The Arithmetic of Faith: When Mortal Man Fights God
Introduction: The Audacity of Numbers
We live in a world that is obsessed with numbers, with metrics, with analytics. We are constantly measuring, counting, and calculating. We want to know the odds. We want to see the polls. We want to be assured by the sheer force of data that our side is the strong side. The world believes in the audacity of large numbers. A million men, three hundred chariots, this is the kind of thing that makes the world feel secure. This is tangible, measurable power. This is what makes kings tremble and nations capitulate.
But the kingdom of God operates on a different arithmetic entirely. The math of faith does not count heads; it counts promises. It does not measure armies; it measures the faithfulness of God. Our text today presents us with a stark contrast between the world's math and God's math. On one side of the ledger, you have Zerah the Ethiopian with a million men and three hundred chariots. On the other side, you have Asa, king of Judah, with a smaller army and a prayer. By any earthly calculation, this is not a fair fight. It is a slaughter waiting to happen. It is a foregone conclusion.
And that is precisely the point. God loves to arrange circumstances in such a way that no man can possibly take the credit. He delights in stacking the odds so overwhelmingly against His people that when the victory comes, there can be no dispute as to its source. He brings His people to the edge of the cliff, not to push them off, but to teach them to fly. This is not just a story about an ancient battle; it is a paradigm for every Christian, for every church, for every generation that finds itself staring down a million-man army of cultural opposition, of spiritual hostility, of personal despair. The question before us is the same question that faced Asa: on what will you lean?
The Text
Then Zerah the Ethiopian went out against them with a military force of one million men and 300 chariots, and he came to Mareshah. So Asa went out to meet him, and they arranged themselves for battle in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. Then Asa called to Yahweh his God and said, “Yahweh, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between those of abundant power and those who have no power; so help us, O Yahweh our God, for we lean on You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Yahweh, You are our God; let not mortal man prevail against You.” So Yahweh smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar; and so many Ethiopians fell that they could not recover, for they were shattered before Yahweh and before His army. And they carried away very much spoil. And they struck down all the cities around Gerar, for the dread of Yahweh had fallen on them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. They also struck down those who owned livestock, and they carried away large numbers of sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
(2 Chronicles 14:9-15 LSB)
The Overwhelming Threat (v. 9-10)
The scene is set with an impossible challenge.
"Then Zerah the Ethiopian went out against them with a military force of one million men and 300 chariots, and he came to Mareshah. So Asa went out to meet him, and they arranged themselves for battle in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah." (2 Chronicles 14:9-10)
A million men. Let that number sink in. This is not a skirmish; it is an existential threat. This is an army of annihilation. The three hundred chariots represent the most advanced military technology of the day, the ancient equivalent of tanks. They were designed to inspire terror, to break lines, and to crush infantry. Zerah is not coming to negotiate. He is coming to erase Judah from the map. He has the numbers, the technology, and the momentum. He has every reason for worldly confidence.
And what does Asa do? He goes out to meet him. He doesn't cower in Jerusalem. He doesn't send diplomats to beg for terms. He arranges his army for battle. This is the first act of faith. Faith is not passive resignation; it is obedient action in the face of impossible odds. Asa does his duty. He prepares for war. As the proverb says, "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD" (Proverbs 21:31). We are to make the horse ready. We are to show up. We are to arrange ourselves for battle in the valley, even when the enemy on the hill looks like a tidal wave of certain death.
The Prayer of Total Reliance (v. 11)
Having done his duty, Asa now turns to the one who determines the outcome. His prayer is a masterpiece of covenantal theology.
"Then Asa called to Yahweh his God and said, 'Yahweh, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between those of abundant power and those who have no power; so help us, O Yahweh our God, for we lean on You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Yahweh, You are our God; let not mortal man prevail against You.'" (2 Chronicles 14:11)
First, Asa appeals to God's unique ability. "There is no one besides You to help." He acknowledges that in a contest between the powerful (a million men) and the powerless (Judah), only God can balance the scales. This is not flattery; it is a statement of fact. Asa sees the situation with perfect clarity. He is not deluded about his own strength. He knows he is powerless. And this confession of weakness is the foundation of true strength. When we are at the end of our resources, we are at the beginning of God's.
Second, he declares his absolute dependence. "For we lean on You." The Hebrew word here means to rest upon, to trust in, to be supported by. It's the image of a man leaning his full weight against a solid wall. Asa is not hedging his bets. He is not leaning on God with one shoulder and on his military strategy with the other. He is all in. This is the kind of faith God honors, a faith that has no Plan B.
