Jehoshaphat: Looking to God

Warren Brosi

July 14, 2024

Dominant Thought: When you don’t know what to do, turn your eyes to the LORD who loves you.

Objectives:

I want my listeners to learn how people of God respond to the LORD in crisis situations.

I want my listeners to feel encouraged to worship God even in seasons of fear and despair.

I want my listeners to focus on a worship practice described in this text: fasting, prayer, worship, singing, remembering, or giving thanks.

Focus question: What’s your response when trouble comes?

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s book, The Two Towers, the battle for Middle Earth comes a major turning point at the epic battle of Helm’s Deep. The fellowship along with the men and elves have retreated the the fortress that has proved faithful in battles past. The good guys are outnumbered. It doesn’t look like it will end well. In the movie, “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” Gandalf the wizard tells Aragorn, "Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day, at dawn look to the east.”

When crisis comes, I want us to look to the LORD. When you don’t know what to do, turn your eyes to the LORD who loves you.

Today, we conclude our series, Lessons from the Past, as we’ve looked at 200 years of Hebrew history. We began with King Saul and close today with King Jehoshaphat, roughly 1050 B.C. - 850 B.C.

In our time together, I want to walk us through this story in 2 Chronicles 20, where King Jehoshaphat and the southern kingdom of Judah receive news that a vast army coalition of three armies are marching against them and are at their back door in the area of En Gedi (2 Chronicles 20.2). En Gedi is near the Dead Sea and is the same location where David spared Saul’s life by cutting the corning of his robe (1 Samuel 24).

First, let’s meet Jehoshaphat. His name means, “Jehovah has judged.” He is a king of the southern kingdom of Judah. We meet him in 2 Chronicles 17 where he is described, “The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David before him (2 Chronicles 17.3). “His heart was devoted to the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah” (2 Chronicles 17.6). He was a good king. Yet, he was not a perfect king. “The high places were not removed, and the people still had not set their hearts on the God of their ancestors” (2 Chronicles 20.33).

When Jehoshaphat receives word that the army coalition is moving against them, we read in 2 Chronicles 20.3, “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD, indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek Him (2 Chronicles 20.3-4).

We see a good example of seeking the LORD in times of trouble. Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast for all Judah. It was a corporate time to deny themselves food to focus on the LORD and seek His face. As we move through this story, we will see many examples of worship expression. As we encounter these worship expressions, I want to encourage you to choose one you’d like to practice this week.

Fasting is a forgotten practice in the American church. For those whose health allows, fasting can be a helpful practice to develop. Fasting is a tangible reminder that we depend on God and as Jesus quoted in Deuteronomy 8.3, “man does not live on bread alone, but on every word from the mouth of God.”

Jehoshaphat addresses his people in 2 Chronicles 20.6-12. It is a prayer affirming God rules “over the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You” (2 Chronicles 20.6). He reminds them of God’s faithfulness to Abraham and Solomon as they gather before the temple that bears God’s name.

Jehoshaphat faces reality that trouble is here with men from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir. Then, 2 Chronicles 20.12 affirms our main idea for today, “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” When you don’t know what to do, turn your eyes to the LORD who loves you.

All the people are gathered together and God’s Spirit comes on Jehaziel who gives a message to Jehoshaphat and all the people (2 Chronicles 20.15-17). He says, “Don’t be afraid or discouraged…For the battle is not yours, but God’s…you will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you…Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.”

Jehoshaphat bows with his face to the ground and the people fall down in worship before the LORD (2 Chronicles 20.18). Here’s another worship practice—bowing your head, falling down before the LORD. Our physical posture can help remind our spirit who is in charge. Maybe you want to spend more time on your knees or with your head bowed this week before our Great and Awesome God.

Others stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice (2 Chronicles 20.19). Maybe you want to spend some time on your feet before the LORD and sing loud. Trust me. Lord willing, starting next Sunday, our group traveling to the Nationwide Youth Roundup will join about 1,8000 people in the mountains of Colorado to stand and sing loud to Jesus. There’s a time for quiet reflection, but there’s a time for loud praise to our LORD and Savior Jesus. Early the next morning, Jehoshaphat puts the plan in action. “Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld (upheld has a root that sounds like Amen); have faith in His prophets and you will be successful (2 Chronicles 20.20).

