2 Chronicles 20:12 and 17

Written ~ 08-26-2023

2 Chronicles 20:12 and 17

“O our God, won’t You stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help…” “…But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

In 2 Chronicles 20 we see King Jehoshaphat fearful, terrified, as he learns of a great army who just declared war, marching towards Judah and Jerusalem. Because of his fear, King Jehoshaphat could have made a hasty decision by responding with the same kind of force, but instead of immediately mobilizing his own army, he sought the Lord. He ordered the people of Judah and Jerusalem to fast as he prayed. In verse 20:12 we see part of that prayer,

“O our God, won’t You stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

There may be times in your life where it seems like a great army is pursuing you. Some situations in your life have flooded over you with great oppression and you can’t see your way out from under the stress. During these tumultuous times you may find yourself wavering between different responses. Anger, fear, sorrow, emotional outbursts that only make matters worse. King Jehoshaphat’s prayer is honest, it’s coming from his heart. He’s asking if God is going to take care of things. All the King can see is his circumstances, an enemy approaching, he doesn’t know what to do. But he stops in the middle of the chaos and prays. He seeks the help from those around him, asking them to also pray and seek God’s wisdom, he wasn’t going through this troubled time alone. One thing I am impressed with is that this is a King of a mighty nation, and he was humble enough to ask for help, not just from his advisors, but from the people of that mighty nation.

If we were to use King Jehoshaphat as an example for whatever lofty circumstance is looming in our own lives, it could be anything we are experiencing that is causing fear, anxiety, and depression, that means we need to reach out to godly people for help, for prayer. It’s important that you do not feel alone in your anxiety. It may be the wisdom and encouragement of those around you that helps you get through an awful situation with better clarity. By seeking the Lord, wholeheartedly and asking others to join with you in prayer, it might just be what brings a breakthrough, answers may be offered, something you might not have come up with on your own. That’s what happened to King Jehoshaphat! Look at the verses 20:13-15,

“As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph. He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

It might just be that a powerful message from the Lord comes to you through someone else! In these couple of verses, it was a man in the crowd. He was praying and fasting, and God’s message was given to him. “Don’t be afraid! Don’t be afraid of what you are facing! For the battle is not yours, but God’s!” If you are in the midst of a difficult season in your life…You have done everything you can to get through this difficult time, but you are trying to do it all on your own and nothing is working, it may be that it’s time to listen to the people around you who are giving you direct messages from the Lord. The trick is, are you going to do what the Lord is asking you to do? If King Jehoshaphat had not sought the wisdom of the Lord, his actions taken in fear would’ve been disastrous. The message from the man in the crowd continues in our verse 20:17,

“But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

I love that! “Take your positions; then stand still.” Sometimes we can get in the way of the Lord’s plan by all of our busyness. We think our plans will get the job done and we don’t consider what the Lord has planned. Seek the Lord, take your position, then stand still. Why is that important? Because we need to be focused on what the Lord is going to do in our circumstances. “…stand still and watch the Lord’s victory.” If we are scurrying around, trying to work out our troubles all on our own, we might just miss the victory. If we are not standing still and watching what the Lord will do in whatever situation that has you so flurried, disaster may fall on that situation instead.

“He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem… for the Lord is with you!”

Let’s personalize this part of verse 20:17… where it says, “O people of Judah and Jerusalem,” insert your name. When you are going through a particularly rough patch, the Lord is with you. But it’s up to us to recognize His presence when we are really having a difficult time with something. So, for example, I may be praying for something in my own life and need to be reminded of the Lord’s presence… I am going to insert my name in this verse… No matter what, “He is with you Denise, the Lord is with you!”

In verse 20:17 let’s look at the part that says, “…go out against them tomorrow…” What looming circumstance has you all twisted in a ball of anxiety? Is it something that you need to confront? Are you avoiding a situation because you don’t want that confrontation? It might just be that you will still need to “…go out…” be prepared, take your position and be confident. Even if that means facing the scariest, most difficult conflict, one you would rather just ignore. Besides having the Lord on your side, we have His victory! Verse 20:17 also says, “Do not be afraid or discouraged.” Why? Because the Lord is with you!

What was King Jehoshaphat’s response to the message from the Lord? Look at verse 20:18,

“Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord.”

Do you see that? The King and all the people of the nation bowed to the Lord and worshipped Him, and this was in response to the message from the Lord, He hadn’t even shown His Glory, His Victory yet! The very next day, King Jehoshaphat assembled his army, got them into position, he turned, and said to them (vs. 20:20),

“…Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm…”

It was then that the King appointed singers to walk ahead of the army to sing and praise the Lord. Then! Take a look at verse 20:22!

“At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.”

The Lord destroyed the enemy without the army of King Jehoshaphat needing to lift a finger, they just stood still and watched. It all happened when the worship of the Lord began. When songs of praise are lifted up to the Lord to honor Him, to give glory to Him, it is then we will see God’s hand move in our fear, anxiety, anger, sorrow, depression. So, let’s be like King Jehoshaphat, bring our troubles to Him, seek the Lord before we take matters into our own hands. Seek advice from godly people. Surround yourself with others who will pray and seek God as diligently as you are. Wait and listen for the message from the Lord before proceeding. Then worship. Praise the Lord for who He is, bring honor and glory to His name, even before you see Him move in your situation.

The main lesson we can learn from these verses is to seek the Lord first, to trust in the Lord’s message, by doing so, we can have victory in every circumstance life throws our way!

~AMEN~