The phrase “God of the hills and valleys” comes from 1 Kings 20:28, which says: “And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Because the Syrians have said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills 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.”'”
This verse refers to a battle between Israel and Syria. The Syrians believed that the God of Israel had power in the hills, where Israelite armies were used to fighting, but not in the valleys. So they tried to engage the Israelites in battle on the plains, hoping their gods would give them the advantage there. But God showed His sovereignty over both the hills and valleys by defeating the Syrians.
Calling God the “God of the hills and valleys” emphasizes a few key truths:
- God is omnipotent – He has power and authority over all creation, not just certain areas. Saying He rules the hills and valleys expresses His universal dominion.
- God is omnipresent – Just as God is present everywhere, from the peaks of the hills to the depths of the valleys, He is able to act on behalf of His people no matter where they are.
- God is greater than false gods – The Syrians believed their gods had limited power over certain territories. The true God of Israel reigns over all.
- God cares for all His people – Hills and valleys represent different terrains, economies, lifestyles, and means of living. But God cares for and protects His own in all situations.
This title for God appears one other time in Scripture, in a prayer of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:8: “He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.”
Again, the phrase emphasizes God’s authority over everything He has made. Hannah praises God as the one who sovereignly lifts up the poor and needy, because the whole earth and everything in it belongs to Him.
Some key lessons we can take from this title of God are:
- There are no limits on God’s power or presence – He reigns over every part of creation.
- God cares for all His people equally, regardless of status or circumstances.
- God deserves worship and obedience from all people everywhere, not just in certain places or situations.
- God is not restricted by location or terrain – He hears prayers and acts on behalf of His people wherever they may be.
- No false god invented by human beings can compare to the true, omnipotent, omnipresent Creator who rules the whole world.
In summary, calling God the “God of the hills and valleys” in Scripture emphasizes His complete sovereignty over all of creation, His presence with all His people, and His superiority over the false gods of other nations. This title for God appears in narratives about His miraculous works on behalf of Israel, reminding them that their deliverance comes from the Lord who reigns everywhere.
When we face challenges like the Israelites did, we can take confidence in the fact that our God is not limited by location or human limitations – He is all-powerful and eternally present with us, no matter where we are. He cares for each of His children and works on our behalf, not just when we are in comfortable or familiar situations but in every season and circumstance of life. Just as hills and valleys represent all kinds of terrain, God rules over every peak and valley we walk through.
One of the key differences between the God of the Bible and the false gods of other nations is that He is consistently described as having universal authority and dominion over all aspects of creation. Other ancient religions often had competing gods who ruled over different realms – a sky god who controlled weather, a sea god who ruled the oceans, a sun god who gave light, etc. But the biblical God reigns over everything. As Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” He is not limited by geography, topography, or any other boundaries.
Not only does God rule over all the earth, but He is intimately involved with every detail of it. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:26-30) – He actively sustains every part of His creation. And in promising to be with believers always, Jesus said “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). There is nowhere His presence does not extend.
This truth about God’s universal lordship gave comfort and confidence to the people of Israel when enemies tried to defy or defeat them. They took courage knowing that the hills and valleys where battles took place belonged to the Lord, and He could deliver them no matter what terrain they were on. This same truth comforts believers today when we face adversity – our God reigns over every “hill and valley” we walk through in life.
At times in the Old Testament, the Israelites wrongly assumed that certain gods really did have power over certain locations or realms. For example, when being attacked by the Philistines near the hills of Mount Gilboa, King Saul feared that Israel would be delivered into the hands of the enemy because “God has turned away from me and answers me no more” (1 Samuel 28:15). Saul failed to trust that the living God ruled over every hill, not just certain mountains.
Similarly, we sometimes limit God’s sovereignty and omnipresence by wrongly assuming there are places or situations where He cannot act or be with us. But Scripture assures us that the true God rules over every inch of creation and is able to work on behalf of His people no matter what “hill and valley” we find ourselves in. No power can snatch us from His hand (John 10:28-29).
The unique descriptions of God in the Bible set Him apart from all the mythological gods and false deities people create. While the religions around Israel each had different deities who ruled over certain realms, the God of Scripture reigns supreme over every domain. As Isaiah 40:22-23 says:
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.
No king, warrior or false god could stand against the true God who spoke the universe into being. This is still true today – He is the sovereign Lord over every nation, ruler, principality and dominion. Nothing takes Him by surprise or exists outside His authority (Romans 8:38-39).
In clinging to the false notion that certain gods ruled over certain hills, the Syrians showed their ignorance of the one true God who rules over all. Their mistake highlights an important lesson for believers – we must never buy into the idea that anything can limit God’s power and authority. He is graciously exercising His complete dominion to accomplish His loving purposes in our lives.
As Charles Spurgeon said, “There is no quarter of the world, no secret place under the hills, nor lone spot in the wilderness where [God] reigneth not…As complete in the lower worlds as in the heights, as unlimited in the valleys as on the hills.” Our omnipotent, omnipresent God reigns over every hill and valley!
