Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. – 2 Chronicles 14:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 16, 2026): 2 Chronicles 14

The movie “Red Dawn” was released on August 10, 1984. The film was set in the near future, when the United States was becoming increasingly isolated. NATO had been dissolved, and the United States decided to stand alone. At the same time, the Soviet Union was expanding its influence not only in Asia but also in the Americas. As a result, there is an active war between the Soviets and the Americans, and a Soviet led coalition has brought a European war to the United States for the first time in history. The fight is not contained to the coastlines of the United States; Soviet soldiers have infiltrated into the central states. In the movie, that infiltration occurs in a town called Calumet, Colorado.

The real Calumet, Colorado, is a ghost town. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Calumet was a small mining town, and it never grew large enough to have its own post office. Despite the small size of the village, the Calumet mine was Huerfano County’s leading producer of coal. However, the hamlet was permanently abandoned in the 1970s.

For the 1984 movie, Calumet is a thriving town, larger than the real town had ever been. And it is here that the Soviet coalition forces attack. In “Red Dawn,” it is a group of teens living in Calumet who decide to stand up against the invaders. The movie closes with a shot of a plaque taken after the end of a fictional World War III. The plaque read;

In the early days of World War III, guerrillas, mostly children, placed the names of their lost upon this rock. They fought here alone and gave up their lives, so that this nation shall not perish from the earth (Red Dawn, 1984).

In 1984, the movie didn’t seem all that far-fetched. President Ronald Reagan had branded the Soviet Union as “The Evil Empire.” We didn’t understand them, and they didn’t understand us. Many of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s remember the fear that was ever-present in our core because of this perceived enemy living on the other side of the world.

The Soviet Union is gone, but Russia and China remain the bogeymen of our day. And the real demise of NATO and the isolation of the United States seem even closer than they did in 1984.

Zerah the Cushite marches against Judah with a considerable army, probably twice the size of the 580,000 men that Asa had at his disposal. But more than just the size of Zerah’s army, the Cushites, likely originating from the area of modern-day Sudan, were seen as dangerous warriors. If “Red Dawn 900 B.C.E.” was filmed and Judah played the role of Calumet, Colorado, Zerah, and the Cushites would be appropriate stand-ins for the invading Soviet Army. Just the mention of the Cushites would have been enough to strike fear into the hearts of people everywhere. And fear was the hoped-for result of Zerah’s appearance in Asa’s Judah.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 16