Read 2 Chronicles 20
Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon
20 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunitescame to wage war against Jehoshaphat.
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). 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.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard 6 and said:
“Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven?You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 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.’
10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt;so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 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.”
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.
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. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 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.’”
18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his love endures forever.”
22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Berakah to this day.
27 Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lordwith harps and lyres and trumpets.
29 The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign
31 So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 32 He followed the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 33 The high places, however, were not removed, and the people still had not set their hearts on the God of their ancestors.
34 The other events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the annals of Jehu son of Hanani, which are recorded in the book of the kings of Israel.
35 Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, whose ways were wicked. 36 He agreed with him to construct a fleet of trading ships. After these were built at Ezion Geber, 37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and were not able to set sail to trade.
Go Deeper
In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat is backed into the corner, not quite sure where to turn. Have you ever felt overwhelmed, like you weren’t going to make it through a trial? Maybe you’re feeling that right now. Maybe the loss of a loved one has broken your heart. Maybe a sickness has come upon you. Maybe fear and anxiety has tried to break your spirit. Maybe insecurity has taken over and dominated your mind. Maybe finances have piled up to a crushing weight and you see no way out. Do you feel as if the army coming against you is too great? If so, you are not alone.
Many characters in scripture have felt the exact same way. But for those that serve the one and only God, there is hope in these inexplicable moments. And our hope is never predicated upon how our circumstances look, rather who is in control of them. King Jehoshaphat found himself in an overwhelming external situation. During his prayer and plea to God for deliverance, he quoted one of the most honest and faith-filled prayers in all of scripture. In the wake of battle and possible destruction he says, “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.” (2 Chronicles 20:12).
When you do not know what to do, where do your eyes turn to? In the New Testament, Jesus had a moment with Peter where He calls him out to walk on water with him. As he begins to walk, the wind and waves begin to seem overwhelming, and he takes his eyes off of his Lord and onto the storm. “Keep your eyes on me,” Jesus gently responds, “Why do you doubt?” The winds and the waves of life are promised to us, but who we direct our focus on in the midst of the storm is where our strength comes from. In a moment of panic, fear, and doubt, King Jehoshaphat ran to whom he knew was in control. As Israel inquired of the Lord, He answered: “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 Chron. 20:15).
The battle that you’re in right now is not yours. It’s God’s! The overwhelming fear, the situation you see no way out of, the sickness, the loss…anything you are facing, it’s God’s. He just asks that we keep our eyes on Him. He will fight our battles for us. As Israel fixed their gaze upon Him, He did the rest. Life is not promised to be easy for us, but there is a God who promises to be constant. That He will “never leave us or forsake us.” (Joshua 1:9). Fix your eyes upon Him today and know that HE is in control.
Questions
- Do you believe that God is in control of your day-to-day battles? If so, would your response to them look different?
- If the battle is in God’s hands, then what does your job look like?
- At the end of this chapter, King Jehoshaphat makes an alliance with an evil king that ultimately leads to destruction. Are you making any “alliances” with things other than God that could ultimately lead to destruction?
Keep Digging
Learn more about King Jehoshaphat here.
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5 responses to “2 Chronicles 20”
Vs 3 says he set his face to seek the Lord. When adversity comes where do you set your face? As soon as Jehoshaphat heard the news he was afraid. BUT GOD helped him to turn his eyes from his circumstance to the only One he believed could change it.
God’s deliverance and protection are never limited to or hindered by our circumstances. We are the one who limits and hinders Him.
Looking to God’s faithfulness takes our eyes off our on struggles and put them on the God who cares, who tells us to cast our cares on Him. 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We ultimately want to show and remind people that through Christ, every spiritual blessing and promise from God is theirs. Our weak flesh is quick to forget God’s goodness.
vs 12 “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
This should be a wonderful place of freedom. BUT GOD sometimes has to help remind us of our dependence and obedience on Him is what we and He desires.
1. turn attention to God
2. seek God
3. remember what God has done
4. our own strength is nothing without God
5.let go and let God
6.worship God
God thank You for helping me to see through Your love goggles, others situations, that I move my log out of the way to see them how You do. Every spiritual blessing and promise is theirs. When our flesh is weak You are in the middle of the storms. Thank You that You give me the compassion to help others in their times of need. To remind myself and others to cast their cares on You because You are Good. God help me to let go of all the things trying to take Your place. Help me to remember that without You I am nothing. Help me to worship You by glorifying all I say and do to Your honor. God, today, in these minutes I lay myself down to worship You, to let You be Lord in my life. God thank You for Your amazing grace, peace, love and mercy today in these minutes in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Life is hard and unpredictable, but Jehoshaphat models how to run to the Father first, before trusting in other voices/vices. He reminds us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on God, because where our eyes go our heart is sure to follow. Determine to let it be Jesus, first and foremost when unknowns and battles loom, may we set our affections on the only one who called us out of darkness into his glorious light.
Yes!
15 “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
“The battle belongs to the Lord” is a phrase we use often in our family! Sometimes, we ask each other, “And whose battle is it?”.
PS – There’s a fun song with those lyrics that we would sing and dance to often when our kids were young. Which reminds me that we need to share it with our grandkids now!
“For we are powerless before this vast multitude coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chronicles 20:12). Recognizing our limitations and turning our eyes to God is a powerful act of humility and trust. It’s an acknowledgment that we need His strength and wisdom to overcome our challenges.