This chapter is one of my favorite stories in the bible! It houses one of the most repeated scriptures known to man, and today you will learn the context of “The battle is not yours, but the Lord’s.” Here’s the chapter in its entirety:
“After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for Engedi.) Jehoshaphat was alarmed by this news and sought the Lord for guidance. He also gave orders that everyone throughout Judah should observe a fast. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord.
Jehoshaphat stood before the people of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? Your people settled here and built this Temple for you. They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, disease, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’ (Notice how Jehoshaphat began his prayer praising the Lord! Let that be a lesson and a format for prayer, as we seek the Lord in our time of need.)
And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” (At the end of Jehoshaphat’s prayer, at the end of giving God praise, he makes his request to the Lord.)
As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph. (Wow! The Spirit of the Lord entered a “common” man. A son of a son, of a son, of a son. No one special, a man without a title, and not a prophet.) He said, “Listen, King Jehoshaphat! Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD’S. Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. (Wow!!! Look at how good God is! All we need to do is show up. We never have to fight! The battle and the fight is not ours! God’s got you!) He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!” (Wow!)
Then King Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout. (Wow! That’s called trust and faith. They heard God’s Word and they believed it completely!)
Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.” After consulting the leaders of the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:
“Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!”
At the moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had finished off the army of Seir, they turned on each other. (Wow!!! Are you comprehending this? As soon as Jehoshaphat and the people began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies to fight amongst themselves! Notice this pattern of praise and God’s movement. Is this the formula for God moving in our lives? Do we need to do more praising instead of complaining to see God show up for us? Lord, you are amazing! Didn’t God make us in His image? Therefore, aren’t we a lot like God? I know, personally, that when people praise me, I want to go above and beyond for them. I want to do for them. I want to meet their expectations and exceed them! Is God showing us through how we move, how He moves? Of course, our ways are not God’s ways, but in this small detail of our makeup, did our maker, our creator, formulate these complex emotions in us like His own emotions? Just maybe those same things that displeases us, displeases God. Just maybe those things that motivate and move us, also moves God. Wow…what an amazing God we serve!)
So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, there were dead bodies lying on the ground for as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped. (Wow! To God be the glory! All they had to do was show up and witness the victory God gave them. Look at the victories God will provide for us, simply, by trusting and submitting ourselves to Him.) King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables – more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.
Then they returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, full of joy that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets and proceeded to the Temple of the Lord. When the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side. (Yes!!!)
Summary of Jehoshaphat’s Reign
So Jehoshaphat ruled over the land of Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the ways of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people never fully committed themselves to following the God of their ancestors. The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Jehu Son of Hanani, which is included in The Book of the Kings of Israel.
But near the end of his life, King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who was a very wicked man. Together they built a fleet of trading ships at the port of Ezion-geber. Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat. He said, “Because you have allied yourself with King Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy your work.” So the ships met with disaster and never put out to sea.” (2 Chronicles 20)
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Thank you for helping us understand you, helping us recognize how, because we are an extension of you, we are connected and share those wonderful emotions you’ve created in us. And, Lord, help us uplift you continuously, knowing that it is our praise that pleases you. And if praise pleases you, and it pleases us, help us praise the people around us. We love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
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