Our Eyes are Upon You!

Theme: “When Our Eyes are upon God We will not Fear.”

2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, will You not judge them? For 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.”

Let’s Pray

Verse 12 ends by saying “Our Eyes are upon You.” The capital “Y” in the word “You” indicates they are referring to God.

What are my eyes normally focused on?

Am I concentrating on what’s Happening in the News?

Is my life centered on how my political party is advancing their agenda?

Am I fixated on my favorite sports team?

Am I thinking about what’s the latest Covid variant?

Am I focusing on things that breathe life, or am I focusing on things that leads to death?

In today’s story we see the example of Jehoshaphat. He was the fourth king of Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel after it split. He was the son of Asa, son of Abijah, son of Rehoboam, son of Solomon, son of David. That makes him Solomon’s great-great-grandson, and David’s great-great-great-grandson.

Let’s see what Jehosaphat Eyes Focused on?

Jehoshaphat Heard about a problem – a big problem

Verse 2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against youfrom beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Haz-a-zon Ta-mar” (which is En Gedi).

Who was this great multitude?

Verse 1 It happened after this that the people of Moab (descendants from Lot’s youngest daughter) with the people of Ammon(descendants from Lot’s youngest daughter), and others (from verse 10 we find out it’s people from Mount Seir which are descendants from Esau)with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.

What did Jehoshaphat do?

3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

Feared

Psalm 56:3 “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

Set himself to seek the LORD

Proclaim a fast – throughout all Judah

Jehoshaphat Sought the LORD

4 So Judah gathered togetherto ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

Verse 13 states, “Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.”

Positive response that Judah gathered together

Asked help from the LORD

AND from All the cities of Judah came to seek the LORD

Jehoshaphat Prayed to the LORD

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,

6 and said: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You notrule 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?

God of our father

God in heaven

You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations

Your hand is power and might

No one is able to withstand You

7 Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it (the land) to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?

Our God

You drove out the inhabitants before Your people Israel

You gave the land to the descendants of Abraham

8 And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,

They dwell in the land you gave them

They built You a sanctuary – for Your name saying

9 ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name isin this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’

2 Chronicles 6:20 that Your eyes may be open toward this temple day and night, toward the place where You said You would put Your name, that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place.

2 Chronicles 6:28 “When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; 29 whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows his own burden and his own grief, and spreads out his hands to this temple: 30 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men), 31 that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.

32 “Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray in this temple;

10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them—

11 here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.

You would not let us invade them or destroy them

ow they’re coming to throw us out of Your possession which You gave us to inherit

Jehoshaphat Acknowledge His Weakness

12 O our God, will You not judge them? For 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.”

We have no power

We don’t know what to do

Our eyes are upon you

13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord.

God Speaks to Jehoshaphat

14 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.

Ø “The Spirit of the LORD came upon Ja-haz-iel”

15 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.

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 – Why?

For the battle is not yours, but God’s

Jehoshaphat’s Step of Faith

16 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.

down against them

They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz

You will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.

God Give Jehoshaphat A Promise

17 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.”

You will not need to fight in this battle

Position yourselves

Stand still

See the salvation of the LORD – who is with you

Do not fear or be dismayed

Tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you

Jehoshaphat’s Response

18 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.

Jehoshaphat Worshiped the LORD

Bowed his head with his face to the ground

And all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD

Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.”

Levites Praise the LORD

19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.

Ø The Levites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel

Jehoshaphat’s Step of Faith

20 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.”

Rose early in the morning

Went out

Jehoshaphat stood and said

Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem

Believe in the LORD your God – you shall be established

Believe His prophets – you shall prosper

21 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.”

22 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.

Ø The LORD set ambushes against them

Ø So, they were defeated

23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

Ø Ammon and Moab fought against Mount Seir and kill them

Ø And Ammon and Moab destroy one another

24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.

25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much.

Ø Abundance of valuables

Ø Precious jewelry

Ø It took three days to gather the spoil because there was so much

26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of  Berachah, for there they blessed the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day.

27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lordhad made them rejoice over their enemies.

Ø Returned – every man of Judah and Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat leading the way

Ø The LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies

28 So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the Lord.

29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of thosecountries when they heard that the Lordhad fought against the enemies of Israel.

Ø Israel was Never defeat

Ø Bruised yes, but never wipe out

Ø Every nation that every tried to wipe out Israel was unsuccess – Why? The LORD fights against her enemies

30 Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

“None of self, and allof Thee.” was a hymn written by Theodore Monod in 1874

1. Oh, the bitter pain and sorrow That a time could ever be, When I proudly said to Jesus, “All of self, and none of Thee.” 2. Yet He found me; I beheld Him Bleeding on th’ accursed tree, And my wistful heart said faintly, “Some of self, and some of Thee.”

3. Day by day His tender mercy, Healing, helping, full and free, Brought me lower while I whispered, “Less of self, and more of Thee.”

4. Higher than the highest heaven, Deeper than the deepest sea, Lord, Thy love at last has conquered: “None of self, and all of Thee.”