JEHOSHAPHAT provoked God’s people to prayer 2 chronicles 20
What animated Jehoshaphat to pray? Fear! Fear releases adrenaline for physical stirring, but arouses us to call on the Lord. ’He feared and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. v3 King David expressed it; ’Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, I will praise His word. In God I have put my trust. I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?’ Psalm 56:3. Jonah honestly admitted that ‘He feared the Lord exceedingly’. True! Our dear Lord shows fear is present in our walk with Him, ‘Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear HIM who is able destroy both soul and body in hell.’ Matthew 10:28.
He rallied his nation for a national fast. Not a popular, political ploy in any day. Nor is it welcomed in the church.
Samuel assured that ‘If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth ( Canaanite goddesses ) from among you, and prepare your hearts before the Lord, and serve Him only, and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines. 1 Samuel 7:6 The ark of the Covenant, symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ’s presence had been at Kirjath Jearim for twenty years- and must be restored to its rightful place. ’ At Mispah they drew water and poured it out ( sacrificially ) before the Lord. They fasted that day, saying, ’We have sinned against the Lord. Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mispah. ‘( meaning the watch tower, God’s observation point.)
Joel sternly challenged them to, ’Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly, gather the elders, and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God , and cry out to the Lord. 1:14 Joel was earnest. ‘Turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garment; return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and he relents from doing harm. Who knows if HE will return and leave a blessing behind Him.’ 2:13
Truth is poured out in earnest prayer. The prophet confirms the ascendancy of the Lord over all offspring; O Lord God of our fathers,
‘Are You not God in heaven and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand you.’ V 6
‘Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham your friend for ever?
The king’s enemies compelled him to seek the help of his God. He told how his Lord was invincible. We need to be stirred- even provoked -to pray. Previously Asa had a sizeable army, but Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with a million men and three hundred chariots. He was not panic-stricken; though enemy forces appeared impregnable. We must learn and relearn these blessed truths. ‘Asa cried out to the Lord, his God (evidently his prized possession), Lord, it is nothing for you to help whether with many or with these with no power; help us O Lord our God, for we rest on you, and in your Name we go against this multitude.’ O Lord, You are our God; do not let men prevail against you.’ That stirs fire in my heart.
Such praying battles tone up our spiritual muscles, programming us for intense warfare and mighty victories. 2 Chron 14:9 Some believers do not know this intense, hostile conflict.
And avoid all that is costly in christian warfare. It enriches life.
During WW11, Dunkirk saw 500,000 Englishmen stranded on French beaches. Hopeless! Nazi Stukas (dive bombers ) were in the air. England prayed; the world prayed; the largest prayer meeting in Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval pleaded with the Lord. From memory, 65,000 prayed. 3 days of unrippled calm ( not like it in 300 years- a dense impenetrable fog; Every sea-going vessel crept out of English waters to rescue. Mighty miracle. Nazi leaders hesitated invasion, with GB totally unprepared. In our Nazareth hospital, I heard this account from a Scottish boy evacuated and converted in the process, as he lay on the deck of a destroyer- ‘I am safe!’
Study the overwhelm in g victory of our beloved Lord over archenemy satan. Conquest of the evil ruler was foretold in the Garden, ‘when the Lord promised, ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman and between her seed and your seed, HE shall bruise ( crush, reduce to shivers, ) your head, and you shall bruise His heel.’ Genesis 3:15 This consoles us.
Paul powerfully states this in Roman s 8;37, ‘Yet in all these things, you are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Our conquest was built on His Calvary suffering.
Paul’s finally greeted his beloved brethren at Rome, The God of peace will crush satan under your feet shortly.’ Then he added, ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.’ 16:20
Hebrews 2:14 writes, As the children have partaken of flesh and blood , He Himself ( our exalted Lord and Saviour ) shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.’ ANT reads, ’To bring to nought -to make of no effect.’ We shall never fully grasp the extent of His cross victory: nor of the power of His atoning death..
Strong adds, ’To do away, to make unemployed, abolish; render inoperative, deprive of force, influence and power. ’ It shatters relationship, terminating all ungodly intercourse.’
While the term ‘destroy’ is used in 1 John 3:8, it differs vastly in meaning. ‘For this purpose the Son of God was manifested , that he might destroy the works of the devil.’ ‘He dissolves relationship with this cruel enemy. He looses the bound. He dissolves, releases, demolishes and destroys any ties with this enemy. ANT quotes, ‘He overthrows; He undoes. Christ is totally in command as we inherit the outcome of His triumphant death. He deepens our oneness with Him
Karen told of her 2 Christian younger brothers experimenting with drugs. She was deeply distressed, heavy of heart. We prayed. Out of the blue, her mother rang seeking a mega voice for her oldest son, who had been gripped by substance abuse, when I had confirmed the diagnosis of Schizophrenia. The Lord had rescued him, and now he sought to extract his 2 younger brothers from this iniquitous world., His mother rejoiced. My heart sang.
