Trust in the Battle

The Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites were coming to attack King Jehoshaphat.

• Jehoshaphat was the fourth King of Judah. He was generally a good king who restored the kingdom of Judah to the Laws of God and promoted the correct worship of the One True God by his people.

In the previous chapter, King Jehoshaphat had been taught a tough lesson on going into battle without the Lord’s counsel; so, when people began to warn him, he knew he had a choice. Panic! Or seek God! He was understandably concerned. Who wouldn’t be? But he didn’t let worry consume him. He didn’t send word to his Allies to come and help. He didn’t ask for advice from his close friends. He didn’t post a doomsday post to social media. He was possibly already starting to grasp the concept that Jesus would later teach us in the New Testament. “Seek ME first!”

• (Matthew 6:33 NKJV) "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  [This scripture has become a life verse to me, and I love it so much.]

This king ordered the entire kingdom of Judah to fast and pray with him about this upcoming war.

A couple of things to think about:

• He decided to ask God what to do. The amplified version says he, “set himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the LORD;”. This was a firm, and resolute choice. We cannot be swayed by panic. We must CHOOSE to seek God amidst trouble.
• He didn’t pray and fast alone; they were all in unity about it. The Father loves it when His Children are in unity; it’s beautiful to Him. There is power in it.
  • (Psalm 133:1-3 NKJV) Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing--Life forevermore.
  • (Matthew 18:20 NKJV) "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

The Aspects of Jehoshaphat’s Prayer

In 2 Chronicles20:6-13

• He first acknowledged who God is: He says, “God in Heaven…” Just as we are taught in…
  • (Matthew 6:9 NKJV) "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
• He declares God’s Rule, Power, and Dominion: He says, “rule over all the kingdoms…in Your hand is there not power and might…no one is able to withstand You” We read the same in…
  • (Psalm 22:28 NKJV) For the kingdom is the LORD's, And He rules over the nations.
• He proclaims God’s past deliverance: He says, “drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to them” Like we are reminded in…
  • (Psalm 77:11 NKJV) I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
• He reminds God and himself of the faith of the people throughout the generations: He says, “have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name…‘If disaster comes upon us.. You will hear and save.’ We are also given this wisdom in…
  • (Deuteronomy 32:7 NKJV) "Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you:
• He lays down his burden; giving it to the Lord: verses 10-12. We are also told to do this in...
  • (1 Peter 5:7 NKJV) casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
• He confesses that he is powerless without God: Saying, “we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do,” God knows this; it’s what Jesus was teaching us in …
  • (John 15:5 NKJV) "I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
• He looks to God and WAITS: Saying, “but our eyes are upon You” …Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.” We also see these principles in …
  • (Isaiah 45:22 NKJV) "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
  • (Psalm 37:7 NKJV) Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 

Then, an amazing thing happened. The Holy Spirit came onto a Levite named Jahaziel and spoke a powerful word of encouragement. Keep in mind this is an example of the Holy Spirit filling a person before the Day of Pentecost (How exciting!) This is what God said to them:

(2 Chronicles 20:15-17 NKJV) And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. 'Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you."   

• God is giving them detailed, strategic intel for the battle. And He tells them not to be scared. Why? “Oh, because you will not be fighting. This isn’t your battle; it’s MINE!”
• David proclaimed the same to Goliath. We can declare the same into our battles.
  • (1 Samuel 17:47 NKJV) "Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands."

However, this didn’t mean they could sit the battle out. God still required obedience of them. They were to go to the battlefield and have faith that God would deliver them. They were told to “Stand Firm” without any knowledge of what to expect. If we knew step by step how the Lord was going to deliver us, it wouldn’t really be faith and most likely we would attempt to “Help” God.

• (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
• (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV) For we walk by faith, not by sight.

At the Word of the Lord, the people had the correct response. They fell down prostrate in worship. (I have a whole other study on Worship. Maybe I will share that one sometime.) Some were on their faces, and some were standing and shouting. It was all worship. They were even worshipping while marching to the Wilderness of Tekoa. The king appointed a praise and worship team to go before the people and sing praise to God.

• Their praise was a weapon. God gave them the victory. The Ammonites and the Moabites together attacked the army of Mount Seir. Once they were all dead, the remaining armies attacked each other.
  • Our praise confuses our enemy. (Psalm 55:9 AMP) Confuse [my enemies], O Lord, divide their tongues [destroying their schemes], For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
  • Our praise is a habitation for God. (Psalm 22:3 KJV) But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

When the people arrived at the place where God had told them to stand, they looked out over their complete and total deliverance. Not one man of the enemy had survived. God does not partially deliver; He does it fully.

This was the fulness of Judah’s deliverance:

• None of the enemy armies were left alive.
• God did it all; the people of Judah killed no man.
• There were so many spoils of war that it took three days to gather.
• Continued worship was sparked and they worshipped all the way back to the Temple in Jerusalem where they worshipped even more.
• News of this victory spread to other kingdoms causing fear. Jehoshaphat ruled in peace because God gave him rest on all sides.

So, by seeking the Lord first, for what to do about the coming battle, Jehoshaphat not only got peace in the situation, but he also got a victory that he didn’t have to fight for. He got blessings, that he didn’t pray for, that took three days to collect. He also got respect and fear from other enemies; they recognized who was fighting on his behalf. Because of this one victory, he ultimately got rest from any future attacks of the enemy. Does any of this sound familiar?

Jesus has done this same thing for all who believe and trust in Him. He gives us peace in every situation. In His death and resurrection, He has already won the victory against any enemy that comes against us. He blesses us with so many things that we don’t even ask for. Our enemy, the devil, does fear and tremble at His name. And we have the assurance that He has won EVERY future battle that we will ever face. Deliverance is in HIM!!

May the Lord bless and keep you; make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May He lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.