Messianic Perspectives

Liz Aiello: Stay tuned as we talk about Jehovah, God of the Valleys today right here on Messianic Perspectives.

Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinctive first-century Jewish point of view. I'm Liz Aiello.

Today, Dr. Gary Hedrick will be talking about how we can trust the Lord not only when we're enjoying those mountain experiences but also when we're trying to find our way through the valleys of life. I'll be back a little later with information about a special offer, so have your pencil and paper ready. Now with today's study, here is Dr. Gary Hedrick.

Dr. Gary Hedrick: All right. Thank you and welcome, listening friend. It's good to have you on board today as we begin this series of Bible studies entitled Jehovah: God of the Valleys. And if you have your Bible handy, why don't you follow along as we read from this remarkable account in 1 Kings Chapter 20? We're going to get some Jewish history.

Verse one says, "And Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together, and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria and warred against it."

You see the hostility between Israel and Syria has a long, long history, doesn't it? It didn't just start when Israel took the Golan Heights in 1967. It goes all the way back to Old Testament times, thousands of years ago.

Here in 1 Kings Chapter 20, Ben-Hadad king of Syria was determined to destroy Israel. But he knew he didn't have the manpower to do it by himself. So he made an alliance with thirty-two other kings and together they formed a huge army.

They came against the Israelites in the hills of Samaria. But Ahab, king of Israel, with his little army of 7,000 men, slaughtered that huge Syrian army. Ben-Hadad, the Syrian king, was one of the few who escaped.

Then in the next part of the chapter, here's Ben-Hadad nursing his wounds, trying to figure out what went wrong because what happened to him and his army violated every law of military logistics he knew anything about.

The Syrians had Israel outnumbered and outmaneuvered. The Syrian army had all sorts of weaponry, chariots, and horses that the Israelites didn't have. The defeat of the Syrians by the Israelites just didn't make any sense to King Ben-Hadad. So his advisors came up with a theory.

They decided that the God of the Israelites, Jehovah, was God of the mountains. The Jews had won because the battle was fought in the hills of Samaria where the Jewish God of the mountain was in control. That was their conclusion.

So the Syrians came up with a plan. They thought if we can get the Israelites out of the mountains and fight them down in the valley, then we can destroy them. Down in the valley, they thought the Jews would be out of Jehovah's jurisdiction.

So that's what Ben-Hadad decided to do. The following year after rebuilding and remanning his army and re-equipping his army, Ben-Hadad was ready to attack the Israelites again. This time the Syrian army numbered 130,000 soldiers.

And it says they came to fight the Israelites not in the mountains but this time at the city of Aphek in the Valley of Jezreel. They thought the Israelites would be vulnerable down in the valley. And again, they had Israel outnumbered.

In fact, it says that when the two armies faced each other, the Israelites looked like two little flocks of goats compared to the Syrians who covered the countryside. It looked like a hopeless situation. And here's our key verse.

1 Kings Chapter 20, Verse 28 says, "And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Thus saith Jehovah, Because the Syrians have said, Jehovah is God of the hills, but not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord," literally, I am Jehovah.

You see that was King Ben-Hadad's big mistake. He didn't just challenge King Ahab and he wasn't merely challenging the Israelites. He challenged Jehovah God. And that was his mistake.

Listen, more than anything else, God wants His people to know who He is. Remember when Moses stood there at the burning bush in Exodus Chapter 3? And he said, "Lord, when I tell the children of Israel that they're supposed to pack up everything and leave Egypt, leave their homes, and go to a land they've never even laid eyes on, they're going to think I'm crazy."

"They're going to say, 'Who put you in charge anyway, Moses?'" So Moses said to the Lord, "Who do I tell them sent me? I don't even know Your name." Exodus 3:14 says, "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM." That's what Yahweh means, I AM THAT I AM. And he said, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

You see God wants His people to know who He is. He's the Great I AM, the self-existent one. He is Jehovah, Adonai, Elohim, God. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I AM.

He just is. He didn't used to be and He's not just going to be someday. He is right now, God. He is the God of hosts and the Holy One of Israel. The verb that comes from Yahweh is present tense.

Because what used to be doesn't necessarily help me right now, you see. And what's going to be someday doesn't do anything for me right now. But the God we serve, my friend, is the Great I AM. He's the God of the here and now.

Wherever you are right now, listening friend, He can meet you at your point of need. That's His name, I AM. That's who He is. It's like an incomplete sentence. You just fill in the blank depending on what your need is in any given situation. I AM [blank], you just fill it in.