The Nazi leader sought to take Malta, the most bombed territory in Europe, as a step to taking northern Africa. Sir William and Lady Dobbie held a prayer meeting every night after dinner with army, navy and air force chiefs. The General read the word of God, pleading for the Lord’s protection. It remained in British hands.
The two predecessors of Field Marshal Montgomery, British Commander in the African desert, never assumed control. As soon as the FM accepted office, He devoted an hour each morning over the Word of God, a white flag from his tent, heralded His study of God’s word and prayer. He won the battle of the African desert, where Hitler planned to annex India, Indonesia, South East Asia and Australia. Surprisingly, salt water flowed through those desert pipes 24 hours before due date, distressing the enemy, who had prior notice of its completion. God preserved our national freedom and privileges when desert leaders advanced on their knees.
General Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of Allied troops, a man of God, became US President.
God’s Word engenders confidence in our God as in Psalm 3:6: ’I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, who have set themselves against me all around’. Courage emboldens.
‘David taught well. ; ‘Though an army should camp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, in this I will be confident.’ Psalm 27:3 Fearless in facing armies.
Our beloved Lord faced the treasonous tyranny of a traitor. ’ A multitude and one called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss HIM.’ Knowing that He faced Calvary suffering, our Lord responded calmly and courteously to Judas. Luke 22:47
Jehoshaphat involved the entire nation v2. His speech brought conviction, and awakened the hearts of many. With genuine passion, the king stimulated the nation to seek after the Lord. V4 African leaders, Presidents of Uganda, Ghana and Rwanda with their wives love the Lord Jesus, yearning that their nations should embrace their God, and desiring godliness for their peoples.
King David cried, ’Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you; and you shall glorify Me.’ Psalm 50:15 Pray for our nation such leadership. Prayer demanded an intelligent stand. v5 Joel pleaded, ‘Let the priests who minister to the Lord weep between the porch and the altar’. Weeping in prayer is not fashionable. ‘ Let them stay, Spare your people, O Lord. And do not give your heritage to reproach that the nations should not rule over them. Why should they say among the nations, ‘Where is your GOD?’ So dishonoring the Name above every name. 2:17
David wrote,’ Our God is in heaven and he does what He pleases,’ psalm 115;3
He declared that the Lord ruled over history as Lord God of our fathers. Consider a German migrant, forefather of the Rechner family, Barossa Valley, who launched a school, church, and theological College. Their 12 sons all ministered in the Lutheran church. Gwenda was privileged to come from this German heritage.
One of the mighty truths in God’s Word is seen in the 6th verse, ‘ O Lord God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand you.‘ In this dark hour, Jehoshaphat extolled the majesty of his God. What a marvellous example for us. He is Omnipotent; Invincible: pre-eminent, glorifies His humble children; maintains His regal resplendence; and dignified bearing. No one dare oppose him. He was the king’s God.
1 Chronicles 29:11 ‘Your’s O Lord is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty. For all that is in heaven and earth is Your’s. Your’s is the kingdom O Lord. And You are exalted as head of all.
Daniel lamented, ’Shame of face to our kings, our princes, and our fathers because we have sinned against You belongs to us. 9:6 and in verse 16, ‘Let your anger and your fury be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers Jerusalem and your people have become a reproach to all who are around us. Please observe that former generations contribute to the judgment of God upon their capital city and nation. The man or woman of prayer carries the burden of many, evil generations.
Distressing symptoms drive us to prayer, with such a sense of the Lord’s presence or immanence.
Cry out to you in affliction; and you grant deliverance when You hear and save.
‘The ninth verse tells of everyday and spiritual tragedies. and , ‘If disaster comes upon us, such as sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine we will stand before this temple, and in your presence for your Name is in this temple, and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save. ’ Beyond these natural disasters are the devastating, spiritual calamities. The sword of the word of God in our hands may become rusty, dirty or blunted; judgment follows defiant neglect of God’s Word : pestilence is invasive error and eroding truth in our bible seminaries, when the mighty eternal truths are whittled away; deviations are frequently observed in our nation: famine in church groups when precious truths are with held. In an earlier study I told of an army chaplain who refused to preach salvation through the blood of the Lamb over Holy Communion; repelling many in the Sahara, longing for the comfort of the Lord. He invited famine upon our hospital unit. Our CO was a dipsomaniac: often blind drunk. God instructed me early in life.
Prayer is directed by bible history ‘Are you not our God? A sanctuary for your Name? Prayer helps us to a clear perspective. A complex situation arose when the people of Ammon Moab and Mt Seir were on the offensive. ‘You protected them then, but now they seek to destroy us. V10 They desire to disinherit us.’ v 11 The Lord permits dilemmas, such as this so that our eyes shall be fixed on Him alone.
The situation is confused, for ‘The people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them. Here they are, rewarding us ’by coming to throw us out of your possession , which You have given us to inherit.’ Then the heart cry, ‘O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. ’Now all Israel , with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.’ VV12-14 Our heavenly Father is mindful of little children with their needs; and responsible parents.
