Jehosaphat Trusts God
Notes
Transcript
A Little History about King Jehoshaphat
A Little History about King Jehoshaphat
First of all to get this out of the way… “Jumping Jehosaphat” was first in a book in 1861.
Robin…Bat man’s side kick would regularly say, “Jumping Jehosaphat batman?”
Jehoshaphat means “Yahweh has judged.” There were 3 “Jehoshaphat” appearances (2 Samuel, 1 Kings and Chronicles)
These “Jehosaphat was on the scene 870 BC to 843. There is indication that they were the same person. Or several people in the role.
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Chronicles follows 2Kings. For those who have read Kings and Chronicles you will find great agreement between the books and much duplication.
They have separate aims…One is a story involving people and emotions and desires, Kings
and the other is move of a history, that is Chronicles.
There is a particular theme that I picked out one of the passages for today. It is 2Chron 20.15,17
Theme For Today!
15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
2Chron
King J is in a bad spot here. Early in his reign he has sent out officials & priests to reach the people with “the book of the law of the Lord.”
9 They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the Lord; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.
and later they instituted the court system where people could bring their grievances. This is in the model of Moses and courts that he set up. The courts heard secular as well as spiritual cases.
So everything is going along well. But that is soon to fall apart. King J was willing to live to peaceful co-existence with the other kingdom’s in the area. Except they got greedy. They turned on each other and on King J for a bigger peace of the pie from God.
Really??? There is enough of God to go around so that everyone can have all of him. Everyone can have all of God all at the same time.
So what we have here is a “political crisis. You heard me correctly. This is a political crisis.
You see “politics” is not a uniquely American really beginning in the 1800’s. Politics has been going on for ages.
Let’s weave the elements of this passage into some real world advice.
1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.
2chron
King J had something they all wanted and they were willing to go to war over it. Israel is not immune to war. Not in this time period and not today. Where Israel sits is extremely vulnerable then and now.
17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’ ”
2Chron
Israel is not immune to political strife then or now. The US is a deeply divided nation over many political and spiritual matters now especially.
King J was warned
2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi).
2Chronicles 20
King J had an army, it was a formidable army. So were the armies that were against him. The battle would be fierce.
With that information he could’ve spun up his warriors and with God’s help would have won.
Note… with God’s help.
King J was
3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.
4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.
2Chron
3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.
As verse 13 says even the wives and children were brought together
2Chron
He drove ALL the people to their knees and called for a fast. Not to make them weak but so that the spiritual could be given prime attention in their lives.
He drove ALL the people to their knees and called for a fast. Not to make them weak but so that the spiritual could be given prime attention in their lives.
We may be on the correct side of political dissent but unless your on God’s side you are on the wrong side. King J knew that he had to bring everyone from all factions together to make this work.
AND HE PRAYED!!!
AND HE PRAYED!!!
In part he said
9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’
2Chron 20
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2Chron
There is identification with God and His power going on here. King J is certain his pleas will be heard and God will save.
Another example of that is in this well used passage from 2Chronicles
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
God says here that if we…not just the priests, the pastor, the elders but all of us become humble in the sight of the Lord, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY and beg for God to intervene and equally important, Confess and repent from their wicked ways…He, God will heal their land
Let me modern-up this a bit… regardless the attack from wherever or what type we stand before your presence Lord in this church and cry out to you…for our very existence.
We are going to pause right now…we are going to take time to pray. I’d like you to gather into small groups, 1or2 or 3or4.
Let’s Pray
I’d like you pray for our nation that is under attack, you may think it is political or ideological but it’s not. We are under spiritual attack. satan is trying to bring our nation down around us. We may disagree about the elements of this attack…but the truth is that he, satan is having a hayday right now in our country.
We will call you back from prayer in a couple of minutes.
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Let’s pray together as Jesus taught us to pray...
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name, they kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen!
King J is begging for God to help him
12 Our God, will you not judge them? 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.”
2Chron 20
From 2800 years ago this still rings true, “we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
I want to make sure among all of the noise in my world that my eyes are on God. I pray that for you too.
8 He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
With that warning shaking us to the core; what is our response
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
There is not one of us here that can truly claim the high ground concerning the “truth” and the “answer” to our current situation in our world.
But in Judea
But in Judea
13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.
Then the Spirit of the Lord come over one man
2Chron 20
15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.
2Chron 20
Our enemy maybe unseen and extremely powerful and vast…but this battle is not our it is God’s.
If fact
17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’ ”
How on earth do we get on this God-team? How can we always win? How can we always be the one’s with the harp’s and lyres and trumpets praising God.
How do we know His will?
How do we know His will?
Ask Him, pray to Him, bring your requests, bring your doubts and fears to will answer them all.
And He will bring PEACE!!
30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
Let’s Pray
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