PODCAST

The Power of the One we Praise

August 30th, 2023

2 Chronicles 20:18-26

The Lord’s victory over invaders coming against Judah, in 2 Chronicles 20, is sometimes mislabeled “The Power of Praise.” As if the people of Judah by the power of their praise, led by a choir of Levitical singers, defeated the mighty coalition invading their land.

Judah’s worship was, instead, a response to the message of hope inspired by the “Spirit of the Lord” (20:14). “For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (20:15). Without the Spirit’s inspiration and the assurance of God’s word they would have been whistling in the graveyard, trying to get up courage to face their foe. It was “the Lord” who “set ambushes” against the invaders. The Lord caused fear and confusion, turning Judah’s enemies against one another. When the men of Judah arrived “they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped” (20:24).

Unless grounded in Spirit-inspired hope and God’s Word, our praise, to quote Paul, is only “a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1).

Author: Duane Brush