Worship and Warfare

Photo courtesy of thepraiseandworshipconnection.blogspot.com

I have been studying 2 Chronicles 20 this week and have found some amazing truths in the life of Jehoshaphat, one of the few good kings of the Kingdom of Judah.  He and the people of Judah were in a difficult situation as they were being attacked by their enemies, the Ammonites and Moabites.

Let's go straight to God's Word for this one today...

"After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,^[a] came against Jehoshaphat for battle. ² Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,^[b] from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi). ³ Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴ And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord."

We see Jehoshaphat felt very afraid in verse 3, and in that fearful state, what was the FIRST thing he did?  He sought the Lord and prayed and fasted.  (How often do we do this?  When I am anxious, so often I choose to sit and worry, or pick up my PHONE instead of seeking the THRONE!)

And then Jehoshaphat prays a most amazing prayer (with the wives and littles in tow, v. 13) which praises God for His sovereignty and power...and yet also exposes his own weakness and powerlessness.  And yet, even as he confesses that he does not know what to do, he proclaims "our eyes are on you" (v. 12)...

"⁵ And 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? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. ⁷ Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? ⁸ And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ⁹ ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,^[c] or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ ¹⁰ And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy— ¹¹ behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. ¹² O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

And God answers this prayer and assures the king that this battle with their enemies is not theirs to fight, but God's (verse 17) and He will be with them!

"You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”

And we go on to see how the battle unfolds the next day.  Jehoshaphat puts a CHOIR in the lead of the troops and we see that their ONLY weapon in this war is PRAISE!!  Check it out, skipping over to verse 20...

"And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” ²¹ And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,“Give thanks to the Lord,  for his steadfast love endures forever.” ²²And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. ²³ For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

Did you catch that amazing detail in verse 22..."and WHEN they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon...."  You see, the PRAISE and WORSHIP brought about the victory!!

Oh...and this is perhaps the best part...the SPOILS!!  We see in verse 25 that there were sooooo many spoils to be had that it took them THREE DAYS to gather it all up!

"When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. ²⁶ On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,^[e] for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day."

And they go on to name this place the "Valley of Beracah" which is literally translated "Valley of Praise" or "Valley of Blessing."  Don't we as fallen people tend to associate the mountaintop experiences as the places of great blessings with God?  But no...we see in the Scriptures that it is the VALLEYS that hold God's riches blessings for us as His children! 

I just love this passage of Scripture!  Like a diamond, every facet of it just brings forth more of God's glory as we study it this way and that in the light!  This passage might be foreign to you (like it was to me) or familiar...but either way, take time today, dear friend, to pick it up and study it and prayerfully consider the truths it contains for your prayer life and for your praise life as you face your trials, temptations, and fears this week!