But is there any help in the valley?

The king of Syria gathered thirty-two other kings and their armies along with chariots and horses to fight against the king of Israel.

The enemies descended upon Israel like a flood and besieged Samaria.

The king of Syria demanded that the king of Israel give him all their silver and gold and the best and loveliest of their wives and children. 

King Ahab was afraid of this great army that came up against him and agreed to the Syrian king’s demand.

But the enemy wanted more!

The enemy wanted to enter King Ahab’s house and hand-picked all that he desired and then take them by consent or by force.

This was too much for Ahab to bear and he refused to consent. All the elders of Israel agreed that he should not give heed to the enemy’s request.

So the king sent a message to the king of Syria that he will not do as he requested. The Syrian king pounded his fist on the table and swore to destroy Samaria.

But Ahab was not intimidated. “So the king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’ ” (1 Kings 20:11).

Thus the enemy feverishly plotted his attack. But, the Lord sent His prophet with a word of victory.

 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ (2 Kings 20: 13).

So it was that God used two hundred and thirty-two (232) young people in the province to lead an army of seven thousand (7000) Israelites into battle against thousands of Syrian army and defeated them.

How was this possible?

God allowed the Syrian king and his thirty-two additional kings to drink until they were drunk at the command post.

They were too belligerent to strategize wisely and too weak to defend themselves against the Israelites and so they fled in defeat.

But later in the spring of that same year, the Syrian king decided to attack the Israelites once more.

The Syrian king had a meeting with all his officials and they came to the consensus that the only reason why the Israelites beat them the last time was due to the fact that their God was a God of the hills and so they can only win the battle in the hills.

Was the enemy right in saying that God is a God of the hills?

Photo by Archie Binamira on Pexels.com

Proof the God is a God of the hills

God is indeed a God of the hills because in His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. (Psalm 95:4). The Lord owns the best things of the ancient mountains and the precious things of the everlasting hills (Deuteronomy 33:15)

• Moses spoke with the Lord via a burning bush at Mount Horeb – the mountain of God ( Exodus 3:1)

The Lord God descended upon Mount Sinai to speak to Moses and gave him the commandments.

Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. (Exodus 19:18)

The glory of the Lord rested upon the mountain and it was like a consuming fire 🔥 (Exodus 24:16-17).

• The mountain of God is a place of holiness and consecration.

Nothing that defiles can enter the Mountain of God and you must take off your shoes before you can enter the presence of God.

• On top of the mountain is a place of forgiveness and healing (Numbers 14:40).

The mountains will bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. (Psalms 72:3)

The Lord God will give you strength and He will make your feet like hinds feet to walk upon high hills (Habakkuk 3:19)

• Countless blessings are on top of the mountain and when God blesses you no man can curse you (Numbers 23; 27).

For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalms 50:10)

The Lord owns the best things of the ancient mountains and the precious things of the everlasting hills (Deuteronomy 33:15)

• Many battles are won on top of the mountain.

Therefore, whenever we are in trouble or in distress we only need to lift up our eyes to the hills, but where will our help really come from? Our help will come from the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. (Psalms 121:1-2 ERV)

He will not allow our foot to be moved because He will never slumber or sleep.

The Lord who dwells upon the hills and mountains is our keeper.

The Lord who dwells on the hills is our shade at our right hands.

The sun shall not strike us by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve us from all evil;
He shall preserve our soul.

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. (Psalms 121)

The Lord will protect and deliver us mightily because He is the God of the hills.

Thus the enemy was right when he said our God is a God of the hills.

But as usual, the enemy never gets his facts straight and this is where you can get the upper hand to defeat him mightily.

The Syrians opened their mouth and declared that God is not a God of the plains “so if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they.” (1 Kings 20:25)

But, the Lord heard the enemy’s plots in their secret place He sent a man of God to prophesy to the king of Israel saying,

“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.’”   (1 Kings 20:28)

The God of the valleys

Yes, our God is a God of the valleys because He is the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys. (Solomon 2:1)

• The provision of the Lord is found in the valley because the best of the oil and the wine and the chariots and horsemen are found in the valley (Genesis 14:10; Isaiah 22:7)
  The Lord will cause springs of water to erupt in the valley (Genesis 26:19;  2 kings 3:17; Psalms 104:10)

I will open rivers in desolate heights and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water, says the Lord (Isaiah 41:18)

• Battles are won in the valley (Genesis 14; Joshua 10)

• Miracles happen in the valley (Joshua 10)

The Lord will accomplish His awesome work and bring to pass his unusual act on Mount Perazim and in the Valley of Gibeon (Isaiah 28:21)

• The humble will be exalted in the valley (Isaiah 40:4).

• The dry bones in the valley will live again.

So, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”(Ezekiel 37:4-6)

• Protection is in the valley

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

Multitudes will come in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. (Joel 3:14)

• Blessings will flow on the mountain and in the valleys for the people of God.

And it will come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip with new wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Acacias. (Joel 3:18)

Thus, the Lord proves to the enemy that He is the everlasting God who rules over the mountain, hills valleys, and everything.

Bonus blessings

There are even more blessings that await us on top of the mountain and in the valley of the Lord.

All around the world are wars, strife, and unrest,

But there will come a day when the guns, bombs, and weapons of war will be melted and become tools to till the ground and there will be peace on earth because of the mouth of the Lord of Host who dwells on the mountain and in the valleys has spoken.

Isaiah 2 (ERV)

2 Isaiah son of Amoz received this message about Judah and Jerusalem.

2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s Temple
    will be the highest of all mountains.
It will be raised higher than the hills.
    There will be a steady stream of people from all nations going there.
3 People from many places will go there and say,
    “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the Temple of the God of Jacob.
Then God will teach us his way of living,
    and we will follow him.”

His teaching, the Lord’s message, will begin in Jerusalem on Mount Zion
    and will go out to all the world.
4 Then God will act as a judge to end arguments between nations.
    He will decide what is right for people from many lands.
They will stop using their weapons for war.
    They will hammer their swords into plows
    and use their spears to make tools for harvesting.
All fighting between nations will end.
    They will never again train for war. (Isaiah 2:2-4)

But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree,
And no one shall make them afraid;
For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
5 For all people walk each in the name of his god,
But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
Forever and ever. (Micah 4:4-5)

5 Family of Jacob, let us follow the Lord. (Isaiah 2:2-5)