We continue following the blessed life of Jehoshaphat. The Lord allows him to see mighty victories in his life, as well as being under the Lord’s chisel to mould his life where required.
2 Chronicles 19: Jehoshaphat's Reforms
1 Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem.
2 But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD.
3 Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you destroyed the Asherahs out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God."
4 Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
5 He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
6 and said to the judges, "Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the LORD. He is with you in giving judgment.
7 Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality or taking bribes."
8 Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel, to give judgment for the LORD and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem.
9 And he charged them: "Thus you shall do in the fear of the LORD, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart:
10 whenever a case comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities, concerning bloodshed, law or commandment, statutes or rules, then you shall warn them, that they may not incur guilt before the LORD and wrath may not come upon you and your brothers. Thus you shall do, and you will not incur guilt.
11 And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the LORD; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters, and the Levites will serve you as officers. Deal courageously, and may the LORD be with the upright!"
2 Chronicles 20: Jehoshaphat's Prayer
1 After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle.
2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, 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.
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, 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."
13 Meanwhile all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
15 And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.
16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 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."
18 Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.
19 And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
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."
22 And 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.
The LORD Delivers Judah
24 When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped.
25 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, for there they blessed the LORD. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day.
27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies.
28 They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the LORD.
29 And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.
31 Thus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
32 He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD.
33 The high places, however, were not taken away; the people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of Jehu the son of Hanani, which are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
The End of Jehoshaphat's Reign
35 After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly.
36 He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish, and they built the ships in Ezion-geber.
37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made." And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.
Things to think about…
1. Remember Jehoshaphat had returned from a battle against the Syrians with Ahab the wicked king in Israel. The Lord rebukes Jehoshaphat for such an alliance through the prophet Hanani, 2Chr 19:2. Can you remember a time where you aligned yourself with someone who didn’t believe what you believe? Eg in business partnership or other relationship. Perhaps you know someone who has. Unequal yoking is condemned in both the OT and NT, 2Cor 6:14.
2. The wisdom of any leader is only measured by their level of humility and accountability in light of the truth. Jehoshaphat listened to the prophet and continued to reform Judah, 2Chr 19:4-11. What measures should we make individually and as a church to keep ourselves accountable to one another? Jehoshaphat then appoints judges in the land, vs 5 and then exhorts them to judge in righteousness and not take bribes, vss 6,7. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people”, Prov 14:34.
3. Justice flows out into the land because the law of the Lord is maintained in the heart of the leaders. Jehoshaphat appoints priests and Levites in Jerusalem to teach the religious leaders the Law. Jerusalem is the heart of Israel. Its leadership needs to teach the law and honouring the Lord in their faith and practise. In a similar way in the life of a church and its people the pastor and senior leadership must keep their lives by maintaining the discipline of bible study and the faithful teaching of it throughout the week, especially as the church gathers on a Sunday.
4. In 2Chr 20:1-23 we see the real test of any faith is proved genuine or otherwise when it is challenged by an insurmountable enemy. Judah was attacked by Moab, Ammon and Edom. The Lord delivers Jehoshaphat and the people from this great enemy directly without anyone having to go to war. The enemies fought each other, vs 23. What is the greatest battle/enemy you have faced? How did the Lord deliver you? Often the world wars are fought among each other, destroying themselves. What a tragedy it is when the church fights among itself.
5. Jehoshaphat in a similar way to Abijah recalls and quotes the history of Israel in a defence to an army that is coming against him. This time the quote is not to the enemy but to the Lord, 2 Chr 20:7-13. Jehoshaphat invokes the Lord’s name to deliver His people against an enemy that historically was against the Lord’s plan regarding the inheritance of His people. These same descendants are trying to destroy the heritage of Israel. As such Jehoshaphat asks the Lord to deliver His people. Note that Jehoshaphat was afraid, vs 3. This fear is directed to the Lord. Deliverance could only come from Him.
6. A faithful prophet by the name of Jahaziel becomes the Lord’s mouthpiece, 2Chr 20:14-17. The battle belongs to the Lord. At this Jehoshaphat and all the people worship. This should be our disposition at all times, both in blessing and in trial.
7. There is power when there is praise among the Lord’s people, 2 Chr 20:19-23. The prayer and praise is answered by the Lord. The Lord sends these gathered nations against Israel, against each other. The wealth of the nations is stored up for the righteous…again. May this be true in every believer’s life who faithfully honours the Lord. If you need deliverance from a mighty enemy, praise is a powerful tool in your armoury. Only a fool would leave it out in battle.
8. We see the people of Judah took spoil for 3 days – there was so much. Jehoshaphat then had rest all around, 2Chr 20: 29, 30 because fear came upon all the nations because of what God had done for Judah and there was peace. What would be a modern equivalent of this happening regarding the church and the general community outside the church? My understanding is that this is what revival would look like. It happens when there is peace in the church and revival in the land.
9. Never build ships or set sail with the wicked, 2Chr 20:35-37. Even right at the end of his life Jehoshaphat still had some lessons to learn about who he should associate with. He aligned with another wicked king of Israel, this time Ahaziah. God destroys his efforts as a result. How do you want to finish the end of the race in this life? What steps are you putting in place now to make sure this happens? If what we are doing does not prosper, the Lord’s Spirit is teaching us that something is not honouring Him in our lives.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Title was “You win, but don’t deserve it” from 2 Chronicles 13
1. Abijah only reigned in Judah for 3 years. The description of this man in 1 Kings 15:1-3 is not very flattering, yet in 2 Chronicles 13 we see the Lord bless his faith and obedience. When you read the passage in 2Chr 13 what does the Lord use to bring about such a great victory for Abijah? What does Abijah say and do that honours the Lord?
2. Jeroboam lost 500, 000 men. What do you remember about the character of Jeroboam, what was he known for? What was Jeroboam’s legacy?
3. Israel never recovered after losing 500, 000 men. Judah would attract people from Israel back to worship the one true God. This is still the case today. Even though Abijah was not wholly true to the Lord, he was still blessed. Do you see some similarities of Abijah in your own life? In what way?
4. Pray for prayer points and for each other.
Prayer Points
1. Peace to rest over Ukraine.
2. Pray for new people as they settle into life at CBC.
3. Upcoming Australian elections – pray for the Lord’s choice of MP’s.
4. Continue to pray for the flood clean-up as well as the money donated to help.
5. Folk sick with Covid – relief and healing.
6. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
7. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Worship on Sunday – thankyou team.
2. More visitors to CBC over the weekend.
3. God’s word affecting people for Christ
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Members meeting 22nd May after the service.
2. Remember to check your duty rosters.
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism question for May...
Q. 3. Will Christ come again? A. Yes; at the last day Christ will come to judge the world.
