I Kings 22:47-50, II Chronicles 20:1-30
"It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.” (II Chronicles 20:1-2)
The Moabites and Ammonites are both the products of incest between Abraham’s nephew Lot and his two daughters. They were accompanied by various groups from the east of the Sea of Galilee, and the Edomites from southeast of the Dead or Salt Sea. The Edomites were descendants of Abraham’s son Esau. Many of the other groups were related as a result of marriage. While the Philistines and Arabians hesitated to attack Jehoshaphat and Judah because of God’s blessing, Their relatives were jealous. Some of the most bitter fights of history were the results of interfamily jealousy. The entire group decided to attack Judah.
“And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, if, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.” (II Chronicles 20:3-9)
Attacked by an army nearly equal to his own, but having the support of many other groups around the region, Jehoshaphat feared that they could not win the battle on their own, so he sought God’s help, gathering Israel for prayer.
In his prayer he reviews who God is and the promises He made if Israel would obey his commands. He is reminding himself and Israel what they have the right to expect and declaring their dependence on God and faith in his promises, Reminding everyone that they have for several years devoted themselves to obeying God’s word.
“And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.” (II Chronicles 20:10-13)
As he reminds God, the ones attacking were the same people God had forbidden them to attack in Deuteronomy 2:9 and 2:19. They have obeyed God in in not attacking Edom, Moab, or Ammon, but those groups are now attacking them. Now he is asking God to protect them from them. All of Judah was united in this prayer.
“Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.” (II Chronicles 20:14-17)
A Levite prophet named Jahaziel was directed by the Holy Spirit to tell them not to worry because God would keep his promise. Judah would not need to fight them, but should go down to their camp as if they were going to battle. They would get to watch what God did to save them.
“And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.
And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.” (II Chronicles 20:18-21)
They praised and worshipped God, falling on their faces in humility. The next morning, on their way, Jehoshaphat selected a choir to go before the army and lead them in songs of praise, thanking God for his holiness and beauty, and that his mercy is everlasting.
“And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.” (II Chronicles 20:22- 23)
“There was then no king in Edom: a deputy was king.” (I Kings 22:47)
The king of Edom had no authority of his own, but was a temporary appointee, serving in Mount Seir. When Judah began to praise the Lord, God caused the Moabites and Ammonites to turn on the Edomites, in an effort to keep them from taking sides. After destroying the Edomites, they fought among themselves until both groups were annihilated.
“And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.” (II Chronicles 20:24-25)
God had promised Judah wouldn’t need to fight and when they arrived, they found no survivors. It took them three days just to clean up all the stuff the different groups left behind.
“And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.” (II Chronicles 20:26-30)
After cleaning up the mess, they assembled in the valley of Beracah or ‘prosperity’ to thank God for the victory and for what they had recovered in the cleanup. They returned to Jerusalem rejoicing, and other countries were afraid to start a war against them after hearing the outcome.
"It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.” (II Chronicles 20:1-2)
The Moabites and Ammonites are both the products of incest between Abraham’s nephew Lot and his two daughters. They were accompanied by various groups from the east of the Sea of Galilee, and the Edomites from southeast of the Dead or Salt Sea. The Edomites were descendants of Abraham’s son Esau. Many of the other groups were related as a result of marriage. While the Philistines and Arabians hesitated to attack Jehoshaphat and Judah because of God’s blessing, Their relatives were jealous. Some of the most bitter fights of history were the results of interfamily jealousy. The entire group decided to attack Judah.
“And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, if, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.” (II Chronicles 20:3-9)
Attacked by an army nearly equal to his own, but having the support of many other groups around the region, Jehoshaphat feared that they could not win the battle on their own, so he sought God’s help, gathering Israel for prayer.
In his prayer he reviews who God is and the promises He made if Israel would obey his commands. He is reminding himself and Israel what they have the right to expect and declaring their dependence on God and faith in his promises, Reminding everyone that they have for several years devoted themselves to obeying God’s word.
“And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.” (II Chronicles 20:10-13)
As he reminds God, the ones attacking were the same people God had forbidden them to attack in Deuteronomy 2:9 and 2:19. They have obeyed God in in not attacking Edom, Moab, or Ammon, but those groups are now attacking them. Now he is asking God to protect them from them. All of Judah was united in this prayer.
“Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.” (II Chronicles 20:14-17)
A Levite prophet named Jahaziel was directed by the Holy Spirit to tell them not to worry because God would keep his promise. Judah would not need to fight them, but should go down to their camp as if they were going to battle. They would get to watch what God did to save them.
“And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.
And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.” (II Chronicles 20:18-21)
They praised and worshipped God, falling on their faces in humility. The next morning, on their way, Jehoshaphat selected a choir to go before the army and lead them in songs of praise, thanking God for his holiness and beauty, and that his mercy is everlasting.
“And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.” (II Chronicles 20:22- 23)
“There was then no king in Edom: a deputy was king.” (I Kings 22:47)
The king of Edom had no authority of his own, but was a temporary appointee, serving in Mount Seir. When Judah began to praise the Lord, God caused the Moabites and Ammonites to turn on the Edomites, in an effort to keep them from taking sides. After destroying the Edomites, they fought among themselves until both groups were annihilated.
“And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.
And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.” (II Chronicles 20:24-25)
God had promised Judah wouldn’t need to fight and when they arrived, they found no survivors. It took them three days just to clean up all the stuff the different groups left behind.
“And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.” (II Chronicles 20:26-30)
After cleaning up the mess, they assembled in the valley of Beracah or ‘prosperity’ to thank God for the victory and for what they had recovered in the cleanup. They returned to Jerusalem rejoicing, and other countries were afraid to start a war against them after hearing the outcome.
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