Contemplative Bible Reading

2 Chronicles 14:12-13 (New English Translation)

12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13 and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out; they were shattered before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah carried off a huge amount of plunder.

This is part of the (hi)story of Asa, King of Judah. Asa had raised an army of 580,000 men. That makes it a little larger than the United States Army of 2023. That is a large army in times when just feeding such a bunch was a great feat.

Asa faced an invading force from Ethiopia (called Cush and the Cushites in the above verses). The Ethiopian army totaled 1,000,000 (a million) men. That is a really big bunch of mouths to feed as they walk from Ethiopia up to the land of Judah.

Asa’s response? Prayer, “Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army.”

The result? Asa’s generals and men defeated… NOPE, “The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah.”

The victory belonged to Jehovah God, the Creator. Different English translation use different words to describe the result. The translation quoted above indicates that all million of the invaders died or were rendered helpless.

In a practical matter, what do you do with all the dead bodies? In a spiritual matter, how do you praise and thank God for deliverance?

Translate to me today? How do I thank God for rescuing me, a pitiful little sinner with more problems that I can count yet having more blessings than I can count? That pretty much describes my life. Pitiful yet blessed.