“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. So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places; 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.”
I Kings 20:23-25 NKJV
a. Their gods are gods of the hills: The idea of the localized deity was prominent in the ancient world. They felt that particular gods had authority over particular areas. Because the recent victory was won on hilly terrain, the servants of the king of Syria believed that the God of Israel was a localized deity with power over the hills, not the plains.
i. Here they imagined that God could be molded into an image that they wanted or could relate to. “The art of god-making is very common among men. Instead of going to revelation to see what God is, and humbly believing in him as he reveals himself, men sit down and consider what sort of God he ought to be, and in so doing they are no wiser than the man who makes a god of mud or wood or stone” (Spurgeon).
ii. Many today think that God is a God of hills but not of the plains. They think God is a God of the past but not of the present. They think God is a God of a few special favorites but not of all His people. They think that God is God of one kind of trial, but not of another kind. “Depend upon it, since Satan could not kill the church by roaring at her like a lion, he is now trying to crush her by hugging her like a bear. There is truth in this, but it is not all the truth. Do you really think, my brethren, that God cannot preserve his Church in the particular trial through which she is now passing? Is he the God of the hills of persecution, but not the God of the valleys of prosperity?” (Spurgeon).
iii. “Will God aid a Whitfield and not help a poor local preacher holding forth upon the green? Will he assist the earnest minister who addresses thousands, and desert the simple girl who teaches a dozen little children the old, old story of the cross? Is this after the fashion of God, to patronise the eminent and neglect the lowly? Does Jesus despise the day of small things?” (Spurgeon)
b. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they: The action they recommended was logical, given their theology. Their theological belief directed their advice and action. (Guzik)
Put God in a box?
The servants of the king of Syria wrongly believed “Their gods are gods of the hills”! You can’t put God in a box and shape Him to fit your image of what you think God should be. He is the God that created the heavens and the earth!
Do you only open the God box only on Sunday?
No my friends! He is either the God of everything or you are worshipping the wrong god!
Recently we have been hanging a bird feeder with sunflower seeds and have been enjoying the seasonal birds that have been feeding on them. I thank God for their beauty and their wonderful singing! After a long hard winter it’s a blessing from God to witness the wonderful nature of spring!
Do you thank God for the simple things in life, like birds singing?
Blessings
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