TRUST IN GOD...

Jehoshaphat and the Choir That Led an Army

 

God corrected Israel and Judah for turning to other nations instead of Him in time of need. But a faithful king shows the results of trusting in God.

God told His people, the children of Israel, that if they obeyed Him they would enjoy amazing blessings (Deuteronomy 28:2-4, 11-12). And He would provide protection: “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways” (verse 7).
Unfortunately, throughout most of their history, they missed out on these blessings. They did not obey God, and they did not trust that God would protect them and deliver them from their enemies.
But on just a few occasions, there were righteous kings who truly tried to obey God and lead the people in the right direction. And when they did, blessings and miracles happened.
The story of Jehoshaphat and the choir that led an army is one shining example.

Jehoshaphat, a king who sought God

Jehoshaphat was a good king we read about in 2 Chronicles 17-20. He was the son of Asa, another good king of Judah, and he “sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments” (2 Chronicles 17:4). “His heart took delight in the ways of the LORD” (verse 6).
Jehoshaphat sent out leaders to teach the people about God and His way of life (verses 7-9). He set up judges and cautioned them they were judging on behalf of God and should “take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes” (2 Chronicles 19:6-7).
And God blessed Jehoshaphat and his kingdom.

And then comes trouble

But then Jehoshaphat faced a trial. He heard that the armies of Moab, Ammon and Mount Seir—“a great multitude”—were coming to fight against him and Judah (2 Chronicles 20:1-2).
Jehoshaphat did the right thing. His example is a lesson to God’s people today about how to handle a looming threat or trial: “Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD” (verses 3-4).
They fasted and they prayed! The people of Judah gathered together at God’s temple, and Jehoshaphat prayed. His prayer is inspiring and faith-filled (verses 5-12). Jehoshaphat remembered what God had done for His people in the past, and he knew how much they needed God’s help now. He said: “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.”

The answer came

After such a powerful prayer, the men of Judah, their wives and their children stood in the temple expectantly. How would God answer?
Then, the Bible records, “The Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel,” a Levite of the sons of Asaph, perhaps a musician who served in the temple.
“Thus says the LORD to you,” Jahaziel said. “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. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you” (verses 14-17).
Jehoshaphat and all the people with him bowed to the ground in worship of God who had given them the answer they had looked for. And then two groups of Levites stood up to praise God with “voices loud and high” (verse 19).
The next day they rose early in the morning and went out to the place God had said.
As the army was getting ready to go out, Jehoshaphat encouraged them: “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper” (verse 20).

 

The king appointed a choir singing praise to God to lead the army. After all, the battle was God’s and the end result was certain!
And so, the army marched out with singing: “Praise the LORD, for His mercy endures forever” (verse 21).

Deliverance and blessings come from God

The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly how it happened. What we’re told is: “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated” (verse 22). For some reason the armies of Ammon and Moab fought against the inhabitants of Mount Seir who were with them. And when they had killed them, they turned on each other!
When the people of Judah came to the place where they could look out on the wilderness, they only saw dead bodies! They did not have to use any weapon—the battle was already finished.
Their only task was to gather spoils from the fallen armies, though that was no small task. There was so much precious jewelry and valuables that they were busy gathering it for three days!
They named the place “Valley of Berachah,” or “Valley of Blessing” (verse 26). And truly God had blessed them. They had faced danger by turning to God for help and deliverance. They trusted God and praised Him in advance, and God intervened mightily for them. He completely removed the threat and turned it into a blessing.

Lessons for us today

God cares about His people today, just as He cared about the people of Israel and Judah in the Bible. When we seek to obey Him and follow His way, He will give us blessings. But that doesn’t mean we’ll never have trials or challenges. When those hard, scary times come upon us, we must turn to God—praying, fasting and studying His Bible.
We must see that we can’t handle the challenge on our own. We need God’s help. We must recognize that God has taken care of His people in the past, and He can be trusted to take care of us now. An answer from God might not come as fast or as clearly as it did to Jehoshaphat. Still, when we seek God and do our part to turn to Him, we can go forward, trusting God to take care of us.
We might not know how long the problem will last or how much we will be challenged, but we can know that in the end God will save us and turn it all to blessings.

