No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. (Psalm 33:16-17)
History and simple logic teaches that a great and mighty army should always be able to overcome an inferior force, yet many a king has been vanquished despite his supposed superiority. This is particularly true when that superior force came against the tiny nation of Israel. Sennacherib of Assyria had conquered much of the known world in his day but, unfortunately for him, he blasphemed the God of Israel and besieged the city of His Presence, Jerusalem. In a single night, an angel of the LORD wiped out his entire army of almost 200,000 men. The king himself was spared for the time being but only briefly; he was later assassinated by his own sons. For all his supposed greatness, in the end Sennacherib was no more than any other man; his power was to no avail when compared to the greatness of Israel’s God.
When the Philistine champion Goliath taunted the armies of Israel for forty days and nights, Saul’s army cowered in fear at the sight of this huge and presumably powerful man. The king himself refused to go out to meet him, choosing instead to find someone with enough courage to face the giant. To the amazement of all, it was a young shepherd who finally stepped up to meet the challenge. But that young shepherd understood something that, apparently, everyone else in Israel had forgotten — the enemy’s champion was opposing the armies of the Living God and was, consequently, unprotected.
What the world considers strong and invincible — whether a mighty army, the strongest horse or the most effective leader — is always vulnerable. Anything man can muster or employ to assert influence and authority will always be inferior to the strength and power of the Almighty. Therefore as His people, we should never shrink in the face of the world’s mightiest when they taunt, threaten and accuse. Regardless of their numbers and presumed power, remember that, “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings 6:16). Let them trust in their horses and chariots; “we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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