The Syrians had been defeated by the Israelites whom they despised. This victory had been achieved by so small a number of men over so vast a host that the Syrians were driven to the conclusion that there was something supernatural about it, and they ascribed their defeat to the God of Israel. They were right in doing so. Brethren, let not these heathen shame us. They knew to whom the crown of the victory belonged, and, little as they understood Jehovah, yet they recognized that his right hand and his holy arm had gotten for his people the victory.
Now, if the Lord has prospered you, if in your souls peace and joy are reigning, or if you have enjoyed success in Christian service, take heed that you do not lift up your horn on high and take honor to yourselves. Render all the glory to God, to whom it is most justly due. Let that psalm, “Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory,” be always on your heart, and often on your tongue. The tendency of the human heart towards pride is very strong, and Satan, the great usurper, is always eager to stir us up to rob God of his glory. Yet nothing is more fatal to peace, nothing more sure to provoke God, nothing more certain to bring upon us times of disaster and distress. “The Lord thy God is a jealous God,” and he is jealous of this thing, amongst others, that he will not give his glory to another. He will not allow those whom he uses for his purposes to ascribe their victories unto themselves; the Lord alone must be exalted. Whatever has been done by us, the great Worker who used us must have the praise. We have been nothing more than the axe in the hand of God if we have felled the cedar, nothing more than the net if we have brought the fish to shore. Unto him therefore be praise for ever. So far let us learn from the heathen Syrians.
From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "God of the Hills and God of the Valleys," delivered August 27, 1876. Image by Vinoth Chandar on Flickr under Creative Commons License.
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