GOD IS ON OUR SIDE NO MATTER THE SITUATION

Deuteronomy 3:22 says, “Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is the one fighting for you.” Just after the king of Sihon and the king of Og were defeated by the Israelites, Moses instructed Joshua to have no fear when he led the people into the promised land. Just as God had given victory to the nation under Moses, so, too, He would give victory to Israel under Joshua if only Israel would trust and obey. We are not fighting literal kings and literal armies, though we do fight the spiritual forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). Our call is not to fear evil or cower before the devil. The devil can only do what God gives him permission to do. Even though he has rebelled against God to set up his own kingdom, he knows that he is not the supreme power. This is why, for example, he had to ask God for permission to afflict Job and his family (Job 1:12). God had a plan for Job to sanctify him and use him to teach countless others great lessons about suffering and the sovereignty of God. When we read the accounts of Job and of Israel as they entered the promised land, we should be moved to have confidence that the same God who delivered them from their foes is the same God who can deliver us from our foe, the devil, today. In Christ, we have the victory. No demon and no scheme of the enemy can defeat the child of God or force him or her into sin. Because of Christ in us, the enemy must flee when he is resisted (James 4:7).

 


Not only, however, do we not have to fear the forces of darkness, but we do not have to fear mere mortal man. People can be difficult. If you have ever been teased, bullied, or made fun of in school, you understand. If you have an annoying neighbor or co-worker, you understand. If you have ever been given a raw deal and have been taken advantage of by another person, perhaps even a professing believer, you understand. It is easy to become angry at the person and desire to take vengeful action. It is easy to take matters into our own hands and begin to fret and worry. Sure, there might be some things we can do to try to be at peace with others and to defend justice, but ultimately we must put our hope in God. The command from Moses to Joshua was “Do not fear them.” Who is your "them" that you fear? Who is the "them" that frustrates you to no end? Who is the “them” that is a thorn in your flesh? God’s call to Joshua and to us as well is not to lose hope or give in to sinful measures simply because of the schemes and ways of evil man. What is man, after all (Psalm 144:3)? We serve a powerful God Who goes by the name of Jehovah Jireh, the God Who Provides. There is nothing He can’t do. When we are pressed against the wall by our enemies and have every human reason to fear, God can deliver. He is the One fighting for us. When a relationship is just going nowhere and is just plain difficult, God is the One fighting for His children. When we are attacked, insulted, or mocked, God is the One fighting for our cause. Sometimes situations are easy to rectify, and other times it just seems as if the wicked are going to win because there is nothing we or anybody else can do to stop them. Sometimes the wicked do prosper (Psalm 73:3), and the righteous do suffer (Matthew 5:45). Our hope, however, is that God is just, justice will ultimately be served, God will avenge all wrongs (Romans 12:19), and He is on our side, taking up our cause. God is in our corner. May we always remember that, no matter what opposition or struggle we face. He is the One fighting for us. We are weak; He is strong. We are feeble; He is powerful. With us alone, the task is impossible. But with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). What a mighty God we serve, and how wonderful it is that He fights with us and for us to accomplish His will in our lives. If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)? In the end, righteousness always prevails because God gets the final say come eternity and judgment time.

Are you backed up against a wall? Or maybe you know someone else who seems to be in a sure bind of the enemy with no hope of escape. Why fear, when the Sovereign of the Universe, the One Who is in charge of it all, is on the case? God is always on call, always available, and always present. He is the One fighting for us. Political measures might fail. Personal influence might not get the job done. Money might not solve the problem. One’s strength and resolve might not be enough, but God knew we would be in these strenuous kinds of situations all along. He wants us to see our helplessness so that He can be our Help, our Hope, our Deliverer, and our Provider. Whatever the situation and predicament, call to God and do not fear because He is the One fighting for you. And in this case, One is more than enough.

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