2 Chronicles 14 ~ Valor

2 Chronicles 14

14 Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David.

And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. 2 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim 4 and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment.

5 He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. 6 He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace.

7 And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 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.



9 Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.

10 And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

11 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.”

12 So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.

13 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. 14 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. 15 And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Tupperware, Good News, Dusty Mean Ol' Bad God of the Old Testament, war, killing and ignorance.

Pentateuch = boring.
Old Testament = goring.

We have to throw out the Tupperware of Summarizations.

David Crowder has a song with lyrics say God is "You are Glorious, You are Glorious"
"What does that make me?"

When we look at the Story of the Kings of Judah and Israel - we find our own stories. When Israel has peace, Israel believes the Promises of God. Be it 910-869 B.C. or 1967 A.D. Israel.

So a million warriors in the Bible, huh? Yes. Miraculous God does Amazing Wonders.

God has graciously given us the Archaeological Evidence of Asa and the war. Tel Dan Steele.


Psalm 81

1 Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!

2 Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. 3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon,
on our feast day.

4 For it is a statute for Israel, a rule of the God of Jacob. 5 He made it a decree in Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a language I had not known: 6 "I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket. 7 In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder;

I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!

9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god. 10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. 11 "But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.

12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. 13 Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! 14 I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes. 15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever.

16 But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."


When the faithful gather to read and believe the Word of God in believing and following God's Authority - they are not scattered like the Book of Judges - were people gather here and there to judge for themselves what is right. Like Eve did in the Garden of Eden.

The Lord told us to believe in His Willing Goodness. See Goodness approach. Renew again our belief in God's Wonders. Hebrews 7 says believe God is doing something new and good.

Isn't it wonderful to celebrate the Glories of God?

God who saw His Creation as Good 10 times in Genesis 1 and 2. God, our Almighty God speaks of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

God who raised up David out of so many terrible times. David's  22 years of endurance to believe with awe and wonder of the Love, Mercy and Tender Compassion of God.

Abijah's success against every effort by Israeli Jeroboam to defeat him. "Judah prevailed because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers." (2 Chr. 13:18) God gave the Kingdom to David and his descendants (1 Chr. 17:14) by a covenant of salt, meaning, of permanence. (Leviticus 2:13)

Isaiah worked so diligently and in his 3rd King, found Hezekiah to be like Asa - rejecting even his own father's idea to reject the Temple of God (to break down the gold and be a puppet state of Assyria) - Hezekiah Gloried in the Temple of God. Hezekiah Gloried in the Word of God. And in this faith - built up - what we can even see in Israel today of the Glories of this faith. Hezekiah probably came close to surpassing the amazing reign of Solomon.

We see the Old Testament with so many battles blending together, we forget to see - The Glory. The Victory of Faith. The call to be community believing the Word of God. Jesus Manifest.

The Glory of Josiah and the wonder of attaining a Book of the Old Testament.

The wonder of David to be considered by the Almighty God.

The Glories of Faith are in Chapters and Chapters of the Bible - never to forget - Faith is Life. Way, Truth and Life.



Abba,

Let us bask in Jesus. God's Word Manifest.

Let us breathe, live, move, rejoice and have our being. Jesus Christ, Only Son of God.

Let us draw up Jesus to us. Let us remember God's arms long to tenderly hold - His pinions enfold us. We are the tenderly loved little chicks of Father God.

Let us dwell on what is Good. Noble. Pure. Jesus, only Son of God.

Let us remember the Amazing Victories of God. Unbelievable and certain fact and truth.

Let the Light of Jesus Christ be my Light. And as water pours from the Temple as God's Blessing, let the Light of Christ shine through the millenniums and into my being. Let the Light of Christ flow from me to my Loved Ones, to the People You have given me. Filling my neighborhood, Church, city, county. The Light of Christ being Celebrated and Loved today. Our Faith, Hope and Love for Tomorrow.

Let the Light of God's Love fill our Nation. Flood us with Love. And cover the world calling to Jesus to Father God for the Love and Comfort of the Holy Spirit.

In Jesus we ask and are heard. Amen Father God, in Jesus. Only in Jesus are all things possible. Blessings upon You, Father God for Your Good Will, Your Word of God and Your Amazing Ability. Amen.

 ♔ Lord Jesus Saves †