuing battle as hopeless. He called on the
name of Jehovah for help, recognizing His power, His strength - then went out in
His name against Zerah, resting on the LORD.
We too can
be calm when everything seems to be going against us, by resting on the LORD.
Bring Him between yourself and whatever trouble you are facing, and our God, Jehovah of Hosts, can summon unexpected
reinforcements at any moment to the aid of His people. Believe that He is there
between you and your difficulty, and what baffles you will flee before Him, as
a million men did before Asa (v.12).
The
Truth
“Fear of
man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” (Proverbs 29:25)
