Jehoshaphat was king of Judah from approximately 873 to 848
B.C. His father, Asa, had been a good king who made some bad
decisions toward the end of his life.
All-in-all, Jehoshaphat was a good king. According to II
Chronicles 17:3-5 ™,
God was on Jehoshaphat’s
side because he stuck to the ways of his father Asa’s early years. He didn’t
fool around with the popular Baal religion—he was a seeker and follower of the
God of his father and was obedient to him; he wasn’t like Israel. And God
secured the kingdom under his rule, gave him a firm grip on it. And everyone in
Judah showed their appreciation by bringing gifts. Jehoshaphat ended up very
rich and much honored. He was single-minded in following God;
Unfortunately, like his father, Jehoshaphat made some poor
choices along the way and disappointed God. For a season, he aligned
himself with the evil king of Israel, Ahab. God sent a prophet to
reprimand Jehoshaphat and from that point on, he determined to remain faithful
to God!
TO BE FAIR – Isn’t this true for all of us?
Some time later the
Moabites and Ammonites, accompanied by Meunites, joined forces to make war on
Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat received this intelligence report: “A huge force is on
its way from beyond the Dead Sea to fight you. There’s no time to waste—they’re
already [near].”
Shaken, Jehoshaphat
prayed. He went to God for help and ordered a nationwide fast. The country of
Judah united in seeking God’s help—they came from all the cities of Judah to
pray to God.
Then Jehoshaphat took a
position before the assembled people of Judah and Jerusalem at The Temple of
God in front of the new courtyard and said, “O God, God of our ancestors, are
you not God in heaven above and ruler of all kingdoms below? You hold all power
and might in your fist—no one stands a chance against you! And didn’t you make
the natives of this land leave as you brought your people Israel in, turning it
over permanently to your people Israel, the descendants of Abraham your friend?
They have lived here and built a holy house of worship to honor you, saying,
‘When the worst happens—whether war or flood or disease or famine—and we take
our place before this Temple (we know you are personally present in this
place!) and pray out our pain and trouble, we know that you will listen and
give victory.’ [II Chronicles 20:1-9 ™]
Let’s observe Jehoshaphat’s response to this impending
threat:
1. He
prayed!
2. He
called his people to prayer and fasting!
3. He went
to the Temple and led the nation in public prayer!
NOTICE:
He didn’t panic!
He didn’t call for his military leaders!
He didn’t begin to fortify the city!
_______________________________
I need this reminder as much as anyone else!
When bad news arrives, we must train ourselves to turn to
God FIRST!
HE IS OUR SOVEREIGN GOD!
ü He is all powerful!
ü He is everywhere present!
ü He is all-knowing!
Who better to guide and advise us in the midst of trials
and difficult times?
But how quickly we worry and fret as though we did not
serve the Lord and Master of the universe!
We need more than a string tied around our finger!
We need to be diligent in training ourselves daily – even
hourly – to turn to the Lord and trust Him to see us through whatever the world
[or our spiritual enemy] throws at us!
When Jehoshaphat prayed before his people, he included this
reminder:
‘When the worst happens –
whether war or flood or disease or famine – and we take our place before this
Temple (we know You are personally present in this place!) and pray out our
pain and trouble, we know that You will listen and give victory.’ [20:9
™]
Jehoshaphat applied two principles:
I. PRAY!
II. AGREEMENT
PRAYER!
We need to train ourselves to do the same!
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Now I know that some of you want to know how this situation
turned out. 😊
First, in response to all of the prayer,
God sent a prophet to speak to Jehoshaphat:
He said, “Attention
everyone—all of you from out of town, all you from Jerusalem, and you King
Jehoshaphat—God’s word: Don’t be afraid; don’t pay any mind to this vandal
horde. This is God’s war, not yours. Tomorrow you’ll go after them; …You won’t
have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and
watch God’s saving work for you take shape. Don’t be afraid, don’t waver. March
out boldly tomorrow—God is with you.” [20:15-17
™]
Second,
Then Jehoshaphat knelt
down, bowing with his face to the ground. All Judah and Jerusalem did the same,
worshiping God. The Levites (both Kohathites and Korahites) stood to their feet
to praise God, the God of Israel; they praised at the top of their lungs! [20:18
™]
THIS IS IMPORTANT! They rejoiced and thanked God BEFORE
they saw the arrival of God’s promised deliverance!
Third,
The next morning, Jehoshaphat prayed over his people and
deliberated with them about how to go into battle. Corporately, they
decided to put a choir out in front of their forces to sing and give praise to
God as they marched into battle!
Think about it! Would you have volunteered to be on the
worship team for this special event?
As this praise gathering marched ahead of the troops
shouting and praising God,
God set ambushes
against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir as they were attacking Judah,
and they all ended up dead. [20:22 ™]
GOD IS GOOD FOR HIS WORD! HE DELIVERS!
HE DELIVERED JEHOSHAPHAT AND HIS PEOPLE!
AND HE’LL DELIVER YOU – IF YOU PRIORITIZE PRAYER AND YOUR
TRUST IN HIM!