Third, he acts in God's authority. "In Your name have come against this multitude." This is crucial. Asa is not fighting for his own glory or for territorial expansion. He is fighting as a representative of Yahweh. He understands that this is not just Asa versus Zerah; it is Yahweh versus the pagan hordes. When we go in His name, we go with His authority and His power.
Finally, and most brilliantly, he frames the battle in terms of God's own reputation. "O Yahweh, You are our God; let not mortal man prevail against You." Asa makes God's honor the central issue. He is saying, "Lord, these men are not just fighting us, your people. They are fighting You. Their victory would be seen as Your defeat. Therefore, for the sake of Your own great name, do not let these mere mortals, this 'enosh', frail, dying man, claim a victory over the everlasting God." This is the most powerful argument we can ever make in prayer: that God's glory is at stake.
The Divine Response (v. 12-13)
The result of such a prayer is immediate and decisive.
"So Yahweh smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar; and so many Ethiopians fell that they could not recover, for they were shattered before Yahweh and before His army." (2 Chronicles 14:12-13)
Notice who gets the credit. "Yahweh smote the Ethiopians." Asa and his army were there, they pursued, they fought, but the decisive blow came from God. The victory was supernatural. The million-man army was not just defeated; it was "shattered." The word implies being broken into pieces, utterly ruined. And they were shattered not just before Judah, but "before Yahweh and before His army." Who is His army? It is, of course, Judah, but the phrasing implies more. It suggests the angelic hosts, the armies of heaven, engaged in the fight. When God's people go to war in faith, they never go alone.
The pursuit is relentless. Faith doesn't just win the battle; it secures the victory. Asa and his men pursue the shattered remnants all the way to Gerar, ensuring that the threat is completely neutralized. This is a picture of thorough sanctification. We are not just to win occasional skirmishes against sin, but to pursue it relentlessly until it is utterly routed from our lives.
The Fruits of Victory (v. 14-15)
The victory results in two things: fear and plunder. These are the twin outcomes of God's mighty acts.
"And they struck down all the cities around Gerar, for the dread of Yahweh had fallen on them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. They also struck down those who owned livestock, and they carried away large numbers of sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem." (2 Chronicles 14:14-15)
First, "the dread of Yahweh had fallen on them." When God acts decisively, it puts the fear of God into the hearts of His enemies. The surrounding pagan cities, allied with the Ethiopians, are paralyzed with terror. Their confidence in their idols and their military might is shattered. They become easy pickings. This is a key principle of spiritual warfare. When we stand in faith and God gives the victory, it sends a message to the spiritual forces of darkness. It demonstrates the supremacy of our King, and it causes them to tremble.
Second, there is plunder. "They carried away very much spoil." God does not just deliver His people; He enriches them. The very weapons and wealth that were brought to destroy Judah now become their possession. This is the principle of gospel jujitsu. God takes the enemy's strength and turns it back on him. He makes the wrath of man to praise Him. Every trial, every attack, every temptation that the enemy throws at us is, for the faithful, an opportunity for plunder. We come away from the battle stronger, richer, and better equipped than we were before, laden with the spoils of grace.
Conclusion: Your Million-Man Army
This is not just a fascinating story from the Old Testament. This is a spiritual diagnostic for every one of us. You have a million-man army arrayed against you. It may be an army of financial troubles. It may be an army of rebellious children. It may be an army of besetting sins, of lusts and fears that seem to have a million soldiers. It may be the overwhelming cultural consensus that mocks your faith and calls your God a fairy tale.
And you are standing in the valley of Zephathah. You feel powerless. The world's arithmetic tells you that you are finished. And in yourself, you are. But the question is, on what will you lean? Will you lean on your own ingenuity, your own strength, your own resources? If you do, you will be shattered.
Or will you, like Asa, confess your absolute powerlessness? Will you lean your entire weight on the character and promises of God? Will you go against this multitude in His name? Will you make His glory, His reputation, the central issue? Will you pray, "O Yahweh, You are our God; let not mortal man prevail against You"?
When we pray like that, when we live like that, we invite the God who smote the Ethiopians to fight for us. He loves to show up when the odds are impossible. He delights to shatter the armies of darkness. He loves to put His dread upon His enemies and to load His children down with the plunder of their victory. The battle is His, but the spoils are ours. So whatever million-man army you are facing this morning, look it square in the eye, and then look to your God and call upon His name. For there is no one besides Him to help.