Courage - Day 3 (2 Chronicles 15:7)

2 Chronicles 15:7
"Be strong, therefore, and let not your hands be weak and slack, for your work shall be rewarded."

Reminiscent of Joshua 1:5-9 and 1 Chronicles 28:10, God instructs us to "be strong." This continuity and recurring theme seems to be important...

Examining this verse, the "therefore" is a little interesting (some translations won't have it, the above is from the amplified version). If one reads the previous verses of 2 Chronicles, we see in verse 2 that if we seek God, He will be found by us (reminiscent of 1 Chronicles 28:9, from yesterday). The verses that follow talk of how Israel was without God, a teacher, and the law, yet how in their desperation when they sought God, they found Him. (It seems this is something that often happens with us -- we only seek God in desperation, after everything has gone wrong. What would happen if instead of relying on our own strength, we took things to God before they became a problem and allowed Him to guide and direct us through life?) Lastly, the preceding verses talk of the Israelites lack of peace, their afflictions, the disturbances, and the adversity in their lives (interesting connection here, summed up by a bumper sticker: No God, No Peace. Know God, Know Peace).

In light of this all, the "therefore" makes more sense. If we look at all of these challenges that were facing the Israelites, it makes sense that they would have to be strong as a result, and that they could not be lazy or idle.

In the Key Word Bible, the word "be weak" is Ràphà, which is to be idle, lazy, diheartened, or feeble. It can also mean "to lose courage." Unfortunately, the word for "hands" is not listed, but if it is the word Yàd (Ps. 18:19-20), this can mean power, strength, and assistance. So we could potentially rephrase this verse as "Be strong and do not lose courage or be lazy in applying your strength..."

Finally, what really leaps out at me is the explicit statement that God rewards our physical labor. Often it seems easy to forget or ignore that God is totally in control and that He is who decided how we perform in any situation. Experientially we know that the harder we work, the better we (often) will do, but we must also remember that it is, not because of our efforts that we succeed, but because God rewards our labor.

This also reminds me how foolish it is to simply sit around and wait for God to do something for me. (Essentially, "God helps those who help themselves.") I must get up, be diligent, work as though it depends on me, while praying as though it all depends on God, because God rewards our labor.