“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.”
– 2 Chronicles 20:15
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you think that ‘going to war’ is a good way to resolve animosities or bad blood that guys and gals who are living in different countries or among different people groups have with each other? Do you think that it was a good thing for the United States and for a number of other countries to do – after nineteen terrorists from the Middle East commandeered inflight four passenger planes for the purpose of flying them into the two World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon and possibly the White House in Washington, D.C., when the United States and the other countries sent some of their military troops into Iraq and Afghanistan – two Middle East countries? Would being a soldier be something that you would like to be someday? Ask your dad what it was like for him to join the Marines. Even though your grandpaa knows that he probably would not be married to your grandmaa today if he had enlisted into one of the military branches in the United States – which would probably have had him fight in the Vietnam War, your grandpaa still regrets today that he did not sign up to join the military instead of waiting to be drafted – which never happened. After your grandpaa received a letter telling him that he needed to take the army’s physical, your grandpaa went with a busload of guys from Wilmington, Delaware to Philadelphia to take the army’s physical. Your grandpaa was relieved when he found out that he had passed the army’s physical. Your grandpaa had rheumatic fever when he was a kid. After your grandpaa had rheumatic fever, your grandpaa had a heart murmur. Your grandpaa was hoping that the army’s doctor – while he was giving your grandpaa the required physical, would not find that your grandpaa still had a heart murmur. After someone suggested to your grandmaa and grandpaa that they would have more time together before your grandpaa was deployed if they decided to move their wedding date up from the date that they had set, your grandmaa and grandpaa – when they were told that another couple already had reserved February 15 to get married, okayed February 14 to get married. It did not register with your grandmaa and grandpaa that February 14 was Valentines Day.
What do you think that an outcome of a war would be if God is asked to fight the war? When there has been a war between a country that has a leader who whole-heartedly believes that God is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient and a country that has a leader who has only his or her own self-interests at stake, who do you think in the end will win? Pulling a Jehoshaphat is to lead an army that is dominated by Christ-follower guys who are facing an amassed army of guys from differing people groups who are subjugated to manmade deities. 2 Chronicles 20 outlines the fight strategy that a Christ-follower army of guys would follow to pull a Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was one of the kings who God had reign over the Israelite people group guys and gals – who are His specially chosen guys and gals, who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem. Asa was Jehoshaphat’s dad. Before Asa died, Asa – for three years, had Jehoshaphat be co-king with him over the Israelite people group guys and gals who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem. After Jehoshaphat’s dad died, Jehoshaphat – who was 35 years old, would rule as their king for 25 years over the guys and gals who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem. A seminal moment for Jehoshaphat took place when the Ammonite and Moabite people group armies along with guys from the Meunite people group assembled a vast army to overrun the Israelite people group guys and gals who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem. What irked Jehoshaphat was that God – while He had the Israelite people group guys and gals do a forty year desert exodus before going into the land area that He was giving them to always to have to live in as their very own land, clearly instructed His specially chosen guys not to attack the Moabite and Ammonite people groups guys and gals.
Jehoshaphat’s response to the message that he was given that he was going to be attacked by a massive army that was staging to the southeast of his land area was to assemble his Israelite people group guys and gals together and to have them fast and pray to God for His help. After Jehoshaphat told God that he was not happy at all with the people group guys who were planning to destroy him and his people group guys and gals when He could have had the guys who were now wanting to destroy him and his people group guys and gals destroyed six centuries earlier when . . . God – as God the Spirit, exclusively gave Jahaziel – who the Chronicles Book author documents as being from the Levi tribal clan, an encouraging message to pass on to Jehoshaphat. The message that Jahaziel passed on to Jehoshaphat begins in verse 15 with, “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.” As Jehoshaphat the next day led his army to where the enemy armies had bivouacked, he had his guys sing praise songs to God that explicitly acknowledged God’s holiness. When Jehoshaphat and his guys got to where the enemy armies had camped, all that they found were corpses and a lot of booty because . . . why do you think that Christ-follower guys and gals today are not – while fasting and praying, asking God to fight their battles?
2 Chronicles 20 (1033)