2 Chronicles 20:17, commentary and pictures

The promise was given as Judah advanced against the enemy, going out in trust in the promised victory and praising God in song. Judah and Jerusalem were assured they did not need to win the battle by their own fighting, but were to take their position, stand firm, and witness the Lord's deliverance. They were to go out the next day without fear or loss of heart, trusting that the Lord would be with them. The command not to fear or be dismayed rested on God's promise to act for His people when confronted by a great enemy force. When danger threatened they were to trust Him rather than rely on their own strength, standing firm and going forward without fear to see Him bring deliverance.

Judah obeyed by trusting wholly in God, and He proved to be their fortress and deliverer. Their battle song expressed confident expectation that God would give the victory, showing that dependence on God and praise come before the victory. In every emergency today God's people are to feel that the battle is God's and not theirs, and when terror-stricken their part is still to set themselves, stand still without fear or dismay, and see the Lord's salvation while going out against the enemy because the Lord will be with them. They are not to trust in princes or put men in the place of God, for human beings are fallible and erring, while God is their strong tower of defense with all power and limitless resources. They are not to look at supposed impossibilities, for apparent impossibilities will make the victory all the greater.

In the warfare of carrying the truth, the Lord plans the battle for His people and qualifies them and gives fitness for the work, so there is no letup and no cause to hang down the head, retreat, faint, or be discouraged. This holds even when opposition grows stronger through ministers rallying against the work and opponents threatening loss of meeting halls. While souls keep embracing the truth and one baptism quickly follows another, enthusiasm is to be kept kindled, converts are to do their uttermost, and workers are to rally to help, erect places of worship, provide tents for different localities, and advance with protracted effort in the city and its suburbs. Those who would refresh souls thirsting for salvation must themselves drink of the water of life. The assurance that God's people will see His salvation applies to workers who humble themselves before God and trust Him for help and victory, calling each person to place dependence on God and praise Him, trusting Him to lead and deliver.