2 Chronicles 13:13-22: a reflection

13But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them; so they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14When Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried to the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. 15Then the men of Judah gave a shout. As the men of Judah shouted, God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16The children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. 17Abijah and his people killed them with a great slaughter, so five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell down slain. 18Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers. 19Abijah pursued Jeroboam, and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages. 20Jeroboam didn’t recover strength again in the days of Abijah. The LORD struck him, and he died. 21But Abijah grew mighty and took for himself fourteen wives, and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways, and his sayings are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.

Abijah and the army of Judah find themselves in a desperate position: Jeroboam has set an ambush behind them, so the battle is before them and behind them at once, surrounded on both sides. And in that moment they cry out to the LORD, and the priests sound the trumpets, and Judah gives a shout; and God strikes their enemies before them. Judah prevailed, the text explains, because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers. Surrounded, they turned to God, and he delivered them.

Notice why Judah prevailed: because they relied on the LORD. They were outnumbered and surrounded, ambushed front and back; by ordinary reckoning they should have lost. But they cried to God and relied on him, and he delivered them. The victory is credited not to their strength or numbers, which were against them, but to their reliance on God. When they leaned on him in their desperate position, he proved able to save.

That is an encouragement for the times when we are surrounded, outnumbered by our troubles, hemmed in with the battle before us and behind us. Our own strength may be plainly unequal to what we face; but the outcome does not finally rest on our strength, but on the God we rely on. Judah, surrounded, relied on the LORD and prevailed. When you are surrounded by trouble, outmatched, with difficulties pressing from every side, do not trust in your own strength, which may be unequal to it; cry to God and rely on him, as Judah did. The victory belongs not to the strong but to those who rely on the Lord; lean on him in your desperate position, and trust the God who delivered surrounded Judah to prove able to save you too.

Lord, Abijah and Judah were surrounded, the battle before them and behind them at once; and they cried to you, and relied on you, and you delivered them, so that they prevailed because they relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers. Encourage me with that for the times when I am surrounded, outnumbered by my troubles, hemmed in with the battle before me and behind. My own strength may be plainly unequal to what I face; but the outcome does not finally rest on my strength, but on you, whom I rely on. Judah, surrounded, relied on you and prevailed. When I am surrounded by trouble, outmatched, with difficulties pressing from every side, keep me from trusting in my own strength, which may be unequal to it; help me cry to you and rely on you, as Judah did. The victory belongs not to the strong but to those who rely on you; help me lean on you in my desperate position, and trust you, who delivered surrounded Judah, to prove able to save me too. I rely on you, Lord, when I am surrounded.