1 Kings 20:23-30
The Syrians Again Defeated
23 Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they. 24 So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places; 25 and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they.”
And he listened to their voice and did so.
26 So it was, in the spring of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the countryside.
28 Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’” 29 And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day. 30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left.
And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner chamber.
The LORD is God over all hills and valleys, from the lowest to the highest parts of all creation. The king of Syria listened to the lies of his subjects to believe otherwise because they imagined Yahweh was only sovereign in the hills and they could defeat His people in the valley of the plains. They rebuilt an army under this delusion with captains taking the place of the kings who previously led their troops and lost against God’s people. They made the fatal mistake of underestimating the LORD and attributing the previous strength of Israel’s victory to the men and not to their God who fought the battle for them. We need this reminder as we contend with the unseen forces (Ephesians 6:12) set against the Lord and His Anointed (Psalm 2:2) whom we fight for the testimony of (Revelation 12:17) the gospel. When the Syrians attacked in this false assumption of the source of the strength of God’s children, filling the countryside with a massive army, the victory was given by the LORD over them to prove to the enemy that He is indeed the sovereign King over hill and dale, unlimited in power and purpose to deliver and protect His own people. The same LORD over these hills and valleys fights for us as we engage the enemy with the sword of the Spirit which is the testimony of the word of God’s gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of the person and work of Christ to set men free from judgment on their sin of unbelief in that power that breaks the chains of the enemy who has us in bondage (Hebrews 2:14-15), captive to doubt and deny the King of kings who is sovereign over all things everywhere. The truth of God’s power and will to deliver us give us lasting victory over the enemy in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57) and therefore over death and sin in this powerful grace of our Commander of all battles and wars. He delivers us no matter where we are, high in protected strongholds or low in fields open to attack by the enemy because the battles (Deuteronomy 3:22, 2 Chronicles 20:15, Revelation 19:15, 16) and victory belongs to Him.
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