Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies. (Psalm 60:12)
When it comes to conflict, with a few exceptions, God’s people have always seemed to be outnumbered and outmaneuvered by those who seek their destruction. When the Bible recounts these combative encounters, the enemy always starts out stronger in physical strength and is first to spout threats and accusations against the armies of God. However when God’s people are in the right, rarely does such an auspicious beginning end well for their enemies. There are countless times recorded in Scripture when far superior forces are decimated by Israel’s smaller force; sometimes they were eliminated before Israel could take the field.
The point is that this seeming inferiority, at least in terms of what men place value upon, is purposeful. Rarely has He allowed His people to be in a position to depend upon themselves for victory but has always wanted His people to look to Him for their source of strength and salvation. When Israel fled from Egypt, it was God who delivered them and destroyed the armies that pursued them. When Gideon was tasked with engaging foreign invaders, he and his three hundred men had little to do once God set the enemy in disarray. Jehoshaphat and his forces arrived on the battle field after heavenly armies wiped out an entire army who had assembled against him.
God chose Israel, not because they were great and mighty, but because they were small and seemingly weak. But what the nations don’t understand is that the people of God don’t need to present themselves as mighty when the Lord is on their side; He fights our battles for us.
In another psalm, David wrote that while many will trust in chariots and horses, “we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7). In other words, many will place their confidence in their own abilities and things that are fleeting at best. But those who place their trust in the Eternal God need not fear any army or scheme that wicked men devise against us; our God goes before us to trample down our enemy. It may seem that you’re outnumbered and have been outmaneuvered by the enemy, but the God who uses foolish things to confound the wisdom of this world will enable us — those who appear weak and small — to do valiant things in His Name.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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