221007 The Battle Is Not Yours

MP “Do not fear or be dismayed tomorrow go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you!”

Introduction

How sure is the Christian’s salvation… How secure is the Christian while Christ is on the throne?

The Christian, in this life has troubles but nothing can prevent his ultimate and sacred union with God through his Savior. Christ has joined us into the family of God and our worst fears have been dealt with.

Ezra 8:21-23 Then I called for a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a direct journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to ask from the king for a military force and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God is upon all those who seek Him, for their good, but His strength and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He was moved by our entreaty.

Joel 3:1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land.

3 They have also cast lots for My people, Traded a boy for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine that they may drink. 4 Moreover, what are you to Me, O Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering Me a recompense? But if you do recompense Me, swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense on your head. 5 Since you have taken My silver and My gold, brought My desirable treasures to your temples, 6 and sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Greeks in order to remove them far from their borders, 7 behold, I am going to rouse them from the place where you have sold them and return your recompense on your head. 8 Also I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation,” for Yahweh has spoken. 9 Call out this message among the nations: Set yourselves apart for a war; rouse the mighty men! Let all the men of war approach, let them come up! 10 Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.” 11 Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, And gather yourselves. There, bring down, O Yahweh, Your mighty ones. 12 Let the nations be roused up And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I will sit to judge All the surrounding nations.

13 Send in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for their evil is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of Yahweh is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars lose their brightness. 16 And Yahweh roars from Zion And gives forth His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and the earth quake. But Yahweh is a refuge for His people And a strong defense to the sons of Israel. 17 Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, And strangers will pass through it no more.

18 And it will be in that day, That the mountains will drip with sweet wine, And the hills will flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water; And a spring will go out from the house of Yahweh To water the valley of Shittim. 19 Egypt will become a desolation, And Edom will become a desolate wilderness, Because of the violence done to the sons of Judah, In whose land they have shed innocent blood. 20 But Judah will be inhabited forever And Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21 And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged, Indeed, Yahweh dwells in Zion.

PRAYER

CONTEXT

I. Response to the Threat (v1-4)

Now it happened after this, that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the Ammonites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, out of Aram and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is Engedi).” 3 And Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek Yahweh, and called for a fast throughout all Judah. 4 So Judah gathered together to seek help from Yahweh; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek Yahweh.

Principle

PS 115:11 “You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.”

unique in verse 3 is the call for a fast… Christians show the strength of their concern and reliance on God by setting aside food to seek the Lord - this is uncommon but should not be

Application Point - How to seek the Lord

Jehoshaphat gives a demonstration of how to seek the Lord...

He enlisted help

He gathered together

Proclaimed a fast to focus prayers

How does this support the Main Point: “Do not fear or be dismayed tomorrow go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you!”

When Jehoshaphat was afraid he sought the Lord - he did not rely upon his armies - chapter 17 indicates that he had appx 1,160,000 men from Judah and Benjamin - he had fortresses, he had store cities but in his time of trouble - when he was afraid he did not rely upon his own strength

II. Remembrance of a Prayer (v5-12)

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Yahweh before the new court, 6 and he said, “O Yahweh, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can take their stand against You. 7 Did You not, O our God, dispossess the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the seed of Abraham Your friend forever? 8 And they have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary there for Your name, saying, 9 ‘Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.’ 10 So now, behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (they turned aside from them and did not destroy them), 11 and behold, they are rewarding us by coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have caused us to possess. 12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; and we do not know what we should do, but our eyes are on You.”

The new court is probably(?) the great court listed in 2 Chron 4:9 “Then he made the court of the priests and the great court and doors for the court, and overlaid their doors with bronze.”

Principle

Noting God’s Character as to the reason for requesting action is critical in our prayers 2 Chron 20:6 “and he said, “O Lord, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.”

We dont ask because of our own loveliness but as beneficiaries of God’s promises made before us

Application Point

How do we seek help from the Lord

Remembering His Character, Promises, Past Blessings and place all things in His control/Will

How does this support the Main Point: “Do not fear or be dismayed tomorrow go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you!”

