How God Wants Us to go in the Battle.

2 Chronicles 20:1–2 “It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).”

2 Chronicles 20:3–4 “And 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.”

1. Jehoshapat’s Background.

Jehoshapat was one of the good kings of Judah, but he did have one major episode of stinking thinking. He was the 4th king of Judah which was the southern kingdom. He reigned for 25 years from 873-848 BC, and the Bible speaks very highly of him.

2 Chronicles 17:3–6 “Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance. And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.”

In addition, Jehoshapat sent men throughout Judah teaching people the Law of God.

Even though a good king, Jehoshapat made one bad decision. After making peace with Israel, he reached out to one of the most wicked men ever, Ahab the king of Israel. Jehoshapat knew what kind of man Ahab was as did everyone, yet he formed an alliance with Ahab to attack the Syrians. (1st Kings Chap 21-22).

In the attack, Ahab was killed, and Jehoshapat was almost killed. When Jehoshapat returned home, the prophet of the Lord rebuked him for joining himself to Ahab.

2 Chronicles 19:2–3 “And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you. Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God.””

Jehoshapat repented, resumed his reformation of Judah, and appointed judges throughout the land to handle disputes, to make righteous judgments, and to fear the Lord, but God God never promised that Judah would be free of trouble, and that brings us to the greatest victory Jehoshapat ever experienced.

2. Jehoshapat was in a no-win situation, seemingly.

2 Chronicles 20:1–2 “It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).”

Have you ever been in a situation that seemingly had no way out?

Well, that describes the situation in which Jehoshapat and Judah found themselves.

Judah was being invaded by the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Menuites who were from Syria. All three armies were marching toward Judah.

These armies wanted to destroy Judah, and it was Satan who was leading the charge.

Do you remember this passage?

Revelation 12:3–4 “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.”

Satan tried to do everything in his power to keep Christ from being born.

Jehoshapat was in the line of David, and Satan knew that the Christ was coming from the line of David, so he set about to destroy Judah to keep Christ from being born.

Do you remember this passage?

Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Do you know to what powers refers? It refers to Satan’s possession of governments.

Satan always used a nation to try to destroy Christ or to keep Christ from being born.

Egypt, Rome, and the puppet kingdom of Herod were all used by Satan in attempts to destroy Christ. In our passage today, Satan was using the Moabites, Ammonites, and Menuites.

Let me share some passages with you.

Matthew 4:8–10 “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ””

Admittedly, this is hard to digest, but Satan offered the kingdoms of this world to Jesus. He could only offer them because they belonged to him.

Revelation 16:12–14 “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

At the climax of Armageddon, Satan draws all the nations of the world to the valley of Jezreel to destroy Israel. Why or how will he be able to do that? Because the nations of this world will be responding to their puppet-master.

In Jehoshapat’s case, Satan was using three nations to attack Judah, and Jehoshapat and Judah were in dire straits as I am sure many of you have been in dire straits too. Dear friend, we are going to find ourselves in terrible situations because Satan is out to destroy us.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

We need to respond the way Jehoshapat responded as we are about to see.

3. Seemingly facing a no-win situation, Jehoshapat sought God.

Facing the enemy is never easy, and when our enemy is Satan, it is impossible to face him in our own strength. Jehoshapat knew that, so he sought God’s intervention.

2 Chronicles 20:3 “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”

Dear friend, we are too slow seeking God when Satan is on the prowl. Jehoshapat was serious about seeking God. He was not worried about lunch, the baseball game, fishing, shopping, or golf. He sought God and set the example for the entire nation. Are you setting the example for your children? The example of seeking God when difficult times or situations arise.

Jehoshapat was serious. He proclaimed a fast throughout all of Judah. He wanted the entire nation praying for deliverance from its enemies.

Sometimes, dear friend, it takes all of God’s people praying together to motivate God to act. Jehoshapat was the king, and he had his nation’s best interests at heart when he proclaimed the fast. I wonder what would happen if a body of believers banded together in prayer and fasting over something they were facing as a church. There is no telling what God would do, but we NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER do it, and the enemy has a field day.

Now, I want you to pay attention to Jehoshapat’s prayer as he prayed before the entire nation.

2 Chronicles 20:4–6 “So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?”

Jehoshapat led the nation in bold prayer. He boldly approached the throne of God. “God, are you not God?” “God, do you rule over the kingdoms of the heathens?” “God, can anyone stand against you?”

Jehoshapat was bold in prayer, and, dear friend, God wants you to approach him boldly too.

Dear friend, we approach God too weakly today. Yes, we are to be meek, but we are not to be weak. We are to approach God boldly, but not proudly.

If you read verses 7-12, you will see that Jehoshapat gave an incredible testimony about what God had done for Judah. He gave that testimony before every single person.

2 Chronicles 20:13 “Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.”

Jehoshapat laid it all out before God. He was not scared to publicly proclaim his God. Are you? He did not keep the children in the nursery. He gave testimony of God before the entire nation. Stephen proclaimed the greatness of God as he was being stoned. Do you testify to God’s greatness in your life as you face the stones being thrown by the world?

If you do not, that is the reason you are not winning any battles. God wants His children to proclaim before our enemies and the world who He is. Do you?

