“After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat,
Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar’ (that is, En Gedi). Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all of Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him. Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front of the new courtyard and said:”
2 Chronicles 20:1-5 NIV
When we read Biblical Stories in the Bible, we should ask ourselves the following questions:
Who is the author?
Who is the audience?
Why is the author talking to the audience?
2 Chronicles was written by Ezra. Ezra is a priest. Ezra is writing to the exiled Jews that came back to Jerusalem from captivity under Babylon. The Jews are back to rebuild their lives and he is reminding them of their history. Specifically, he is contrasting how they lived faithful and close to God vs. being overrun with sin and idolatry. 2 Chronicles is a personal experience for us. We all have a past when we lived in the world vs. when we came to faith and now walk closer to God. When we read 2 Chronicles, we are reading what life resembles remaining faithful to God vs. living in sin. Idolatry is anything that we place above God; it can be money, fame, relationships, success, and even ourselves. It’s anything that takes the place of God in our lives.
The next questions we should ask:
Who are they?
What can they represent?
Jehoshaphat can be us. We are kings of our lives. The Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites can be anything that comes to wage war in our lives and steal our peace. It can be a lost job, illness, enemies, and anything, really, that comes along to make us stumble in life.
Look at what they are doing! Life has come along to trip them up. They united together and then they went to God to find the answer.
” ‘LORD, the God of our ancestors are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgement, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’ ”
2 Chronicles 20:6-9 NIV
Trouble in life has come along and Israel is powerless against them all. They don’t go to work trying to fix the problem. They gather at church and they pray God’s Word back to Him.
“Power and might are in your hand.”
“Nothing can withstand you.”
“Whatever it is that comes against us; we step into your presence and call out to you!”
Abba!
How do we pray God’s Word back to Him? By reading our Bible. In the Bible is where we learn the character of God.
” ‘But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’ ”
2 Chronicles 20:10-12 NIV
Next, we give our problems back to God. We don’t take it on and try to fix it. We leave it all with God.
God left our enemies in place because there is something they need from this experience. God leaves our enemies in place because there is something we need from this experience.
“After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
‘Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever.’ ”
2 Chronicles 20:21
They prayed until they heard from God. They did not move until they heard from God.
They are out on battlefield and instead of preparing to fight, they start to worship God. Worship is trust. Worship is communing with God. Worship brings us into the presence of God.
“As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.”
2 Chronicles 20:22 NIV
“So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.”
Zechariah 4:6 NIV
They didn’t even have to worry. Why? Because God came out on the battlefield with them. The God of everything is always in control.
“The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men of Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.”
2 Chronicles 20:23 NIV
“All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves, for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
2 Samuel 17:47 NIV
They started to fight each other. The last group of people, begin to annihilate themselves. We don’t even have to worry about the details. God is in control.
We just need to have faith.
This is our faith in action.
“When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.”
“So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value- more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it.”
2 Chronicles 20:24-25 NIV
They are worshipping and praising God and by the time they get to the battlefield, the battle is done. Imagine a circumstance that we feel powerless and defeated in and it is the circumstance that has come to bless our lives. And the blessing is so bountiful and so full, we can’t even carry it all.
“On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the LORD.”
2 Chronicles 20:26 NIV
We give God all the praise!
“Then the fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.”
2 Chronicles 20:29 NIV
“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This is now been witnessed to at the proper time.”
2 Timothy 4:3-5 NIV
We have to leave our enemies in place because it is God’s will for everyone to come to faith and be saved.
“And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.”
2 Chronicles 20:30 NIV
“The wise prevail through great power,
and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
Surely you need guidance to wage war,
and victory is won through many advisers.”
Proverbs 24:5-6 NIV
King Jehoshaphat was responsible for furthering his Dad’s agenda of ridding sin and idolatry from the lives of the people and for bringing Judah closer to God. This battle was won because of their faith in God.
All we need is God and He will supply the rest.
And it may just be your biggest blessing.
