20:1 The people of Moab, Ammon and several other nations marched into battle against Judah in number and power enough to subdue it.
20:2-3 When Jehoshaphat was informed of their impending arrival, his emotional response was fear; simultaneously, his spiritual response was to seek God. Initial fear is unavoidable, it is an element of the human condition. Fear inserts itself into us when we are overwhelmed, but faith in God efficiently destabilizes it and rapidly dispels it.
Jehoshaphat initiated a kingdom-wide fast. The fast served as an opportunity to meditate with God on the matter; the constant reminder of the fasted elements served as a conduit, a redirection to faith.
20:4 As a faithful unit, the people of Judah requested assistance from God for a threat they knew they could not manage alone.
20:5-12 With all of Judah assembled with him, Jehoshaphat prayed aloud to God from the house of the Lord:
“O Lord God of 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?
Jehoshaphat began with a declaration: he immediately confronted his fear with the magnitude of his God. The face off would intimidate his fear and embolden his faith. The king of Judah asked three rhetorical questions, each a declaration of a characteristic of God:
- Are you not God in Heaven? Yes.
- Do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? He does.
- In Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? There is; they cannot.
Each rhetorical question served as a reminder to speaker and audience that because of their faith, they were not as vulnerable as the situation seemed to imply. In fact, in faith, they were not vulnerable at all.
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 forever? And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—
Jehoshaphat remembered God's stalwart presence. He had been with them since before they were born; He has been with us since before we were born, Psalm 139:13, Ephesians 1:4. The kingdom of Judah only existed because God had enabled it to. God gave it to them so that they could keep it, not lose it.
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.’
With courage in faith, Jehoshaphat proclaimed that he and the kingdom would stand in His presence. Obedient. Praying. Trusting. In Psalm 16:8 it is proclaimed: I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. They stood straight, chin up; defiant at fear's command to bow.
And now, here are 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. O our God, will You not judge them?
An approaching army would not cause this body of faithful children of God to cower. They stood, unmoved, in confidence that God would protect them as He had done many times before for their ancestors.
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.”
We are powerless and we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You. If you need to, start every morning and end each day with this statement. An admission of your limitation but trust in God to render you limitless.
20:13 This must have been a precious sight to the Lord: the men and women of Judah, the families of Judah, the little children of Judah standing bravely with their eyes on Him. Pure dependence on their creator. We are each loved by God as His precious child; every time we outstretch our arms for Him, He gathers us into His embrace.
20:14-17 In that moment, the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, who received God's response to the assembly:
20:14-17 In that moment, the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, who received God's response to the assembly:
“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. 17 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.”
From God's response, we learn how to respond to an enemy force: do not be afraid or dismayed for God has chosen to acquire our plight. He has chosen to handle it. Our frail shoulders are covered by Him whose shoulders are broad and strong.
God directed them to stand down, stand still and to position themselves in faith. God did not command them to assume a position of attack or defense; He commanded them to assume a position of trust in His salvation. Reliance on God positions us in a place where we are not the prey of our enemies but the rescued prize of God. Vultures hit our shield of faith as God swoops down to claim us.
20:18-19 God's response inspires Judah to do two things: bow and praise. God's love never requires us to assume any other position than trust, reverence and praise. If you can manage those, He will manage everything else.
20:20 Early the next morning, Judah rose with faith in God. Jehoshaphat encouraged them: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets and you shall prosper.
There is no reason why that encouragement is not solid advice for us in our own present day, in the face of our own present battles. Scripture is filled with instruction and prophesy given by God through His prophets. Jehoshaphat proclaimed that belief in God would establish the believer. Through faith, God builds us to be solid.
20:21 Jehoshaphat prepared for battle perhaps as no one ever had before: singing and praising God's eternal nature. What if we approached and confronted our fear and enemy with praise for God? The songs we sing to God diminish our giants, render them powerless.
20:22-24 God set ambushes (ambushers) against the enemy and they began to fight each other. By the orchestration of God, the enemy force began to self-destruct. It was that simple for God to destabilize the threat.