4. God responds when we earnestly seek Him.

2 Chronicles 20:14–15 “Then the Spirit of the Lord came 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, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

Ultimately, dear friend, the battle is not yours. Ultimately, the battle is God’s.

God was moved by Jehoshapat’s prayer, fasting, leadership, and testimony.

God does not need 10 million people to get serious before He acts. He needs just one person to get serious. Have you ever thought that it could be your lack of prayer, testimony, and worship that is keeping God from acting? Well, it could be, but we do not want to own that because we think we are okay if we come to church or are members of a church. Well, when is the last time you felt victorious before the world? When was the last time you approached the throne of God with the boldness Jehoshapat had?

Joshua prayed for the sun to stand still, so he could win a victory. That is impossible for us but not for God because nothing is impossible with God, but He expects His people to urgently and honestly seek him through prayer, worship, study, fasting, and obedience. There is absolutely no substitute for prayer, worship, and obedience, and if the situation is serious enough for us to seek God, fasting may be required meaning that we might have to put everything else on the back burner.

The modern church disregards fasting, and I might as well say it. The modern church neglects prayer, Bible study, and worship too, but let me ask you a serious question.

How did Jesus overcome Satan in the wilderness? 90% of Christians will because He was God, and they would be wrong. If you read Matt. Chap 4, you will see that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where Jesus prayed and fasted in preparation of Satan’s attacks, and when Satan attacked, Jesus responded with God’s Word. Most of us do not know enough of God’s Word to respond to anything that Satan throws at us.

One of the biggest problems in Christianity is that Christians expect a lot from God, but too many Christians do not want to give God what He demands. Too many Christians want it to be a one-way communication. God is supposed to respond to their requests, and God is not supposed to expect anything in return.

Now, I want you to notice what God tells Jehoshapat.

2 Chronicles 20:16–18 “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, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.”

God tells Judah to go out the next day against the invaders, and that He would be with them. The Bible says that God wanted Judah to see its salvation.

What an incredible statement! Dear friend, I wonder how motivated we would be if we kept our focus on our salvation. I wonder what would happen if we kept our gaze on Calvary and an empty tomb what might happen.

Now, here we go.

The people of Judah, led by Jehoshapat, praised and worshipped God before God had done anything.

I think we are getting to the root of the problem.

God is worthy of our praise whether He acts or not. Our praise and worship is not contingent upon God’s actions. Our praise and worship is based on what God has done.

Our praise and worship should be based upon God being God and not based upon what God might do.

God did not tell Judah what He was going to do. He just said He would be with them. Now, I want you to see what Jehoshapat did knowing that God was going to be with them.

2 Chronicles 20:20–21 “So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “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.”

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.””

If I had been Jehoshapat, I would have sent in the air force, navy, army, and marines first. My military would have been on the frontlines, but Jehoshapat put the choir out in front.

The choir of singers went ahead of the military, and Jehoshapat even told the choir what to sing. They were to sing of God’s holiness and of God’s enduring mercy.

Jehoshapat was leading the nation to worship before God even acted. Is that something we need to do? ABSOLUTELY!!!! We need to praise God in anticipation of what He is going to do and in appreciation of what He has already done.

Judah worshipped and praised God as they went into battle, and dear friend, most of us do not even do that when we come to church much less when go into battle with the roaring lion seeking to devour us.

Is God not worthy of our praise? Has God become like old news to us? That will never be the case if we keep Calvary and the empty tomb in the forefront of our minds.

Let me tell you what happens because I am out of time.

The Lord had set a trap for the enemies of Judah. As soon as Judah started singing and praising God, the trap was sprung. This is really amazing. Satan had drawn the invaders to destroy Judah in an attempt to prevent the birth of Christ, but that was the exact location of the trap God had set. As soon as Judah started praising God and singing praises to His Holy name, God’s trap was set, and the invaders, inexplicably, started killing each other until there were none of them left.

Judah, unless I am reading it wrong, and I do not think so, did not have to kill a single invader because they were praising God, and God acted on their behalf.

We always need to remember this.

Satan might rule, but God overrules. Satan can only do what God allows him to do, and when God wants, He can stop Satan dead in his tracks.

Dear friend, that is how God operates in this world. I believe if Jehoshapat had sent in the army first, Judah would have been defeated. Sending in the army first would have indicated that Jehoshapat was acting in his authority and power, but by sending in the choir of singers first, Jehoshapat was saying the victory belonged to God.

Nothing is impossible if we praise and worship God. If we were to submit ourselves to prayer, study, and obedience, there are absolutely no limits to what God can do for us.

Charlie Halliburton and I were talking about demon possession and exorcisms this week, and I am not talking about that today, but I was reminded of a passage that reminds me of what happens to many of us as face our great enemy. We try to face Satan in our own strength, and he rips us to shreds, and this passage reminds me of what happens to many of us as we go into battle against our real enemy.

Acts 19:15–17 “And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.”

We try to go against Satan in our own strength and fail miserably, but if go against him praising God, worshipping God, and being obedient to God, the victory will be ours, and that is how God wants us to go into battle. Listen, dear friend. Have we not tried it our way long enough? Do you think it is time for us to do it God’s way? There is nothing God cannot do.