Remembering that the Lord is the One who is with us should be our default “base” that we run to in Times of Trouble

v6 He is God, Ruler of All, Powerful and no one can withstand Him | Our God, we recognize His strength

v7 Yahweh made room for Israel and gave to Abraham, your friend, His children forever | They are laying hold of the promises and blessings that were given to them as descendants of Abraham their Father and Yahweh’s friend

v8 Your name dwells here | We have desired that You live here

v9 Yahweh is the God who hears and saves | We have committed to coming to you in the event of tragedy and calamity

v10 - 11 You are the Giver of inheritance | We did not take from them their inheritance and yet… | These godless people whom we have not dispossessed - at your word - they are now seeking to dispossess us!

v12 God, You are the Judge over all the earth | We are powerless and we do not know what we should do, but our eyes are on You.”

III. Rescue Promised (v13-17)

13 Now all Judah was standing before Yahweh, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 14 Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; 15 and he said, “Pay attention, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says Yahweh to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You need not fight in this battle; take your stand⁠—stand and see the salvation of Yahweh on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you.”

Principle

Bring your family to worship, incorporate your family in your prayers PR 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

listen to the word of the Lord

He is doing all things for His ultimate glory which means He may allow hardship in this life so that His power and might can be displayed

The command to not fear is based upon God’s strength - not our own Ex 14:13 “But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.”

Application Point

Believe in the Character of God, know understand and ponder on His promises, Recall past blessings

How does this support the Main Point: “Do not fear or be dismayed tomorrow go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you!”

repeat of the main point

IV. Response to the Promise (v18-19)

18 So Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Yahweh, worshiping Yahweh. 19 Then the Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, rose up to praise Yahweh, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

Principle

Exuberant joy is the response when we recognize and believe what the Lord has said

Worship

Praise is public - not private

Action is the result of faith

Fall down in worship and rise up to praise - praise loudly - not weakly, not tepidly but with strength which God supplies

What we hunger for most we worship - John Piper

Those who were dedicated to the service of the Lord (Levites, Kohathites (service the most holy objects), Korahites (temple singers and gatekeepers) praised the Lord loudly

Why? because the Lord had answered their prayer - principle: when the Lord answers prayers give public praise

Application Point

How does this support the Main Point: “Do not fear or be dismayed tomorrow go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you!”

Great joy is the privilege of those who trust in Yahweh and are indwelt by Him.

Eph 6:16 “in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

V. Raiders Defeated (v20-23)

20 And they rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, establish your faith in Yahweh your God and you will be established. Establish your faith in His prophets and succeed.” 21 When he had taken counsel with the people, he caused those who sang to Yahweh and those who praised Him to stand in holy attire, as they went out before the army, saying, “Give thanks to Yahweh, for His lovingkindness endures forever.” 22 When they began singing for joy and praising, Yahweh set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were defeated. 23 Indeed, the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to devote them to destruction and to utterly eradicate them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to bring one another to ruin.

Principle

Establish your faith in God and in His word

The ability to trust and enjoy the Lord is a gift given to those who love Him

The battle is not ours - that doesnt mean we dont show up for the fight but we stand our ground and watch the Lord do His work

Application Point

How to praise when you dont feel like it - remember it is

How does this support the Main Point: “Do not fear or be dismayed tomorrow go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you!”

VI. Return in Peace (v24-30)

24 Now Judah came to the lookout of the wilderness, and they turned toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses fallen on the ground, and no one had escaped. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil and found much among them, including goods, garments and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were three days taking the spoil because there was so much. 26 Then on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of Beracah, for there they blessed Yahweh. Therefore they have named that place “The Valley of Beracah” until today. 27 And every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with gladness, for Yahweh had made them glad over their enemies. 28 And they came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the house of Yahweh. 29 And the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that Yahweh had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

Principle

Application Point

How does this support the Main Point: “Do not fear or be dismayed tomorrow go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you!”

Conclusion