We cry, ‘O our God, for ’we have no power, nor do we know what to do.‘ How often have we cried out to our Lord?
Redeeming fact our eyes are unto you. David wrote in Psalm 25:15, ‘My eyes are ever to the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.’ We are confident with the Lord ever before us, for my feet shall be surely freed from the net. Psalm 123 expands the truth, ‘ Unto you lift up my eyes, O you who dwell in the heavens. As the eyes of a servant look to the hand of their masters, so our eyes look to the Lord our God until he has mercy on us. Simple advice- yet imperative. In Psalm 141, by lifting up their eyes, they discover security, preserving their soul from dire poverty. ‘In You I take refuge , do not leave my soul destitute‘.
The Holy Spirit empowers Jahaziel, meaning ‘beheld of God’. I commend the meaning of great names of Scripture. He invites an aristocrat to pray. Jahaziel had pedigree; the son of Hezekiah, meaning -Jehovah remembers Benaiah- Jehovah has built Jeiel-Jehovah sweeps away.
God’s Spirit speaks to all, regardless of rank. Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude. ‘The battle is not your’s, but God’s . Let’s grasp this truth, for our Lord is a responsible parent, sheltering His child. ’ Don’t worry my child. All is well!’
The Commander directs. A mark of a great surgeon is his choice of the right time to operate. So with our Lord. Tomorrow go down among them.’
‘You will not need to fight in this battle.’ Position yourselves. Stand still see the salvation of the Lord. V17 Do not fear or be afraid. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.
The choir preceded the army., when praise to the Lord seemed illogical, even humanly crazy- but in His eyes acceptable. V21 ‘He appointed those who would praise the beauty of holiness , saying ‘Praise the Lord, for his mercy endures for ever.’ They showed real faith with great psalms, ‘when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. V22 The Lord intruded remarkably as they sang to the Lord. He trapped the enemy. This released the mighty power of God. None could ever deny the Lord’s stepping in. Such is the personal value of proving the Lord. God teaches more in crises than in normal living. Learn to sing his praises!
Godly prayer reverses men’s intentions.v23 ‘The inhabitants of Mount Seir utterly killed and destroyed the people of Ammon and Moab. Incredibly, they massacred themselves.
The illimitable power of the Lord reversed men’s hostility.
Corpses littered the landscape, fearful evidence the Lord changed the scene through the heart-wrenching prayer. A dear friend prayed for loved ones interstate, with tears and yearning, while later details confirmed the urgency of the intercession. Our Lord deeply values such prayer.
In combat, the successful spoil the vanquished, relieving the dead of abundant valuables; and precious jewelry stripped off for themselves. The gold and jewels were too heavy for them to carry. Indeed over three days, they gathered the spoil, reminding us of the same period, when the Lord led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. We must show the Lord’s victorious, loosing of myriads of Old Testament lives from hades, place of departed spirits, and leading them in triumph to the father’s throne. Our Lord’s spoil.
His triumphant resurrection is prefigured here.
One special Indonesian word ‘berkat’ or blessing describ es ‘The valley of Berachah , for there they blessed the Lord. The influence of the Word of God on languages is profound
‘They returned , every man of Judah and Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go
back to Jerusalem with joy, ( not in bullet-proof vehicle ) for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. Their King joyfully leads them in triumph v27
A symphony orchestra escorted them to the house of the Lord. V28 ‘They came to Jerusalem ‘ with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the Lord.’ The Lord delights to do everything decently and in order. Heaven’s music will fill our heavenly home with such harmony as earth has never known.
A prayerful leader saw how the Lord was respected by former enemies. A profound reverence gripped them, when ‘the fear of God was on all those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel‘. V29 Oh, that our beloved nation would experience the joy of the Lord and rest in our God. God had brought national tranquility, ’for the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.’ v30
His mother had taught him to pray. The Spirit of God honored woman hood , ’I taught my boy to pray is recognition of a woman shaping a little child. Chuck Swindoll has enlarged over weeks on mothers, grandmothers, and womanhood moulding lives. Her name Azubah, meaning ‘forsaken’, which choice is not indicated.
Such deep prayer life flowed from a balanced walk with the Lord. ‘He walked in the way of his father, Asa, and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. He did not deviate from righteousness. What a challenge to each of us, a father and grandfather.
The closing truths of this memorable chapter show that Scripture is perfectly balanced. WE do not overlook the unforgettable major lessons of this study; but walk cautiously with him.
Scripture recorded somberly that ’The high places were not taken away,’ because ‘As yet the people had not directed their hearts to the God of their fathers. ‘ The common people limited the revival blessing despite the prayerfulness and holiness of the king. God forbid that our nation would mimic the example of pagan leaders and that we support them.
Pray for the nations of the world, especially the leaders- and common people.
The president of Ghana commanded the bible with its christian truth be taught throughout his education system. Ross Gaskin confirmed this revival in his recent visit to Ghana.
Nigeria has ordered 7 million UCB daily bible reading notes.
The president of Uganda and his wife are dedicated to the Lord, making it a holy nation, example to many other nations. H S.