Psalms 139:23-24 and 145:1-3

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in 2 Chronicles 14. I entered into communion with the Holy Ghost in verse eleven:

2 Chronicles 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.

The beginning of Asa was wonderful. Revival spread across all of Judah and Benjamin. Asa was one of the few kings of Judah who addressed the problem of the “high places” (2 Chronicles 14:3, 5). The Ethiopians amassed an army of over 1 million against Asa’s 580 thousand warriors (2 Chronicles 14:8-9). Asa assembled his army and brought them into the valley of Zephatha  to a city called Mareshah.*

Asa “cried unto the LORD his God.” He said, “Help!” He intended to do his part, but he recognized his need for God’s assistance. He knew that God did not depend on men; indeed, it’s the other way around: “it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power” (2 Chronicles 14:11). He echoed Jonathan’s faith: “There is no restraint to save by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14:6). Upon this faith, Asa cried: “Help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude” (2 Chronicles 14:11). Then he said somthing that surprised me: “O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee” (2 Chronicles 14:11).**

Along the still waters, I exclaimed, What? “Let not man prevail against thee”? Did Asa believe men could prevail against GOD? Defeat God! Overpower God? No! He already asserted GOD was greater than any: “It is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power” (2 Chronicles 14:11).

Asa, like his father David before him, jealous for God’s reputation among the heathen, appealed to GOD to act so that the Heathen did not imagine they prevailed against GOD. It is not unusual for GOD to act with regard to the honour of His own name (Isaiah 48:11; Ezekiel 20:9, 14, 22, 44).

Let us appeal to GOD to deliver us from oppressors, from the unreasonable and wicked, for His name’s sake (2 Thessalonians 3:2). Are we not called by His name? (Deuteronomy 28:10; see 1 Kings 8:43; 2 Chronicles 7:1). Yes, we are (1 Peter 2:9-10 and Romans 11:17-21).

In the valley, kneeling in the shadow of His Cross, I reflected on Jesus’ struggle against the darkness of this world. The Father had delivered Him to the “power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). Jesus was miserably abused by unreasonable and wicked men, but rather than assert His privileges of divinity, He suffered for us so that He might deliver us from the power of darkness (Colosians 1:13). I was reminded that the Spirit calls us to follow His example: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

At the table, Jesus spoke to my heart with the testimony of Scripture about how God responded to Asa’s prayer: “So (therefore, or upon this, or thereupon) the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled” (2 Chronicles 14:12). God delivered Asa and the people of Judah from the mighty power of this world. GOD fought for them. He will fight for us. Remember yesterday’s devotion: “Wait on the LORD!”

He reminded me that we are called to “wrestle against … powers” in this world (Ephesians 6:12-21). Though the world brings all its force upon us, GOD IS GREATER: Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy followed us into the harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap.

https://rumble.com/v70emgi-shepherds-pasture.html

[*The city of Mareshah was located at the site now called Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park (https://search.brave.com/search?q=Beit+Guvrin-Maresha+National+Park&source=desktop&view=full&map_src=i&loc_id=loc4QFBD27IETI7UAZ27PGIJ44SBIACS62ZCV5IMXGI%3D&bbox=34.155%2C31.286%2C35.636%2C31.916&summary=1&conversation=ab7778516498ad853a2202). It’s about 1 hour southwest of Jerusalem, or southeast of Tel Aviv.]

[**Technical note: the versification in the Masoretic Hebrew text is shifted by one verse. In the Hebrew text, 2 Chronicles 14:1 in our KJV concludes 2 Chronicles 13 in the Hebrew text.]

[***See Psalm 143:11; 74:18 and Numbers 14:15-18, where Moses appealed to God on identical terms. See also 2 Samuel 12:14, where God expresses a concern that David had given God’s enemies cause to blaspheme.

There is one struggle in which God will allow men to prevail over Him. It is in the contest for the heart of men. He will not take our love. It must be given.

We can give Satan an advantage over us (2 Corinthians 2:11). We can resist the Holy One (Acts 7:51). God will have all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), but not all get saved (Luke 13:25-28), even though His blood was shed for all men (1 John 2:1-2).

How so? “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). How is this possible? Such men “love darkness rather than light” (John 3:17-21). These men embrace the seducing spirits that work through false teachers to blind their minds in the darkness of devils’ doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1-2).]