Before the battle begins

2 Chronicles 13:10-18 (NIV)

10 “As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. 11 Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him. 12 God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”

13 Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush was behind them. 14 Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets 15 and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands. 17 Abijah and his troops inflicted heavy losses on them, so that there were five hundred thousand casualties among Israel’s able men. 18 The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL7l2su6SgE&feature=youtu.be

Before we get into talking about this passage, let me, briefly, catch you up. We are at the time in Israel’s story where Israel has been divided. There are the 10 tribes of Israel, ruled by Jeroboam, and the two tribes of Judah, ruled by Abijah. Jeroboam has taken Israel in a different direction and has them worshipping false gods. Abijah, and Judah, still worship the Lord. Here, in this passage, Abijah is trying to convince Jeroboam that to fight Judah would be foolish. Even though Judah is outnumbered 2:1, with only 400,000 soldiers to Israel’s 800,000, Abijah reminds Jeroboam that Judah has kept God on their side. He is with them. 

I know it seems an odd place in the story to pick up and write about, but the Lord showed me so many similarities between myself and Judah. Similarities that, most likely, we, as believers, share. However, with this writing, I will only speak for myself. Abijah, begins to list to Jeroboam all that Judah does to keep the Lord before them. A list that I try to keep myself. They have their priest guiding them. I have my pastor guiding me. They offer their, literal, burnt incense every morning and evening. I offer my, figurative, incense, daily, by “may my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering”. (Psalm 141:2) They stand before their battle confident in the Lord. I stand before my “battle(s)” confident in the Lord. As I read this passage, I felt better and better about my faith and realized I go into my battles just like Judah did.

Before the battle begins, I stand, with my head held high, with my confidence soaring, because I know I have done all I can to keep the Lord before me and He IS with me. Then the battle begins. And my similarities begin to fade. I realized that, no longer is the Lord using this passage to boost my confidence in how I live out my faith with and in Him. He, now, is using it to challenge how I believe in Him when the battle actually begins. Judah is tricked by their enemy and is quickly surrounded on all sides with no way out. Although I often feel my enemies do the same, Judah’s response leaves me breathless. And a little called out. OK, a lot called out. Understand, they are vastly outnumbered. No one would have blamed them if they freaked out and cowered in the face of their enemy. Allowing what they saw, what surrounded them, to lead their actions instead of what they believed. But they didn’t. They stood tall. They remained faithful and believed the Lord was with them. They blew their trumpets, shouted their war cry and the Lord struck down 500,000 of Jeroboam’s men on the spot!!! What faith! What belief! Oh, how I wish my story and Judah’s still matched up. How I wish I could say that I stand and believe just as deeply IN the battle as I do BEFORE the battle. But, what the Lord showed me is how I beat my chest and proclaim His might and power UNTIL the battle begins. Once I am in it, I am in it. The battle overwhelms and consumes me. What I shouted with my mouth, I did not believe with my heart and even though His might is unmatched, I’m leaving Him on the sidelines unused. By His Grace, and in spite of my actions, the fact is, I DO have the power of the Lord on my side. Before AND IN the battle. The Lord is clear that IF I listen to and follow His commandments, He WILL be with me. ‭‭Judah showed not only here, but in the following chapter, that no matter the size of their enemy they believed their God was bigger. That HE would win their war. They understood that their challenge was not fighting but, to believe in God, in the face of their enemy. And they did. I know, like Judah, I am doing all I can before the battle, by keeping His commandments. Now it is time to emulate Judah’s belief and reliance in God, by blowing my trumpet and shouting my war cry, while surrounded by my enemy. “The sons of Israel prevailed BECAUSE they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers.” (vs.18)