Jehoshaphat lived and reigned in Jerusalem some 900 years before Christ. He was fifth in the line of David to rule, and in many ways, his reigned showed very well indeed among the kings of Judah. Jehoshaphat followed the LORD, and he encouraged his people to do so as well. And yet, despite this fact, there was a very serious threat looming before Jehoshaphat and his people which they would be required to face. On a certain day, Jehoshaphat received the grim tidings that a massive concentration of three hostile nations from beyond the Salt Sea was threatening his borders. We read, “It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi,” (2 Chronicles 20:1,2).
The threat to Judah, which was now reported to the king, was imminent and most serious. The armies of three nations were even now massing in Engedi; and though their total numbers are not told, it is clear that Judah was outnumbered significantly, and the threat to Jehoshaphat and his nation was serious in the extreme! Jehoshaphat well knew and understood that Judah was in deep trouble. He and his forces would likely be no match for the power arrayed against them, and he well knew that the fight before him was likely to be desperate and deadly at the very least. But Jehoshaphat, as a man of God, knew just what to do when storm clouds gathered. We read in verse 3, “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.” In the face of the present emergency, Jehoshaphat looked to the LORD; he proclaimed a fast all throughout the land, then he gathered up his people and prayed. This was a prayer meeting for all the people, and not just the family leaders, but all the men, their wives, and their little ones—all the people of God gathered together for prayer! Dear friends, this is precisely where the children of God need to be in times of trouble—we ought to be looking with humble hearts to the Lord in prayer. Fervent prayer, which is the sign of dependence, should characterize the people of god. We should be often in prayer, individually and with our whole families, and in particular, we should be apt to pray as an assembly. Verse 12 sums up Jehoshaphat’s prayer and puts the focus of the matter just where it needs to be: “…we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee.” My dear Christian friend, when storm clouds gather, our eyes should be upon the One who “…maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still,” (Psalm 107: 29).
The response of God to this prayer meeting came very quickly! The Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel: “…Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. To morrow go ye down against them……. 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,” (verses 15-17).
The Word of the LORD came to Jehoshaphat and the people in order to comfort them with a message of God’s deliverance; but you’ll notice that the children of Judah had to act on God’s direction in faith–their job was to obey and to go forward, despite the gathering storm that weighed on their minds. They were not to take the matter into their own hands and go in haste to enter the fight; nor were they to remain behind the defenses of their city while the LORD acted on their behalf. Can you only imagine the disastrous consequences that might have come had they rushed forth to engage the enemy in their own strength? Can you imagine, on the other hand, the lost opportunity had they remained hidden at home? The next morning, early, just as they had been told to do, they moved together to meet the enemy; and as they advanced, they sang praises to God. The outcome of this joyous advance was nothing short of astonishing as we read in verses 20-24, “And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa…. 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. 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. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. “
My dear Christian friend, are you burdened just now by some fearful circumstance that has overtaken you, or by some anticipated trial that threatens your peace? Perhaps you are not facing armies of invaders on an actual battle field, but the challenge you now face may be just as real. Christians in this present scene do in fact have a very real foe, and that enemy constantly seeks to intimidate in order to dishearten, if possible, the very people of God. We read in Ephesians 6:12,13, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” To stand in the evil day, we need the Lord; we cannot win the day with our own resources. We need the whole armor of God, that which we can obtain only through communion with Him—reading His Word to know and believe His precious promises, and depending, through constant prayer, on the God who alone saves.
Can you by faith at this time put your eyes upon the Lord rather than upon what you fear? Do put your eyes upon Him; know that if you are a child of God, His eyes are certainly upon you: “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry,” (Psalm 34:15). Can you believe as did Jehoshaphat of old that you will “see the salvation of the LORD”? Whether we must go forward and fight in the strength of the Lord, or whether we are to stand fast and see the salvation of the Lord, we need not fear, for we know with certainty that we can never really lose: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose,” (Romans 8:28). As children of God, we are always in His care, and there is nothing that can prevent His will from being accomplished in our lives. We read in Psalm 121:3, “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved….”
As the children of Judah made their way back to Jerusalem laden with much spoil from the battlefield, that vision of God’s mighty victory over their dreaded enemies must have occupied all their thoughts. I’m sure that they hadn’t known what to expect early on as they drew near the enemy’s position; but as the battle field came into view, instead of seeing file upon file of armed men covering the field before them with shields shining in the morning sun and battle flags fluttering in the breeze, they witnessed instead the grisly remnants of three utterly destroyed armies. The bodies of those they had feared now covered the whole plain, and this without them shooting a single arrow, or thrusting a single spear. The victory had been all accomplished as they yet marched toward the place where the enemy had gathered, and that by the hand of God alone. their only job now was to pick up the spoil and enjoy the fruits of a great victory. We read that they returned to Jerusalem with joy: “…for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies,” (verse 27).
My dear friend, we who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ have experienced an even greater victory than this! We were once lost and ruined by sin; and the terrible prospect of certain judgment had loomed before us. Then, at just the right time, Christ Jesus came and gave Himself for us: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly,” (Romans 5:6). He shed His precious blood to purchase our pardon, and He bowed His head in death, that we might have life! Christ won the mighty victory for us on that cross of Calvary, and now we rejoice–we have forgiveness for our sins, and salvation through faith in Him; we now are the recipients of blessings beyond all that we could ever have imagined!
Have you yet believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation? If you have not, it is the prayer of my heart that this very day you will hear and believe: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” (John 3:16).
“With Christ our theme begins,
The Lord of truth and love;
When He had purged our sins,
He took His seat above.
Our hearts are glad; we raise the voice; The Lord has made us to rejoice.
(Hymns for the Little Flock, #130)