Pam Padgett ... teacher
God is able to deliver His people from their enemies, and He does this
according to His will. In 2Chronicles 20 we have a wonderful account in
which it pleased God to destroy the enemies who came against Judah
without Judah needing to fight in the battle.
When Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, the children of Moab, Ammon, and
Mt. Seir set themselves to come against him. This brought great
fear. But Jehoshaphat and those from all of Judah turned strongly to
God ...
2 Chronicles 20:1 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. 2 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. 3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set
himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4
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.
They feared the great company of their enemies and didn't know what to do. But they trusted in God, laying the situation out before God, looking to Him to help them ...
2 Chronicles 20:12 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.
God put His Spirit on Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, who spoke to Judah
that they would not need to fight in this battle but would see God save
them. The battle was not their's, but God's ...
2 Chronicles 20:14 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; 15 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. 16 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. 17 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.
As Judah went forth as God told them, Jehoshaphat exhorted them to believe what God had said and to praise God ...
2 Chronicles 20:20 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. 21 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.
God caused the armies that had come to fight against Judah to turn and fight against each other, destroying each other!
2 Chronicles 20:22 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. 23 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.
When Judah came, they found that all of those who had came against them were dead ...
2 Chronicles 20:24 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.
Just as God told beforehand through Jahaziel, the battle was not Judah's, but
God's. God chose for Judah to not fight in this battle, yet their
enemies were destroyed. A strong example of the power of God and
providing deliverance for His people according to His will.