Facing Your Fears
And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah. -2 Chronicles 14:9
Here we see a fearsome sight: an invading army, numbering one million strong. And in the previous verse, king Asa of Israel had an army of roughly 580,000 men. He was outnumbered almost two-to-one.
It’s hard to understate the dread that this sight must have brought about for the people, and especially the king. A foreign people, one that Israel was not familiar with, and as numerous as the sands of the sea, comes out of nowhere and invades the land as aggressors.
Asa’s response
In the face of this terrifying threat, Asa does everything right, and is rewarded greatly for his actions.
First, he doesn’t back down. Even though he’s probably afraid, he doesn’t let the obstacle intimate him or send him into hiding. “Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array…” (2 Chronicles 14:10a).
Secondly, he cries out to the Lord. In an act of faith, he trusts that God will see him through this difficulty and hear his prayer. Although he met the enemy in boldness and great bravery, he didn’t rely on his own might, but recognized that if he was to win the battle, it would only come from God’s favor. “And Asa cried unto the LORD his God…” (2 Chronicles 14:11a).
Last but not least, he pursues the enemy and gets a thorough victory. At almost the very onset of the battle, the Ethiopians fled before Israel. It would have been easy for king Asa to count his blessings and allow his enemy to flee. But Asa didn’t let them get away: for frequently when an opposing army is allowed to flee, they only regroup and attack at another more convenient time. “And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them . . . and they carried away very much spoil” (2 Chronicles 14:13).
The difference between survival and victory
In looking through the battles fought by today’s Christians, warfare occurs in the spiritual realm. And we are given armor, and a weapon:
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: -Ephesians 6:16-17
If we’re attacked with a fiery dart from the wicked, and we manage to stop it with the shield of faith, we’ve survived. But if we are attacked by the enemy directly, (much like king Asa was invaded by the Ethiopians), know that the risks are much greater, but so are the rewards.
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We ought not to only survive, but overcome.
We are given a weapon, the sword of the Spirit: not for defense, but for inflicting damage upon the enemy. When we wield the Word of God in prayer, we can have victory, and slay an enemy once and for all. And with it come the spoils of war: an open and unrestricted passage for God’s blessings to rain upon the land.
When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. -Isaiah 59:19
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