Jehoshaphat appointed men-those who were to sing to the LORD and to praise Him for the splendor of His holiness (2 Chronicles 20.21). Here’s another worship experience to sing and praise. We have a reason to praise God given in this description. They praised God for the splendor of his holiness. We serve a holy God—one who is perfect, pure, clean, and set apart from sinners. As you come to a crisis point and you encounter the ugliness of life, we can find strength by reminding ourselves and remembering God is not like that. God is holy. God did not design the world to be ruled by sin. His ways and character are different than the badness of this life.

The praise team went out in front of the army and they quote the Psalm that we read this morning, Psalm 136. It is quoted in many places in the Hebrew Bible. “Give thanks to the LORD, for His love endures forever” (2 Chronicles 20.21). When you don’t know what to do, turn your eyes to the LORD who loves you.”

Here’s another worship practice—Give thanks to the LORD. When you face crisis, do you give thanks? Giving thanks can help reorient our lives to what is true. Maybe this week, you want to give thanks to the LORD.

As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against their enemies. Their enemies rose against one another to destroy, annihilate, slaughter and destroy one another. That’s the description from the text.

Shane Wood reminded me in a next level lesson on Daniel, “Evil destroys itself.” Evil is self-destructive.

Did you see the order? As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes. Remember the Word of the prophet? “You will not have to fight this battle” (2 Chronicles 20.17).

The men of Judah come tot he place were they expected to meet the enemy and all they saw were “dead bodies lying on the ground, no one had escaped” (2 Chronicles 20.24).

Jehoshaphat and the men went to the slain army and gathered the plunder—equipment, clothing, valuables. It took three days to gather all the plunder.

They gathered in the Valley of Berakah and praised the LORD. Berakah means praise or blessing. Another worship practice is to praise God in response to His deliverance and care for you and for us. Also, notice most if not all these worship practices are communal. It’s the whole community participating in these expressions of worship.

They return joyfully. The LORD had won a great victory that day. In my Bible, at the top of 2 Chronicles 20, the subheading reads, “Jehoshaphat defeats Moab and Ammon.” You have to be discerning on those subheadings. They are not always accurate and they are not part of the inspired text. Who won the battle that day? Remember Jehoshaphat the people did not have to fight. It was not their battle. The subheading should read, “The LORD defeats Moab and Ammon.”

Great fear came over the surrounding kingdoms and the kingdom of Jehoshaphat had “peace, for his God had given him rest on every side” (2 Chronicles 20.30).

As we seek to respond to thse actions of God from the 800’s B.C., I want to remind you of two truths.

First, Even in times of trouble, God is with us. Jehoshaphat’s life is marked by the presence of God. “The LORD was with Jehoshaphat” (2 Chronicles 17.3). “The LORD will be with you” (2 Chronicles 20.17).

Jehoshaphat is in the family line of Jesus since both are from the family of Judah. We see Jehoshaphat’s name appear in that list of names in Matthew 1.8. God worked through the line of Judah to bring about the great King Jesus, the Savior of the world. Near the end of Matthew, the Holy Spirit enables Mary to conceive a son. They give him the name Jesus for he will save His people from their sins. They also call him, “Immanuel,” which means, “God with us” (Matthew 1.23). Remember even in times of trouble Jesus is with you.

Second, God wins battles through the praises of His people (2 Chronicles 20.22). From a physical viewpoint, this story does not make sense. But there’s more going on in this story than we can see.

I wonder if Revelation 5.5 can help give us a picture of what happens when God’s people worship Him.

Revelation 5:5 NIV

Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Then, Revelation 5.9-14 give us a picture of a heavenly worship scene. When we worship, we join the heavenly chorus in worship to our King.

Revelation 5:9–14 NIV

And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

When you don’t know what to do, turn your eyes to the LORD who loves you.