1 Kings 20:23-28: a reflection

23The servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their god is a god of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we. But let’s fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. 24Do this thing: take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their place. 25Muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. We will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they are.” He listened to their voice and did so. 26At the return of the year, Ben Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27The children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and went against them. The children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of young goats, but the Syrians filled the country. 28A man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “The LORD says, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The LORD is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’”

When the Syrians are defeated, they reason that Israel's God must be only a god of the hills, not of the valleys, and plan to fight on the plains; but God shows he is God of the valleys too, delivering Israel to prove he is not confined. Their god is a god of the hills, the Syrians say; let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger. But God, hearing this, tells Israel he will give them victory in the valley precisely to show that he is not a god limited to the hills; he is God everywhere. The Syrians imagined God confined to certain places, limited in his reach; but God is not confined, and he showed it. This reveals that God is not limited to certain places or situations; he is God everywhere. God is not confined to certain places; he is God everywhere. God is God of the valleys as well as the hills. God's presence and reach are not limited to certain situations. God is with us everywhere, not confined to some places.

Notice the mistaken assumption of the Syrians and God's response. The Syrians, defeated in the hills, reasoned that Israel's God must be a local deity, a god of the hills, whose reach did not extend to the plains; so they planned to fight in the valley, where they thought his power would not reach. But this was a fundamental misunderstanding. God is not a local deity confined to certain places; he is God everywhere, of the valleys as well as the hills. And God determined to deliver Israel in the valley precisely to show this, that he is not confined or limited, but is God in all places. This corrects a mistake we can make too. We can imagine, in effect, that God is present or able only in certain places or situations, the hills of our life, and not others, the valleys; that his reach does not extend to certain circumstances, certain low places, certain situations where we find ourselves. But God is not confined. He is God of the valleys as well as the hills, present and able in every place and situation, even the low and dark ones. There is no valley so deep that God is not there, no situation beyond his reach. We can trust that God is with us and able everywhere, not just in certain places. God is God of the valleys too; no situation is beyond his reach. God is not confined to the hills of our life; he is in the valleys. There is no place or situation where God is not present and able. Trust that God is with you everywhere, even in the deepest valley.

That is worth resting in, for God is not confined to certain places or situations but is God everywhere, of the valleys as well as the hills, as God showed by delivering Israel in the valley. We can imagine God present or able only in certain places or situations, and not in the low valleys where we sometimes find ourselves; but God showed the Syrians that he is God of the valleys too, not confined. God is everywhere. When you are in a deep valley and feel God's reach does not extend there, remember that he is God of the valleys as well as the hills. Rest in the truth that God is not confined to certain places or situations but is God everywhere, of the valleys as well as the hills, as when the Syrians imagined Israel's God to be only a god of the hills and planned to fight in the plains where they thought his reach would not extend, God determined to deliver Israel in the valley precisely to show that he is not confined; for the Syrians made the mistake of imagining God a local deity limited to certain places, and we can make a similar mistake, imagining that God is present or able only in certain places or situations, the hills of our life, and not in the valleys, the low and dark places, as though his reach did not extend to certain circumstances, but God is not confined, being God of the valleys as well as the hills, present and able in every place and situation even the low and dark ones, so that there is no valley so deep that he is not there and no situation beyond his reach, and we can trust that God is with us and able everywhere, even in the deepest valley.

Lord, when the Syrians are defeated, they reason that Israel's God must be only a god of the hills, not of the valleys, and plan to fight on the plains; but you show you are God of the valleys too, delivering Israel to prove you are not confined. Their god is a god of the hills, the Syrians say; let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger. But you, hearing this, tell Israel you will give them victory in the valley precisely to show that you are not a god limited to the hills; you are God everywhere. The Syrians imagined you confined to certain places, limited in your reach; but you are not confined, and you showed it. This reveals that you are not limited to certain places or situations; you are God everywhere. Show me the mistaken assumption of the Syrians and your response. Defeated in the hills, they reasoned that your reach did not extend to the plains; so they planned to fight in the valley, where they thought your power would not reach. But this was a fundamental misunderstanding. You are not a local deity confined to certain places; you are God everywhere. And you determined to deliver Israel in the valley precisely to show this. This corrects a mistake I can make too. I can imagine that you are present or able only in certain places or situations, the hills of my life, and not others, the valleys; that your reach does not extend to certain low places where I find myself. But you are not confined. You are God of the valleys as well as the hills, present and able in every place and situation, even the low and dark ones. There is no valley so deep that you are not there. Take that to my heart, for you are God everywhere, not confined. When I am in a deep valley and feel your reach does not extend there, help me remember that you are God of the valleys as well as the hills, Lord, present and able in every place and situation, so that I trust you are with me everywhere, even in the deepest valley.