Courage - Day 4 (2 Chronicles 32:7-8)

2 Chronicles 32:7-8
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said."

The historical context of this verse reveals the extreme to which God really expects us to be strong and courageous. There is an Assyrian horde marching on Jerusalem. In verse 5, it says "Hezekiah took courage," and then in 7-8 he "spoke encouraginly" to Israel, telling them to "be strong and courageous."

Over these past four days, the command has been very consistent: "be strong and courageous." In each instance, we see great adversity (leading all of Israel, a monumental building project, bringing great moral reform to one's land, and now, a murderous horde marching towards the city), but we also see God delivering His people from them all. An important note is that there is always a close tie between divine deliverance and the leader seeking after God and living obediently (today is 2 Chron. 31:20-21).

Today's passage really emphasizes (in stark contrast to yesterday) the fact that while we labor, it is God who delivers us. Hezekiah's talk shows his faith, trust, and reliance is fully upon God, not on strategic maneuvers or the defensive preparations they had taken. "With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and fight our battles." (Emphasis mine)

Another thing I find interesting is that though they relied on God, they still made defensive preparations (v 2-6) and that they were fairly extensive ones! Despite their ability and their refusal to be slack, lazy, or idle, Hezekiah trusted in God, and God delivers them all.

Finally, what I find to be most intriguing is that it only says Hezekiah trusted in God initially. The people heard the words of Hezekiah and were encouraged. His faith and prayers kindled the faith of the people. This reminds me of studying the Armor of God in Ephesians 6, where it refers to the "shield of faith." The Roman Legions would use their shields to defend their neighbor as much as themselves, prompting me to think that if we fail to apply our faith, others could suffer as a result. We see this clearly in the scripture above. The influence of one is tremendous!