20140812 Tuesday, August 12 2014
2 Chronicles 14: When The LORD Leads The Army

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled"

Asa succeeded his father Abijah (see Abijah and Jeroboam: Judah Versus Israel) as king of Judah (see Israel In History and Prophecy: Kingdom Of Judah; also Israel In History and Prophecy: Israel Of Judah).

"14:1 So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years." (2 Chronicles 14:1 KJV)

Asa was an overall righteous king - as his father had been (see also What Do Leaders Do?). Asa "commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the Law and the Commandment."

"14:2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God: 14:3 For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: 14:4 And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. 14:5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. 14:6 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.

14:7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered." (2 Chronicles 14:2-7 KJV)

Judah and Israel at that time were frequently at war with each other, as well as against the nations around them. Asa understood the reality that weakness causes war because it invites belligerence and invasion from arrogant people (who never start wars with strong nations). Asa therefore built a reasonably-sized army to defend his nation's peace.

"14:8 And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour." (2 Chronicles 14:8 KJV)

Asa's army consisted of 300,000 troops of Judah and 280,000 from Benjamin for a total of 580,000 men. It was a large army, even by present-day standards. Zerah the Ethiopian king however had an army of "a thousand thousand" i.e. a million troops. It was a bloated army of aggression that would have been a huge drain upon the nation - without invasions to make their "defense" profitable from war industries and the economic looting of occupied nations. So Zerah arrogantly invaded the kingdom of Judah - who were outnumbered two to one in troops by the Ethiopians.

"14:9 And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah. 14:10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah." (2 Chronicles 14:9-10 KJV)

Asa's skillful battle commanders and troops could still have achieved a victory, but the cost in human life in such a massive conflict in a small area would have been very high - along with the destruction within Judah. So righteous "Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, 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. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee." The LORD (Who was and is Jesus Christ - see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God) answered in a way that He had done numerous times before against hostile nations who started wars of aggression. The LORD confronted the million-man invasion army: "So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled."

"14:11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, 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. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.

14:12 So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. 14:13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil. 14:14 And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them. 14:15 They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem." (2 Chronicles 14:11-15 KJV)

Fact Finder: Is Jesus Christ going to return on a white horse? Will He be leading a great army on the day of His return?
Revelation 19:11-21 and see Revelation: Thy Kingdom Come