The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Trust” it comes from the Hebrew Word “batach” which means “to trust, to rely upon.”
A new king brings genuine reform to Judah, then faces an invasion force of staggering size. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is 2 Chronicles 14.
Asa becomes king and does what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord, removing foreign altars and high places, breaking down images, and commanding Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and keep His law. During his early, peaceful years, Asa builds fortified cities throughout Judah, since the land has rest and no war troubles him, “because the LORD had given him rest.”
Asa raises an army of 580,000 men from Judah and Benjamin, all mighty men of valor. When Zerah the Ethiopian marches against them with a million-man army and three hundred chariots, Asa cries out to the Lord in genuine, desperate “trust,” “batach” in Hebrew, praying, “LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude.”
The Lord strikes the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and they flee in complete defeat, pursued all the way to Gerar, with such devastating losses that they cannot recover. Judah carries away enormous spoil, sheep, camels, and plunder from surrounding cities, all struck with fear of the Lord because of this remarkable victory, confirming once again that genuine trust in God, rather than sheer military numbers, determines the outcome of Judah’s battles throughout this entire book.
Asa’s prayer before this overwhelming battle captures the essential theology running throughout Chronicles, that victory depends entirely on God’s power rather than human strength, whether facing many or few enemies. His declaration, we rest on thee, models exactly the kind of confident, humble trust that consistently brings deliverance throughout this entire historical account.
Visit Us At: www.youtube.com/@BibleLifeBasics
Support Us On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BibleLifeBasics