Worship - Sunday at 10:30AM
Bible Study - Wednesday at 6:30PM
2003-02-23 Communion Dedication - Baldwin Christian Church
GET SET, STAND, AND SEE!
2 Chronicles 20:12-22
Jehoshaphat was one of those rare kings of Judah whose reign brought about a revival, and God blessed his kingdom with peace and prosperity. To the north, wicked king Ahab ruled the nation of Israel, and he had wars with the nation of Syria. God showed Himself mightily on behalf of king Ahab, and the nation of Israel defeated Syria in the first two conflicts. During a single day of battle in the second war, Ahab's army killed 100,000 Syrians, a wall fell on 27,000 more, and their king had no choice but to sign a surrender treaty. For the next three years there was peace between the nations of Israel and Syria. But then king Ahab learned Syria was not completely fulfilling the conditions of the surrender agreement. This breach of their treaty irked the greedy king of Israel, so he asked king Jehoshaphat to be his ally against Syria. Jehoshaphat agreed to join with Ahab, because after all, their nations were brothers. But the Lord was not with Israel in this campaign, and just as the prophets had warned him, Ahab lost his life when a crack was found in his armor by a divine shot from an archer's bow.
In this passage of 2 Chronicles, Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah are faced with the fruit of that ill-advised alliance with king Ahab. King Jehoshaphat receives an intelligence report that only thirty-five miles away from Jerusalem a great army comprised of three nations is amassed against him. He was afraid because he knew there wasn't enough time and resources to defend against the invasion, but he didn't panic, or jump to his own conclusions. He proclaims a fast throughout the land of Judah, and together, the entire nation comes before the sanctuary to seek the Lord. The king stands with the congregation and leads them in a powerful prayer that begins in verse six, and we pick up the ending here in verse twelve.
2 Chronicles 20:12-22
12. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
13. And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14. Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;
15. And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16. To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
17. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.
18. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.
19. And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
20. And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
21. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
22. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
Indeed, the prophecy of Jahaziel was true. The great army of three nations turned against themselves when they were only a day's march from Jerusalem, and not a one of them lived.
Insurmountable problems come in all shapes and sizes, and somewhere in the fine print of Murphy's Law it states that problems appear most often when you're the least prepared for them. In this true tale of dreadful anxiety turned into spiritual victory, God shows us that if we don't first consult with Him, even our best intentions can get us into trouble later on down the road. But He is faithful in responding to our humble submission and prayer, and if the problems confronting us are also confronting Him, we can take comfort because the battle is ultimately His, the outcome (whatever it is) will serve His divine purpose, and maybe we will be victorious even before we set a foot on the field.
Three nations were utterly defeated on this day, and notice God began His work to win the battle at the exact time the singers began to sing and praise. That's the happy part, and even though it may be only a small comfort to your ears, if you hear me singing a little louder today, at least you'll know the reason why. Luckily for the troops of Judah, the king appointed the singers. Imagine the faith and courage of these singers, leading an underdog army into a lopsided battle armed only with worship and praise. The word translated into English as "singers" here is "shiyr". For every time we find "shiyr" translated as "male singers" in the Old Testament, we find an equal number of times "shiyr" is translated as "female singers". Not trying to draw any conclusions from this, but it does help me a little when I'm trying to picture in my mind the makeup of this unarmed choir leading the troops into battle.
Now, the sad part of this saga is how it illustrates our nature, in that we usually wait until an insurmountable problem painfully confronts us before we seek the Lord. And if we give Him praise at all, we often save the boldest and loudest praise for after He delivers us.
If you have a problem confronting you today, and you don't know what to do, keep your eyes and ears focused upon Jesus. Even here in this story about the great (times twenty) grandfather of Jesus, king Jehoshaphat, if we look, we can find references to all three offices of the Holy Trinity. In times of trouble look for the salvation of the Lord (Yeshua - Jesus Christ). In times of fear, set yourself, stand ye still, listen to what His Spirit tells you, and look for His guidance. Don't be afraid of the problems that face you. If you are on your face before Him, the Lord will be with you (Immanuel).
God doesn't help those who help themselves; God helps those who recognize that they cannot help themselves. Even if you're confonted like Jehoshaphat was, with a troubled harvest of your own sowing, seek, ask, knock, come together, and give praises to your Father in heaven. The best way to face tough times, defeat fears, overcome discouragement, and confound the enemy is with praise.