Jehoshaphat’s Story – Introduction

Worry, anxiety, fear, stress, dread. Do these emotions sound familiar? For some of us they are a constant companion. For others, they might just be an acquaintance. But no matter who you are, we have all felt these emotions at some point. And I think we all can agree that these emotions are not fun.

Often times these feelings come when we are facing something difficult in life. However, even when things are going well in our lives, the world around us can bring us down. From tragic reports on the news to the persistent negativity that surrounds us – life can be overwhelming.

But here is the good news – God wants more for us. He doesn’t want us to feel stuck or fearful all the time. Jesus came so that we may have an abundant life. And living with endless panic or apprehension is not living life abundantly.

When the pandemic hit us a couple of years ago, and it seemed the whole world need a faith boost, I decided to dig into the Bible for insight. I found many stories of great faith. These stories were ones that I had read before, but they appeared in a new light. And one story in particular that really struck me dealt with King Jehoshaphat of Judah, found in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30.

In this story I discovered the secrets to strong faith. I knew this was how I wanted to live. I wanted to face life with confidence and strength, knowing God was by my side.

I am not perfect in this area. I still need to remind myself of truth. But I imagine I am not alone. Therefore, I want to share what I learned with you as well. So, we are going to walk through this story together in the coming weeks.

Does fear ever stop you in your tracks? Does worry rob you of a joyous life? Has anxiety made itself at home in your life?

I am here to tell you that there is hope. We can be brave no matter what life brings to our doorstep, because we are children of the Most High God.

We are going to use King Jehoshaphat’s story to learn how to stand tall with unshakable faith, even when facing life’s battles.

Before we begin this journey, I want to start off with a bit of backstory. During this time period, God’s chosen people were split up into two nations. After the death of King Solomon, there was discord which led to the division of the kingdom. There was Israel in the North and Judah in the South. Jehoshaphat was one of David’s descendants and one of the kings of Judah. At the time when Jehoshaphat reigned, Israel saw three kings – Ahab, Ahaziah, and Joram. We won’t necessarily touch on all of these other kings during our study. However, this helps us understand where Jehoshaphat was in Israel’s timeline.

And something else to note. Many of the kings of Israel and Judah were despicable. But Jehoshaphat was one of the good guys. He wasn’t perfect. However, we are told that “the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father (ancestor) David. He did not seek [to follow] the Baals [the false gods], but sought the God of his father, and walked in (obeyed) His commandments, and did not act as Israel did. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great wealth and honor. His heart was encouraged and he took great pride in the ways of the Lord; moreover, he again removed the high places [of pagan worship] and the Asherim from Judah.” (1 Chronicles 17:3-6 AMP)

Perhaps you are already familiar with the story of King Jehoshaphat found in 2 Chronicles 20. Or maybe it is one that doesn’t ring a bell. Either way, I hope you will gain some new insight as we journey through this story together.

If you want to get a head start, I have the text from 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 below. I hope you will join me over the coming weeks as we walk through this inspiring story together.

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I will be forming my July prayer list this weekend. If you have any special prayer requests, please let me know. Based on what some of you have told me in prior months, you will remain on my list and I will continue praying. But if you have any new requests to share, please do so in the comments. Thank you for reading. I hope you have a blessed weekend.

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2 Chronicles 20:1-30:

1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came 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 Lord with 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.

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