“Do you really think you can stand against the kingdom of the LORD…? The LORD is our God, and we have not abandoned him…God is with us. He is our leader…do not fight against the LORD…for you will not succeed!”
“When Judah realized that they were being attacked from the front and the rear, they cried out to the LORD for help...”
2 Chronicles 13:8, 10, 12, 14 NLT
Ten tribes of Israel had experienced God’s faithfulness for centuries but traded that relationship for the gods of worldly kingdoms. It wasn’t long before they even attacked their brothers who had remained in God’s Kingdom.
Wisely, the tribes of Judah recognized the real battle was not between brothers, but between kingdoms. Judah tried to warn their brothers not to fight against God, but Israel proudly persisted and soon their larger army surrounded Judah.
We too may feel surrounded by the kingdoms of this world. But be encouraged by what the men of Judah did—they cried out to their God and then shouted the victory, BEFORE the battle even began! At the sound of Judah’s declaration of trust, GOD defeated the other kingdom so soundly that their king never again regained his power. (vs 15, 20)
We need GOD’s wisdom to “fight” other kingdoms. The men of Judah did not fight in an earthly kingdom manner—they simply declared to which kingdom they belonged, “The LORD is OUR God, and we have NOT abandoned HIM!” Our battles are never against people; but against the gods of whatever kingdom those people serve. So, instead of fighting people, let’s make declarations about our GOD and watch HIM defeat the enemy’s kingdoms so soundly they never regain power!
“The LORD is OUR God—we will NOT abandon HIM—the battle is HIS!”
