2 Chronicles 20:1-25
[1] 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.
[2] 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 Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.
[3] And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
[4] 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.
[5] And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,
[6] And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
[7] Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
[8] And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
[9] If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
[10] And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
[11] Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
[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.
[23] 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.
[24] 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.
[25] And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.
Jehoshaphat was good, Godly, and faithful and still not exempt from trouble. The Moabites, Ammonites and others from Edom were coming against him and of Judah. The key part of this to simply say is that when we are faced with things that are going to pull us down or destroy us that the only solution to take in the beginning of all things is to seek God. We have to begin to go down before we can ever rise up with victory.
Just as Judah came together, let’s remember the power of a church. It’s not to just gather for a social or entertainment experience, but to reach out and help those that are in need. As they came together in praise and worship, God fought their battle on their behalf. We have got to start applying this and remembering to not make it a battle when we are in service; for when you truly come together and seek God, God will perform the great works at hand.
As Jahaziel spoke and was confirmed by Jehoshaphat, we need to also “back” or support those that will step out as God would lead them in a greater way! Let’s not let support just be based on what we like or do not like: this kind of praise is based on carnality and not the spiritual unity that God intended. True worship is when God is centered in it, and when opinions and favoritism steps out of the way.
The part that is encouraging to me is that the obedience unlocked more spoils from the battle than they could even carry; more than they would have imagined when they were in fear. When God fights your battles, you are able to then receive what is out there when God performs it rather than you!