Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. (2 Chronicles 20:14-15)

It Never Has Been Our Battle

Judah was in peril from the people of Moab, Ammon, and the people of Mount Seir as their armies had been drawn up to battle against Jehoshaphat. The king was afraid and sought the counsel of the Lord. A fast was proclaimed. All the cities of Judah came together to seek the Lord. They voiced their allegiance to the Lord who had fought their battles and won the victories. Now with the danger of the large army gathered before them, the people of Judah sought the voice of God. A Levite named Jahaziel came before the people of God and assured them the enemies of the Lord would be defeated. They would not need to fight in the battle. If they would stand still and seek the salvation of the Lord, their enemies would be vanquished. The next morning they obeyed the voice of God and the Moabites, Ammonites, and the people of Mount Seir were destroyed by the hand of the Lord.

There are many battles throughout the Bible story. One of the most important reasons for the telling of the stories is to show that when men put their trust in God, the battle belongs to the Lord. Jahaziel reaffirmed what had been true from the beginning of time. Trusting in the Lord is letting Him fight the battles. Victory comes to those who trust in His power, His will, and His knowledge to overcome Satan. Some of the Biblical battles were spiritual while many were nations against nations. Adam and Eve fought the first war against Satan and lost because they did not trust in the word of the Lord. Cain lost his battle with sin when he allowed hatred to kill his brother. The world of Noah was destroyed when humanity turned away from God and sought to fight the devil alone. Noah and his family gained the victory over sin when they showed their faithfulness to God.

The nation of Israel fought many battles against the nations around them from Egypt to the Philistines and great empires of the world. All of their successes came from the hand of the Lord. Their defeats were from faithless trust in their own power. The Egyptian army was drowned in the Red Sea by the power of God but Israel was defeated by the Canaanites when they refused to trust the power of God at Kadesh-Barnea. Throughout the forty years journey to Canaan, the Israelites struggled to learn the lesson that God fights their battles. The great city of Jericho highlighted the power of God to defeat all enemies and the same army was defeated by the city of Ai because of sin. There is no reason to be afraid or dismayed when the heart believes the battle is not in the power of man but the power of God.

The Christian must fight against the forces of evil every day. There are legions of temptations surrounding the heart, mind, and soul of the people of God. The conflicts of the past that pitted nations against nations are long gone but the greater battle remains. There is fear and trepidation from current events. Health concerns with a global pandemic cause hearts to become weak in the face of uncertainty. Political posturing has succeeded in filling the minds of citizens with unsettling dread of who will be the next President of the United States. Economic uncertainties drive the spirits of men to abandon God. Fear reigns – why? The COVID virus will come to an end one day. Whatever happens on November 3 will not change the fact that on November 4 God is still in control. There is one thing almost everyone will miss on Wednesday morning: the sun will rise and the birds will sing and there is nothing man did to make that possible. If the Lord wills, the sun will rise and the animals will scurry around like they always have without a care in the world. Why? Because God takes care of them. Next week, next month, and next year should be a time to remember the battle belongs to the Lord. Trust in God. Let the heart know the Lord is in charge. He holds our breath in His hand – why worry?