When Thor led his companions in an attack against the Frost Giants in the 2011 movie, appropriately named “Thor”, it was due to his ignorance and arrogance, always a dangerous combination. As a result, the attack led them into a trap that almost brought their doom. When they first arrived the land seemed empty, but then suddenly they were surrounded by the Frost Giants and vastly outnumbered. The battle was going against them until Odin arrived and rescued them, but at great cost to Odin and Thor. Ignorance and arrogance are a truly deadly combination that seem to live simultaneously in the hearts and minds of a whole lot of people. Not you and me, of course. We know better!

When God defeated Syria to protect Israel the Syrian king very quickly demonstrated a healthy dose of both. Ignorantly he attributed Syria’s loss to the superstitious belief that Jehovah was a God of the hills. Like all pagans his concept of god was weak and limited so the God of Israel had to be weak and limited too. When combined with the arrogant belief that there was no way his army could lose again it set him up for another great loss. Their brilliant plan was simple – fight them in the plain rather than in the mountains. So they gathered a huge army and camped in the valley waiting for Israel to come down to fight. They were arrogantly confident that victory was a sure thing (1 Kings 20:23-25).

When it came time to fight God was determined to show Ahab and Syria that He rules everywhere in the affairs of men. Israel, appeared like two little flocks of goats against the vast army of Syria. Despite their vastly inferior number Israel won another quick and decisive victory (1 Kings 20:26-30). As the prophet told King Ahab, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “The LORD is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.” (v28).

If we’re honest enough to look at our culture through God’s eyes we will see we’re facing a vast, and seemingly superior enemy. Even here in so-called “Christian” America. Are we willing to admit that even the religious folk around us live as if Jesus is a god of the mountains and not the valleys and have enough faith to go into battle against them? Jesus came to rescue us from our ignorance and arrogance at great cost to Himself. Let’s drink deeply from the well of God’s word to shed our ignorance and bow humbly before Jesus to shed our arrogance. Then and only then will we gain the victory.