Jehoshaphat’s Story – The Battle Belongs to God

All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.

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.

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. 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. 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.’”

2 Chronicles 20:13-17 NIV

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We are continuing to look at Jehoshaphat’s story found in 2 Chronicles 20. Today we are focusing on verses 13-17. Last week we saw how Jehoshaphat prayed a powerful prayer before the entire nation. Immediately after that, they received a word from God, through a man named Jahaziel.

In these verses we learn that Jahaziel was a Levite. Each tribe of the Israelites came from the sons of Jacob. In this case, the Levites are descendants of Levi. When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, each tribe received a portion of the land, except for the Levites. The Levites were set apart to handle religious duties and to be the priests.

On this day when Jehoshaphat and the nation have turned to God for help with the battle they were facing, God showed up and spoke to them through this man. He gave them a word of encouragement.

And what encouraging and powerful words they were: “Do not be afraid or discouraged … the battle is not yours, but God’s … You will not have to fight this battle … stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you … Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged … the Lord will be with you.”

Wow! Can you imagine facing disaster, being scared out of your wits, and not knowing what to do. Then God shows up with a statement that turns it all around.

The thing is that as Christians we know all this to be true as well, but we just don’t always remember it. We know we shouldn’t be afraid or discouraged. We know God will fight for us. We know God is with us. Yet too often we allow fear to take over.

One thing we must keep in mind, no matter how big or small our battle is – The Battle Belongs to the Lord.

Too often we try to fight things in our own strength. This leaves us feeling exhausted and discouraged. We need help to see us through our battles. And thankfully help is always accessible. We don’t have to fight our battles with our own strength. We have Almighty God’s strength to help us.

I love the words found in Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.” This verse came approximately 300 years after Jehoshaphat’s story. It was during a time when the Jews were supposed to be rebuilding the temple. This was a huge task. They needed encouragement to see this project through. God reminded them that they wouldn’t be able to complete it in their own strength. But they could complete it when they sought Him for help.

Take Action

One thing to keep in mind, is that this doesn’t necessarily mean we sit down and do nothing. In Jehoshaphat’s story, God did tell the people to “March down against [the vast army] … Take up your positions … Go out to face them.”

And likewise in our battles, we too may have to take action. Depending on what we are facing, we might worry about exactly what action we should be taking. Every battle we face will be different. And even if you and I are facing a similar battle, God might call us each to proceed in a unique way.

Remember that Jehoshaphat had just finished praying. That is a clue for us as well. We need to stay connected to the Lord in prayer, and seek His wisdom. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us and He will guide us to take the right steps.

Then when we do proceed, we can do so with confidence knowing that the battle belongs to God.

Hold Your Peace

A few hundred years before Jehoshaphat’s story, when the Israelites were fleeing Egypt, Pharaoh’s army was chasing them down. The Israelites panicked and didn’t have much faith. And they blamed Moses for their troubles.

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” – Exodus 14:13-14 NIV

And the Lord did fight for them. These words proceed the famous story where God parted the Red Sea. The Israelites were able to walk through the Red Sea on dry ground. Then when Pharaoh’s army reached the Red Sea, not a single man survived.

But again notice in this story, the Israelites still had to take action. They had to get up and walk. Although the words of Moses were to “be still,” this was really a matter of the heart, rather than a state of the body. The KJV of Exodus 14:14 says it this way, “The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.“

“Hold your peace.” We can choose to hold peace in our hearts when we remember that God is fighting our battles.

In the words of Dr. Charles Stanley, “We do not handle stressful situations by fighting against them; instead, God calls us to be at rest in him.”

Reminders of Truth

Living our day to day lives, we can quickly forget some of these amazing stories in the Bible. And when we are blindsided by the unexpected, our minds are so focused on the problem in front of us, and we don’t always remember truth. That is one reason why it is important to read our Bibles on a daily basis. This helps the truth to be tucked deep in our hearts.

However, these powerful stories are not just in the Bible. We can also remind ourselves of times when God was there for us. We might do this by keeping a gratitude journal or a prayer journal. Write down events when God showed up for you and your loved ones.

In Psalm 44:1-8, the psalmist is recounting how the Lord was the one to fight the Israelites’ battles. God drove the other nations out of the Promised Land. It wasn’t the work of the people. It was the work of God. “It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.” (v 3-4 NIV)

I especially like the fact that this psalmist remembered the ways God had been there before. This is an important step for us as well. When we remind ourselves of the ways God has provided in our lives, this helps build our faith in Him. We can proceed with confidence when we keep truth in our hearts.

When we have a firm foundation in our faith by walking with God daily, we develop a deeper understanding of who He is. And this helps us to trust Him. Then when a battle comes our way, we can be still and hold our peace. We know that the battles we face belong to God.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and read my post. I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

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