Faith provides God leeway in your life: the more faith, the more leeway He has to exert His will, authority, protection and provision over and within your life. It is always your choice, and by your invitation. He will not force Himself into your life.
20:25 Not only did Judah escape the threat of their enemy entirely, they came away from it with treasure. Our God is a God of surplus. The treasure symbolized the power He has to do a complete reversal of impossible situations.
20:26-28 Judah returned home with joy. In fear they praised God. In joy they praised God. Their relationship with God was unwavering. Our relationship with God should thrive under sorrow and joy, fear and contentment. Faith is not a faucet we turn on when we feel hungry. Faith is a river, an ocean, a constant source, presence and power.
We must never use God. We must love God through all seasons an conditions of life. For many of us, His are the first arms we run into with tears in our eyes. He must also, always be the first one we run to jump with in joy. Trust is as important as gratitude.
Judah's response to fear: trust and praise.
Judah's response during battle: obedience and praise.
Judah's response to joy: gratitude and praise.
20:29 The kingdoms around Judah revered God for His impossible power. The amplification of our trust and praise and gratitude toward God is seen, heard and felt by the inhabitants of the earth.
20:30 The realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around. This is one of the most serene passages of the Bible. A verse that will apply to our own lives when we respond to all things with faith in God and praise for Him.
There is no reason why that encouragement is not solid advice for us in our own present day, in the face of our own present battles. Scripture is filled with instruction and prophesy given by God through His prophets. Jehoshaphat proclaimed that belief in God would establish the believer. Through faith, God builds us to be solid.
20:21 Jehoshaphat prepared for battle perhaps as no one ever had before: singing and praising God's eternal nature. What if we approached and confronted our fear and enemy with praise for God? The songs we sing to God diminish our giants, render them powerless.
20:22-24 God set ambushes (ambushers) against the enemy and they began to fight each other. By the orchestration of God, the enemy force began to self-destruct. It was that simple for God to destabilize the threat.
Faith provides God leeway in your life: the more faith, the more leeway He has to exert His will, authority, protection and provision over and within your life. It is always your choice, and by your invitation. He will not force Himself into your life.
20:25 Not only did Judah escape the threat of their enemy entirely, they came away from it with treasure. Our God is a God of surplus. The treasure symbolized the power He has to do a complete reversal of impossible situations.
20:26-28 Judah returned home with joy. In fear they praised God. In joy they praised God. Their relationship with God was unwavering. Our relationship with God should thrive under sorrow and joy, fear and contentment. Faith is not a faucet we turn on when we feel hungry. Faith is a river, an ocean, a constant source, presence and power.
We must never use God. We must love God through all seasons an conditions of life. For many of us, His are the first arms we run into with tears in our eyes. He must also, always be the first one we run to jump with in joy. Trust is as important as gratitude.
Judah's response to fear: trust and praise.
Judah's response during battle: obedience and praise.
Judah's response to joy: gratitude and praise.
20:29 The kingdoms around Judah revered God for His impossible power. The amplification of our trust and praise and gratitude toward God is seen, heard and felt by the inhabitants of the earth.
20:30 The realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around. This is one of the most serene passages of the Bible. A verse that will apply to our own lives when we respond to all things with faith in God and praise for Him.
20:31-34 Jehoshaphat, offspring of Azubah and Asa, child of king, reigned of Judah righteously. And though imperfect as we all are, Jehoshaphat did not turn aside from God. He lived with obedience to God; he lived in love with God.
20:35-37 In the final verses of the chapter, a flaw of Jehoshaphat is reiterated: he sometimes aligned himself with the wrong people and had to be disciplined by God. These verses are important because they help us to relate our own life and faith with Jehoshaphat's. We are not different from him: our faith has the same ability to reach the same heights his did. We are also as capable of making mistakes. We will make mistakes just as surely as he did. But just as his commitment, trust and obedience to God rescued him, so will ours.