In Genesis 22 when the angel of the Lord had pointed to a ram as a substitute for Isaac, Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh, Jehovah Jireh, meaning the Lord provides. Not the Lord will provide, but the Lord provides. Present tense. Right now.

The Lord didn't provide the ram ahead of time, He provided it on time. Sometimes we forget that's the way the Lord works. Not ahead of time, but always on time. Then later after the defeat of the Amalekites, Moses erected an altar and called it Yahweh-Nissi, meaning the Lord is my banner.

In ancient times, a banner was like a flag. It signified ownership and protection and Moses said, "Yahweh-Nissi, the Lord is my banner, the Lord is my protection." In Judges Chapter 6, Gideon erected an altar in Ophrah and called it Yahweh-Shalom, the Lord is peace.

In Jeremiah Chapter 23, Messiah is given the name Yahweh-Tsidkenu, literally the Lord is our righteousness. In Ezekiel 48:35 at the beginning of the Messianic age, this prophetic passage says New Jerusalem is given the name Yahweh-Shammah, meaning the Lord is there.

You see the name Yahweh is like a blank check. You just fill in whatever you need. If you need comfort and companionship, He's Yahweh-Shammah, the Lord is there. And when we realize how unrighteous we are, then we come to Him as Yahweh-Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness.

When we need peace, He's Yahweh-Shalom, the Lord is peace. When we need protection, He's Yahweh-Nissi, the Lord is my banner. When we need provision, He's Yahweh-Yireh, the Lord provides. And that, my friend, was King Ben-Hadad's mistake.

He was challenging Jehovah, the God of the Israelites. And if there's one thing the Old Testament teaches, my friend, it's that you don't mess with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So the man of God came and spake unto the king of Israel and said, "Thus saith Jehovah because the Syrians have said, Jehovah is God of the hills but He is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand and ye shall know that I am the Lord, I am Jehovah."

You see God wants you and me to know that He is God at all times, in all places, and in all circumstances. He's not only the God of the hills and the mountains, but He is also the God of the valleys.

And the result of the battle here in 1 Kings Chapter 20 left no doubt as to who was God of the valleys. Again, the Israelites were vastly outnumbered, but it says that 127,000 Syrian soldiers were killed in one day. It was one of the worst massacres in recorded history.

Because God said, "Ye shall know that I am the Lord." He wanted Ben-Hadad to know that He is Jehovah. He wanted His people Israel to know that He is Jehovah, the Great I AM, the self-existent one, the all-sufficient one. And He wants us to know it as well.

Listen, it's not hard to acknowledge the Lord in your life when you're on a mountaintop, when everything is going well for you and the blessings are pouring in from every direction. It's easy to praise the Lord from the mountaintop. But what about the valleys?

What about those times when the darkness seems to close in on you, when you feel forsaken and alone? That's when it becomes more difficult to acknowledge the Lord and to praise the Lord. We need to learn what King Ben-Hadad learned.

He found out that Jehovah is not only God of the mountains, but He's also God of the valleys. He's not only the God of the mountaintop experience, but He's still God when you and I descend into the valley. There is no adversity that can take me beyond God's reach.

There is no valley deep enough to take me out of God's jurisdiction. And on the next few programs, we're going to be looking at seven valleys that are mentioned in scripture. Each one of these valleys symbolizes a unique aspect of God's plan for His people.

If you know someone who's going through some tough times right now, why not call and invite them to tune in? Because we'll be talking about some principles that I believe will be an encouragement to them. Well, that's all of our time for today. Take care. Bye-bye.

Liz Aiello: Thank you, Gary. And thank you, listening friend, for tuning in today. You've been listening to Messianic Perspectives, the Bible teaching ministry of Dr. Gary Hedrick and CJF Ministries.

If you enjoyed today's study, you'll be glad to know that our special offer this week is the CD of this current series of studies on Jehovah: God of the Valleys by our Bible teacher, Dr. Gary Hedrick. It's available for a suggested contribution of just six dollars or more.

The series is also available in booklet form. The title is Jehovah: God of the Valleys by our Bible teacher, Dr. Gary Hedrick. It's available for your gift of just seven dollars or more to help us keep this program here on your station.

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Have you enjoyed this edition of Messianic Perspectives? Why not continue to learn about the Jewish roots of your Christian faith by inviting a speaker from CJF Ministries? Call our toll-free number 1-800-926-5397 and we'll be happy to handle all of the details.

And as always, when you're in touch with us, please mention the call letters of this station. If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that too. I'm Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won't you, as Dr. Gary Hedrick continues our series of studies on Jehovah: God of the Valleys right here on Messianic Perspectives.